MoMA PS1 YAP 2015 Runner-up: Roof Deck / Erin Besler

Despite Andrés Jaque of Office of Political Innovation emerging as the winner of the 2015 MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program (YAP), his competitors put up quite a fight. One of this year's five shortlisted proposals, Erin Besler's Roof Deck breathes life into arguably the most overlooked aspect of architecture - the roof - by injecting it with an active public program and making it a vessel for summer celebration.

Read on after the break for more on Besler's proposal.

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Courtyard during warm-up. Image Courtesy of Erin Besler

Drawing inspiration from such mantras synonymous with summer fun as "raise the roof" and "tear the roof off," Roof Deck creates a hub for activity using the MoMA PS1 roof. By re-positioning the roof within the neighboring courtyard, it becomes a space for gathering and social interaction, offering a casual block party environment. Providing an array of programs with an emphasis on physical fitness and performance, the roof activates what was previously a thoroughfare, making it a destination.

MoMA PS1 YAP 2015 Runner-up: Roof Deck / Erin Besler - Chair
Gutter system. Image by Walker Olesen

In another effort to improve the space, Roof Deck's design minimizes waste. The excess material produced from refitting the roof are not discarded, but rather reincorporated into other areas of the design. Additional strides are made through re-purposing the gutter system to dispense runoff into a collection and retention scheme, transforming the common system into a focal point and distributing discarded water for further use on-site.

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Site Model. Image by Walker Olesen
  • Architects

  • Location

    Long Island City, Queens, NY, USA
  • Project Team

    Jamie Barron, Erin Besler, Ian Besler, Kyle Branchesi, Ryan Conroy, Chris Gassaway, Devin Koba, Ingrid Lao, Bernhard Luthringshausen, Tori McKenna, Dami Olufowoshe, Tom Pompeani, Sai Rojanapirom, Shane Reiner-Roth, Evi Temmel, Tessa Watson
  • Engineering Team

    Walter P. Moore, Los Angeles Office; Kais Al-Rawi, Steve Lewis, Bo Ying Liu, Greg Otto, Frank Reppi, Sanjeev Tankha, Viswanath Urala
  • Project Year

    2015
  • Photographs

    Courtesy of Erin Besler
  • Location

    Long Island City, Queens, NY, USA
  • Project Year

    2015
  • Photographs

    Courtesy of Erin Besler, {"text"=>"", "type"=>"media_provider", "id"=>"5054327428ba0d64b200000f"}

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About this office
Cite: Holly Giermann. "MoMA PS1 YAP 2015 Runner-up: Roof Deck / Erin Besler" 08 Mar 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/606906/moma-ps1-yap-2015-runner-up-roof-deck-erin-besler> ISSN 0719-8884

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