xiangyu liu chengxi zha cengyuan xu xiangyu liu chengxi zha cengyuan xu

new york, new york united states

In the complex environment of Manhattan, the air stream carries a variety of impure gasses: byproducts from industry, building air conditioning and heating systems, and vehicle exhausts. In order to successfully reach the goal of 80% carbon emission reduction in Manhattan by 2050, the idea for the Manhattan Curtain was born.

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage technology (CCUS) captures and purifies the CO2 emissions and subsequently puts it into a new process that allows the CO2 to be recycled rather than sequestered. The Manhattan Curtain is an architectural practice based on CCUS technology at an urban scale. The project starts with 630 carbon dioxide-filter membranes. Amine compounds are attached to filters to absorb carbon dioxide and chemically convert it into carbide. The carbide is then transported to the CCUS towers on either side of the Curtain. After multiple filtering and decomposition processes, it is ultimately transformed into industrial products such as baking soda and biodegradable plastics, aiming for efficient and clean green applications of carbon-based energy.

The filters hang from trusses suspended between the CCUS towers, forming a giant curtain on W 59th St – physically interrupting the gray skyscrapers and the green Central Park. As well as capturing and processing the vast carbon emissions from Midtown and Downtown, the towers also enrich city life by allowing citizens to enter the interior to learn about purifying the air, and to stand at a new high point with a great view of Manhattan. Aesthetically, the filter Curtain has a colorful, stained window-like effect. The Manhattan Curtain is a monument to the barbarically grown city with the highest density of high-rise buildings in human history, interrupting the status quo and symbolizing the city’s move to a sustainable future.