Students at Pratt Institute’s Graduate Architecture and Urban Design program (GAUD) followed the annual tradition and teamed up to create an installation for the student exhibition showcasing their work from the previous term. The completed project is the result of a collective effort and it is part of the Institute’s annual ‘In Process’ publication – a collection of student work.
Courtesy of SOFTlab
Professors Michael Szivos and Ryan Whitby, of New York City’s SOFTlab, supervised the design process which led to a colorful art piece, working as a special catalog of the students’ projects. Hanged panels are rotated at precise angles, guiding visitors around models placed on pedestals below, while allowing free movement. Although the installation is based on a regular grid, the different rotation and height of the panels create a dynamic filter. A color gradient was applied to the panels, adding to the feeling of motion created by the installation.
Courtesy of SOFTlab
As the program emphasizes digital fabrication, the design was realized using computer modelling tools. More than 800 laser-cut laminated panels display individually cut images. They are connected with strings to a grid of CNC cut disks and held in position using a basic system of steel-ball bearings.
The GAUD student exhibition installation was realized with the collaboration between creative students – Elisa Yi Feng, Zachary Grzybowski, Jeremy Hill, Eunmee Hong, Sasimanas Hoonsuwan, Wooseong Kewon, Maria Nikolovski, Danica Selem, Milad Showkatbakhsh, T. Craig Singlair and Emily Walek – and their teachers. It celebrates student projects at the prestigious institution and offers an example for universities worldwide.
Courtesy of SOFTlab
By: Ana Cosma
Ana Cosma is an editor at Arch2O with a deep-rooted passion for architecture and urban design. Drawing on nearly a decade of architectural experience across prominent firms in Stuttgart, Germany—including Exyte, BWK.Architekten, and SCD Architekten—Ana brings a practiced eye and international perspective to her editorial work. Her academic foundation in Architecture and Urbanism from Politehnica University of Timișoara, complemented by a study period at Sapienza Università di Roma, informs her nuanced approach to exploring contemporary urban challenges and design innovations. At Arch2O, Ana curates and contributes insightful articles that bridge professional practice with emerging trends in urbanism and architectural theory.