Oculi, 2018
City of Dreams Pavilion
Figment, AIANY, and SEAoNY
Governors Island, NYC
June 23 - October 31, 2018
Oculi, constructed from two reconfigured 40-year-old metal grain bins, is created by Austin+Mergold in collaboration with artist Maria Park and structural engineers Chris Earls and Scott Hughes. The grain bins, which once stored string corn on a farm in Delphos, OH, now frame
unobstructed view of the sky while tracking the path of the sun with a range of shadow
patterns. The concept for the interior walls, by Maria Park, invites viewers to wander below the structure to find a moment when the paint and the sky colors coincide.
The annual City of Dreams competition is hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). The City of
Pavilion, so named for its focus on the future of a world that faces strains on both economic
and natural resources, aims to promote sustainability-oriented thinking amidst the architecture
and design communities, requiring designers to consider the environmental impact of their
designs from materials sourcing to disposal (or ideally reuse) of waste at the end of the season.
Special thanks to: Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and College of Engineering at Cornell University; FIGMENT, Trust for Governors Island, AIANY, ENYA, SEAoNY
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Cornell student assistant team:
Curtis Ho, Kate Huffman, Eric Lee, Libby Rosa, Anna Warfield, Emma Boudreau, Sarah Bujnowski, Isabel Branas, Vaharan Elavia,
Ami Kurosaki, Jason Lin, Xiaoxue Ma, Hafsa Muhammad, Sasson Rafailov, Jiacheng Xu
