The folks behind Lowline aren't giving up on their dream of building out a verdant underground park in the 60,000-square-foot abandoned trolly terminal under the Lower East Side. Five years into their effort, Lowline has launched its second Kickstarter campaign, this time aiming to raise $200,000 for the Lowline Lab (h/t TLD). In the Kickstarter video, the lab is described as a "bigger, badder, more mindblowing" companion to the sunlight-funneling project the team built out three years ago. In the time between the two Kickstarters, Lowline has been working on solar technology and their method of funneling sunlight underground, and they've got some serious ideas about how they'll use this $200,000.
In their words, via The Low Down,
In order for the City to officially approve the project, we still have some big questions to answer. Will the solar tech work? Will plants really grow? Will it be a popular public space? To answer these questions, we're planning a long-term testing exhibition called the Lowline Lab, and we need $200,000 to build it … Following the last few years of research, we want to see with our own eyes how our technology functions over time. We'll test how effectively we can re-direct sunlight remotely, by installing three solar collection systems on the roof of an abandoned former warehouse space, and distributing that light into the otherwise dark space … We will test our research on the species of plants our team has determined will thrive best in the lighting conditions of the Lowline… We'll measure human happiness factors associated with our park, across different seasons. The Lab will be open in New York City from September- February, allowing us to see how the space is perceived and used in both the fall, when the weather outside can be variable, and the winter, when the weather outside is generally cold and often nasty. We plan to keep the space open and free to all on weekends, and we intend to survey happiness levels in both quantitative and qualitative ways, before and after visiting a safe, magical, beautiful indoor park. Now, watch on in awe (because it really is a pretty cool idea.)
· New Solar Technology to Build an Underground Park [Kickstarter]
· Lowline Launches $200,000 Kickstarter For Tech Lab in Former Essex Market Building [TLD]
· These 5 Futuristic Parks May Transform NYC's Landscape [Curbed]
· All Lowline coverage [Curbed]
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