2011

Design Architect: SoftLab

Structural Engineer:
Nathaniel M. Stanton
CRAFT | Engineering Studio
w/ Matt Clark - Arup Associates


Design:  
Xtra Moenia was a temporary art installation by the firm Softlab which served as the focal point for the northern entrance of the annual San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy. The sculpture was comprised of individual mylar panels riveted together into a tensile membrane. The tensioned form was created by opposing conical foci oriented vertically and spread horizontally at midlevel by a series of catenary cables describing a continuous anticlastic shape.  Cables necessary for hanging and tensioning the sculpture were extended through open windows and anchored to temporary frames in the surrounding buildings.  Craft collaborated with Matthew Clark of Arup to assist Softlab in accomplishing the piece.