BIMBY
Bubbles in my Backyardsupervised by Toshiko Mori
Location: New York City
Date: 2021
New York City has long been famous for its incredible density and tiny apartments. Apartments seldom have living rooms, and if they do, they are converted into bedrooms to alleviate the rent burden. The city itself becomes the communal living room of the residents. Fittingly, over 1700 public parks in New York City servicing the public amount to 280 acres of park space. This isn’t even including the 592 privately owned public space. The city relies on these outdoor spaces for mental health and space to breathe; it is essential for the residents. But, in the winter, these spaces are suddenly gone, and New Yorkers are confined to their tiny apartments.
BIMBY looks at how temporary and ephemeral structures can reclaim public spaces back in the winter. Specifically, the project is a system of commonly found or slightly altered components attached to common chain-link fence structures. The system of components paired with typical greenhouse materials, already well tested against harsh climates, allows that space to be reclaimed from the cold. The bubble’s goal is to provide manageable wind-proof temperatures to continue to use the space without artificially and inefficiently heating the space. The temporary structure would be easily deployed and demounted during the winter months.
Reclaiming winter spaces would allow programming to continue in the parks and provide equality of access during these months. In addition to reclaiming winter, the mountable chain-link fence system offers opportunities to create covid partitioning, summer shading, and much more beyond its winter use. While the proposal focuses on the Cage in West 4th, the system is intended to be as ubiquitous as a chain-link fence is in the city. It adds onto the existing framework to create an adaptable, lightweight, and temporary solution to the city’s constantly fluctuating needs.
