Spanish architect Andrés Jaque has won MoMA's annual Young Architects Program contest, to craft and install a massive, temporary structure in the courtyard of MoMA PS1. Jaque's New York- and Madrid-based firm—the Office for Political Innovation—has crafted plans for a water filtration plant that doubles as a public art project.
According to a MoMA, the project is titled COSMO and will be "a moveable artifact, made out of customized irrigation components, to make visible and enjoyable the so-far hidden urbanism of pipes we live by." It will have the capabilities to filter and purify 3,000 gallons of water every few days. When each cycle is complete, the entire structure's stretched-out plastic mesh will glow, providing a backdrop for PS1's summer concert series.
COSMO reportedly highlights a United Nations statistic that by 2025, approximately two-thirds of the world's population will live in regions lacking sufficient water resources. The portability of Jaque's creation means that it could, conceivably, be reproduced and exported cheaply.
MoMA architecture and design curator Pedro Gadanho emphasized the project's sustainable features.
"This year's proposal takes one of the Young Architects Program's essential—providing a water feature for leisure and fun—and highlights water itself as a scarce resource," he said.
Last year, David Benjamin of The Living won the contest, designing a tower of organic bricks made from corn stalks and mushrooms.
· Young Architects Program 2015 [MoMA]
· Andrés Jaque to create water-purifying pipe network for MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program [Dezeen]
· All Young Architects Program coverage [Curbed]