Life

Weird Architecture Coming to a Neighborhood By You

by Allie Healy

Brooklyn architects are taking sustainability to a whole other level. This summer, buildings made of FUNGUS called mycelium will be coming to MoMa P.S.1, a contemporary art center in Long Island City.

Curators of the Museum of Modern Art and MoMA P.S.1 recently announced the winner of the Young Architects Program, The Living (David Benjamin). This inventive architect designed "Hy-Fi," which the MoMA describes as a "circular tower of organic and reflective bricks." These bricks are made from 100 percent organic material including roots and cornstalks. The building series will be utilized during MoMA's 2014 Warm Up summer music series. At the end of the summer the structures will be taken down and composted, completing their sustainable life.

Because the greater New York City area is known for its heat waves throughout the summer months, these buildings will be vital in providing a place for the concert-goers to relax and cool down. The MoMA explains:

The structure inverts the logic of load-bearing brick construction and creates a gravity-defying effect—instead of being thick and dense at the bottom, it is thin and porous at the bottom. The structure is calibrated to create a cool micro-climate in the summer by drawing in cool air at the bottom and pushing out hot air at the top.

If you're looking for an innovative place to relax, and possibly brag about on Instagram, this coming summer, look out for "Hy-Fi."

Images: The Living/http://thelivingnewyork.com/