Noah Kalina
Daniel D'Oca, Georgeen Theodore, and Tobias Amborst of Interboro…
Daniel D’Oca, Georgeen Theodore, and Tobias Armborst of Interboro Partners
The program brief for the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program, now entering its second decade as arguably the most high-visibility gig for emerging talent, could be read as “create a cool shade structure in the PS1 museum courtyard and get ready for a dance party.” But in an era when the profession is feeling a bit hungover from the indulgences of formal expression, Interboro’s piece, “Holding Pattern,” takes a refreshingly different approach.
Brooklyn, N.Y.–based partners Daniel D’Oca, Georgeen Theodore, AIA, and Tobias Armborst asked folks in PS1’s Long Island City neighborhood a question: Is there something you need that we could design, use in the summer courtyard installation, then donate in the fall? Their query turned up a mixed-bag of materials, including ping-pong tables, mirrors, and a grove of 60 red oak trees, all of which will be deployed beneath a canopy of rope that stretches across the PS1 courtyard. Their outreach can be seen as a model for young architects who might be frustrated with traditional practice.
“They take classes about ‘social design’ but end up sourcing bathroom fixtures for luxury apartment units,” D’Oca says. “[With ‘Holding Pattern’] we spent a good amount of time talking to taxi-management companies, libraries, high schools, senior and daycare centers, community gardens, the post office, and dozens of other Long Island City–based institutions. We feel like a part of the neighborhood and that makes us happy.”
2011 Emerging Talent
Materials & Applications
YAP_MAXXI Young Architects Program
American Academy in Rome: Rome Prize
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art: Architecture + Art
Architectural League Emerging Voices
Superfront
MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program
Sci-ARC Gallery
AIA Institute Honors for Young Architects
Storefront for Art and Architecture
