SITU Fabrication | Select Portfolio 2022

Select Works SITU Fabrication

Shop Brooklyn Navy Yard, 63 Flushing Ave Bldg 132, Brooklyn, NY 11205 (718) 855-2170 main Office Brooklyn Navy Yard, 141 Flushing Ave Bldg 77, Suite 508, Brooklyn, NY 11205 (718) 237-5795 main fabrication@situ.nyc www.situ.nyc/fabrication

SITU Fabrication specializes in the engineering and construction of experimental and technically demanding projects.

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Our staff represents a diverse background of art, architecture, design and technology—bringing a unique versatility to our practice that distinguishes us within the industry.

From our 10,000 sq ft production facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, we provide comprehensive fabrication services to architects, developers, contractors, artists, agencies and other creative teams. Our expertise is built from the complexity and customization of each project in our portfolio, allowing us to work efficiently across a wide range of materials and techniques. In addition to our advanced production capabilities, we offer specialized engineering, design assist and other consulting services that enhance our clients’ designs and facilitate construction.

What we do: Design assist Engineering Estimating Fabrication & installation Project management Prototyping Research & development

Our Brooklyn Navy Yard facilities: 10,000 sq ft fabrication shop 4,000 sq ft design studio

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Our approach is focused on developing close partnerships and inventive solutions that produce unprecedented results. We often enter projects during the early stages of the design process to identify ways to optimize efficiency, refine details, reduce costs and streamline the construction schedule. Leveraging our deep understanding of 3D modeling and parametric tools, we can supplement our clients’ digital skill sets to help them achieve their design intent.

Since 2005, we have developed unique solutions for more than 100 firms and institutions and with each project our expertise grows, allowing us to delve freely into unfamiliar territory and tackle increasingly complex challenges.

Little Island Landscape Seating Client: Little Island Architects: Heatherwick Studio, Standard/ Architects Landscape Architect: MNLA Location: New York, NY Completion: 2021 Photography: Michael Grimm, Timothy Schenck, SITU

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To complement this new riverside park’s distinctively organic architecture, SITU was brought on to design and fabricate custom seating integrated into the landscape design.

Our role was focused on three separate scope areas: stadium seating for the “Amph”, hand sculpted tiered seating at “The Glade” and custom benches along walking trails. Working closely with the design and landscape architects, our intent was to enrich the experience of these public spaces by introducing playfulness and warmth into the design. Our deep understanding of materiality and fabrication allowed us to create these inviting seating features with feasibility, comfort and durability in mind.

11 The “Amph” is central to those values with sustainably sourced black locust bench seating designed and built to host 700 visitors for live entertainment at the water’s edge. Because of the scale of the scope and particular safety restrictions, a balanced strategy was developed to simultaneously address comfort and code. Utilizing a hybrid of traditional steam bending and 5-axis CNC capabilities, our team was able to realize this sleek and visitor-friendly design.

Little Island Landscape Seating

For a smaller performance area, named “The Glade,” we created communal, tiered seating with a live-edge appearance. Made with hand-sculpted black locust wood, large seating members were selected for their natural weathering behavior to provide durability in a high traffic and moist outdoor environment. This area is intended for non-ticketed performances to create an easily accessible venue within the park.

13 Along trails throughout the park, custom benches provide intimate rest stops. Using hand tools we sculpted organic textures on the edges of each bench, enhancing the design’s naturalistic expression.

The seating features complement the visitor experience of Little Island by speaking to a passion for community and nature. Our fabrication capabilities allowed us to execute the architect’s unique vision for the park; building the furnishings so they can be enjoyed by the public far into the future.

Little Island Landscape Seating

ShowBox at The Battery

Client: The Battery Conservancy Architect: BKSK Architects Location: New York, NY Completion: 2021 Photography: SITU

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With thoughtful design engineering and material studies of custom bent stainless panels, we fabricated and installed the ShowBox — a public children’s theater at The Battery designed by BKSK Architects. The design ensures safe use while amplifying the bold angular design of this multipurpose park amenity.

17 Emphasizing the integration of utility and design, the theater features a main proscenium that integrates a smaller puppet performance theater and back-of-house operations through cladded partitions, a cat-walk, and angular columns in this openair pavilion. Due to the exposed nature of this structure which sits at the water’s edge of lower Manhattan, and the expectation for high public interaction, our project management team initiated various material and design studies to address varying safety conditions and utility applications.

ShowBox at The Battery

Because the theater is expected to cater to youth programs and frequent visitors, safety was a main priority when considering the angular design and panel reveals. Tight reveals and custom 1/8” radius bends at panel terminations were accommodated and meticulously detailed by our team during installation to enhance safety for public interaction.

19 For the proscenium, our team detailed a theatrical stainless steel curtain in the proscenium portal as well as attending to the proscenium’s paneling challenges. We reimagined the junctions between triangular panels in order to create safer and aesthetically pleasing details that strengthen the theater’s linear panel design.

By considering both design and insightful implementation- our team was able to detail, fabricate and install a public park facility that will sustain functionality as an exterior metal structure, as well as sensitively tend to the needs of community exchange.

ShowBox at The Battery

Park Avenue Synagogue Minyan Chapel

Client: Park Avenue Synagogue Architect: MBB Architects Location: New York, NY Completion: 2019 Photography: Francis Dzikowski

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Harnessing our Design Assist and fabrication services, our team developed and fabricated an intricate custom cladding for the Minyan Chapel at Park Avenue Synagogue.

To bring together the architect’s and Synagogue’s vision of a cultural space for prayer, our project management team explored various materials, pattern details, and coordination strategies for what would ultimately become an ornate multilayered wood and decorative metal feature.

23 Offset from the curved wood veneered surface, we fabricated and installed two layers of custom perforated brass sheets that enhanced the warmth and richness of this space for worship. The pattern design was chosen by the architect to pay homage to the previous chapel altar.

We carefully distorted the metal pattern to accommodate the fluid geometry of the wall, which was detailed to accommodate challenging field conditions. Each part was brushed and waxed by hand for an inviting finish that emulates oil-rubbed bronze.

With astute attention to detail and cultural specificities in mind, our team was able to enhance the renovation of this existing cultural center through aesthetic development and delicate fabrication expertise to realize this intimate community gathering space.

Park Avenue Synagogue Minyan Chapel

300 Lafayette Lobby Client: Related Companies Architect: COOKFOX Architects Location: New York, NY Completion: 2019 Photography: Bruce Damonte, SITU

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COOKFOX’s entry space design integrates blackened steel and solid white oak, requiring thoughtful and precise fabrication. SITU’s extensive experience with metal finishing and digital woodworking allowed for the design intent, of tall and vertically-oriented boards, to be achieved with considerations for material behavior and detailing.

Axonometric view of the lobby highlighting our scope areas: reception desk, builtin benches, continuous millwork and steel panelling.

27 Stack laminating the wood allowed us to control the distinct and durable rift-sawn grain orientation for this hightraffic project. To meet the design intent we reoriented the traditionally horizontal stack-lamination technique for a vertical orientation. With a vertical configuration, each board needed additional mitering to fit seamlessly in place.

The detailed mitering process allowed us to control the type of exposed wood grain, keeping the rift-sawn face visible across all curves. The result is a tall and clean visual effect, complemented by the design’s single ripple that loops around the lobby.

300 Lafayette Lobby

The ripple accent winds around towards the front of the space where it protrudes from a side wall forming a built-in bench.

Across from this and at the other end, the same milled detail curves outward to form an undulating reception desk. Our team detailed a removable top surface to the desk which has benefits of easy repair or refinishing, reduced waste with smaller boards, giving us more control over the consistent grain orientation on each face. Where the desk and wall meet, the tops twist into extremely complex curved sections. Early mockups determined the best configuration of lumber and integration of embedded dowels to compensate for internal tension.

29 For the blackened steel paneling, we developed a custom patination process to meticulously treat and burnish for an evenly mottled finish. Our ability to take on both millwork and metal scope areas allowed us to ensure a higher quality integration of seams and edge details.

300 Lafayette Lobby

Three Saros, James Turrell Artist: James Turrell Architects: A+I, SheltonMindel Contractor: Reidy Contracting Group Location: New York, NY Completion: 2015 Photography: © Michael Moran/OTTO Collaborators: Art in Construction, Laufs Engineering Design

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Made from an assembly of GFRG panels, a sculpted alcove wraps the doorways at each floor level, concealing a continuous light source.

SITU served as the specialty consultant for engineering and fabrication for this demanding and complex art installation within an office building in midtown Manhattan. Working closely with James Turrell’s design team and the project architects, we developed an innovative method for making each unique panel and seamlessly assembling the piece. In line with the rigorous concept of the artist, this ganzfeld project creates a fully immersive, architectural experience of color.

Three Saros, James Turrell

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Our role began with a question: what is the best approach to construction, given the multitude of teams, the complexity of the site, the technical tools at hand and the artist’s vision? We began by conducting a number of formal and material studies to refine the means and efficiency of our approach, teaming up with Laufs Engineering for structural design and Art in Construction for the GFRG fabrication of the interior. These iterations informed our 3D model of the piece, which served as a critical tool for overseeing how the various components of the sculpture came together.

35 Beyond managing the construction process and project team, our in-house fabrication team created the solid surface exterior cladding, all molds for GFRG production and any templates and precision mounting brackets required for collaborators.

Three Saros, James Turrell

Columbia School of Journalism Client: Columbia University Architect: LTL Architects Contractor: Central Consulting & Contracting Location: New York, NY Completion: 2017 Photography: © Michael Moran/OTTO, SITU

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Each of the pendants’ unique geometry is supported by a framework of aluminum angles which are custom bent to fit seamlessly together.

Working for LTL Architects at Columbia University’s School of Journalism, we fabricated a performancedriven acoustic ceiling for the Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall. Their design reimagines the hall’s original features, and includes more than 100 custom pendants and coffers protruding as much as five feet into the space.

Together these elements create dramatic volumes and recesses that integrate lighting fixtures, sound systems, HVAC, projectors and recording equipment.

We fabricated the surfaces out of felt-like ezoBord, which is made from recycled water bottles. Each of these faceted panels was mitered with machineprecision using a CNC blade attachment and backed by a light framework of bent aluminum.

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Columbia School of Journalism

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21' - 7 3⁄8" Existing ceiling

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Overhead, the structure is suspended by steel cables and—where it terminates at the far side— clips directly to the existing wall. The resulting composition of these forms enhances the inherent acoustical properties of the material, achieving sophisticated quality with minimal cost and installation time.

Columbia School of Journalism

Providence River Pedestrian Bridge Client: Rhode Island Department of Transportation Architect: inFORM studio Location: Providence, RI Completion: 2019 Photography: Steve Kroodsma, SITU

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The Providence River Pedestrian Bridge is a transformative project designed by inFORM studio that curves across the Providence River to reconnect neighborhoods that were once divided by the outdated I-195 interstate highway.

Working closely with the designers to bring their concept to life, our team refined the project’s sinuous new cladding system and custom structural connections.

Each module is composed of a stainless steel armature and wood panels that can be easily removed to facilitate long-term maintenance.

45 Since the bridge is seen as a local landmark and the community was highly engaged in the planning process, it was crucial for us to achieve the design’s intended complexity and organic quality.

Our scope was the wooden exterior cladding, composed of 250 individual panels that wrap around both sides of the multi-level bridge. We also developed demountable connection details that facilitate the kind of long-term maintenance required for such a prominent part of the design.

Providence River Pedestrian Bridge

Using parametric tools, we developed the internal structure of each panel and thousands of custom connections where they attach to the substructure.

Simultaneously, we found ways to modularize the larger system while preserving the unique form and surface curves. Overall, this helped accelerate the production schedule and reduce material waste and costs.

In order to make the modules demountable, our team developed a break-formed steel clip system, adjustable for fine-tuning a more precise anchoring of each unique segment.

Rising from the original piers of the old highway, this public pathway allows residents and tourists to cross freely between these adjacent neighborhoods for the first time. And with multiple plazas and gathering spaces along the bridge, the river itself becomes a new center for the community.

Providence River Pedestrian Bridge

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Our team engineered each module’s stainless steel armature to be as lightweight as possible while structurally supporting and giving shape to the finished surface. Unlike with the decking above which is built with heavy ipe lumber, we used wana—a less dense hardwood species with the same durable properties that can withstand weathering. We then delivered these material components to a trusted local team to be carefully assembled and ultimately installed by barge.

Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Client: RWJBarnabas Health Architect: Francis Cauffman Architects Contractor: WM Blanchard Location: Livingston, NJ Completion: 2017 Photography: Chris Cooper, Bjorg Magnea

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More than 300 uniquely curved panels comprise a sculptural, two-story feature wall with arching cutouts that reveal soft backlighting.

This large-scale fabrication project at the Saint Barnabas Medical Center features two multi-story architectural components for the Cooperman Family Pavilion, designed by Francis Cauffman. Comprised of a softly rippled backdrop wall and a lobby installation with programmable lighting, the design is derived from the movement of water.

Starting separately at the ground level and first floor, the backdrop wall spans the length of the lobby and joins together at the other end. Each of the 330 Corian panels were uniquely milled and finished with a blue-to-white gradient that accentuates the curves.

We leveraged custom thermoform molds to expedite the production schedule and accommodate the complexity of the design.

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53 At the center of the project is a 26 foot-tall digital partition. Using acrylic sheets side-lit with programmable LEDs, light moves along the surface of the partition and backdrop wall in waves. With only a few inches to maneuver between the elevator and staircase, we fitted the HSS supports with powder coated aluminum cladding for a clean finish.

Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Client: Alloy Development Location: Brooklyn, NY Completion: 2016 Photography: SITU Collaborator: Oso Industries

One John Street

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57 Working for the New York development group Alloy, SITU designed and built a series of sculptural concrete panels for the entry of One John Street, a residential building in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Each panel was created with a uniquely textured surface using a custom fabrication process we developed for this project.

Experimenting with a variety of treatments and techniques, we worked through a series of iterative material samples that explored the aesthetics of erosion and encaustic. Ultimately, we arrived at a casting technique which creates an evenly distributed pattern and coloration across the field of panels while also allowing for each component to have its own subtle variations.

One John Street

Custom oven trays were designed to melt away the wax in an organic but consistent pattern that accentuates the height of each panel.

59 Through iterative material studies, we developed the final texture (far right), which expresses a unique mix of surface qualities.

The surface texture was achieved by casting fiberreinforced concrete against layers of crinkled paper and acetate, with patches of beeswax and salt directly applied to the surface. After curing for a number of days, the 17-ft tall panels were moved to a custom-built oven table, to artfully melt away the wax and extract most of the salt from the face of the panels. As a result, residual patches of crystallized salt remain embedded in the surface to create accents on the dark concrete.

In total, we produced 64 panels to clad both interior and exterior portions of the building. With the exterior panels exposed to the elements and all surfaces left untreated, the appearance of each component evolves over time.

One John Street

Client: Private Architects: Architecture + Information Location: New York, NY Completion: 2019 Photography: SITU

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Elevator Lobby at 55 Hudson Yards

An illuminated pattern becomes concentrated at the end of the hallway and gradually more dispersed at the far ends, creating a dramatic frame for the visitor entry experience.

Multiple fabrication techniques and finishes were brought together to create this illuminated entry space for a private office at Hudson Yards. Designed

by Architecture + Information (A+I), this project is unified by a rich gradient of backlit metal textures that wraps around a curved elevator lobby, leading to an open reception area. In addition to fabricating more than 1,000 sq ft of complex aluminum millwork, we used a series of different surfacing techniques to develop a unique finish that complements the project’s integrated lighting.

63 Unfolded elevation with cutaways revealing lighting system and armature.

Our process started with the gradient pattern running throughout the design. Variations in size, relief and density were used to parametrically control the pattern’s gradation—which becomes concentrated in the center and more dispersed towards the outer panels. Initial mockups allowed us to test the visual quality of embossed, debossed and perforated details. We then CNC-milled those three types of relief details across each surface, using variations in diameter to achieve an overall naturallooking randomization.

Elevator Lobby at 55 Hudson Yards

Behind the metal panels, a layered lighting system shines through the perforated surfaces. LED sheets provide an even light source which is then diffused through an added layer of translucent acrylic. One of the design challenges was to avoid unintentional fluctuations in the brightness that can occur where panels meet, near structural connections or around small features like the elevator call buttons.

To mitigate this, we interspersed small puck-like standoffs between layers that support the panels more discreetly than linear connections.

The designers specified a uniform and lustrous finish to enhance illumination throughout the space. Working through a series of finish samples, we arrived at a three-part approach. We started by fabricating all components from mirror-finished aluminum, which was crucial for maintaining a consistent appearance during subsequent phases.

Each part was then bead-blasted to create a sense of depth and a rough, but even, sheen. Finally, we coated the completed panels with a clear protective film to prevent the accumulation of handprints and dirt.

Exploded assembly view of a corner panel showing the plywood armature, standoff, LEDs and diffuser-backed aluminum screen

65 To our team, this project presented an opportunity to bring together multiple areas of expertise and experimentation, from materiality to integrated lighting and multiple fabrication techniques. For visitors, guests and office staff, the elevator lobby frames the first part of a welcoming entry experience.

Elevator Lobby at 55 Hudson Yards

Client: Private Designer: HUSH Contractor: Henegan Construction Co. Location: New York, NY Completion: 2017 Photography: Courtesy of HUSH

Deep City

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Deep City is a three-part digital experience designed by HUSH for a global tech office’s New York headquarters. We worked with the designers to fabricate two unique environments for the project—The Passage and The City Cave. As guests and visitors interact in the space, their voices and movements are transformed into data that generate an informational and artistic record of their journey.

69 Leveraging our interdisciplinary expertise, we helped HUSH realize this complex design which embraces the client’s own passion for the ways data can help us understand the human experience.

The Passage is a glowing wall-mounted installation with geologically inspired ridges and peaks, which are made up of 72 stacked layers of milled acrylic.

Programmable LED panels are suspended behind frosted acrylic topographies that form an undulating relief, producing a responsive prismatic display that illuminates the passage as individuals walk through.

The translucent installation measures 8 ft in height and 18 ft in length, and is stabilized by steel rods and supports engineered for minimal visual impact.

Deep City

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A system of layered construction allows components to be removed for technical maintenance and adds to the installation’s depth of field.

71 The City Cave creates an immersive environment through an array of dichroic glass panels, suspended at angles from an aluminum frame. Positioned directly in front of OLED display screens, the 22 glass panels provide a colorful lens to the interactive digital content behind them, developed by HUSH.

Deep City

Joel Braverman High School Bet Midrash Canopy

Client: Yeshivah of Flatbush Architect: Dattner Architects Location: Brooklyn, NY Completion: 2019 Photography: Olympia Shannon, SITU

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Section diagram of the canopy.

As part of the expansion of the Joel Braverman High School in Brooklyn, Dattner Architects approached us to fabricate a monumental wooden canopy for the school’s BenHaim Bet Midrash. The challenge was to find a cost-effective approach, while still creating the same transformative impact on the space.

75 The canopy was conceived as a 2,500 sq ft curved lattice, suspended from a 20-foot-high ceiling. We created a modular system wherein 10-foot by 5-foot sections of interlocking beams attach together to form the canopy. Composed of 54 modules, our goal was to create a uniform appearance across the entire ceiling installation.

Joel Braverman High School Bet Midrash Canopy

In terms of material, solid beams would have been heavy, costly and unfeasible to install, and thus an alternative was needed. After evaluating a range of material options we recommended using lightweight birch-veneered plywood. Once we received the sheets, we took advantage of our large format CNCrouter to cut out curved beams. We then laminated the raw edges with matching strips of birch veneer, which gave the appearance of solid wooden beams without all the weight and expense.

Notches in the beams allowed them to interlock without needing to be glued together. Since the self-supporting modules were still somewhat flexible the installation process was much easier.

Given the canopy’s sloping geometry, we designed custom steel joints that align with the angles of each module exactly. Sockets in the four corners of each module allow these steel joints to fit cleanly and inconspicuously within adjoining beams, thereby connecting the canopy together. Steel cables, which connect to the same joints, suspend the canopy from the ceiling, while pendant lights, speakers and sprinklers hang between the gaps.

77 The canopy is comprised of 54 different modules, held together by custom steel joints that connect to steel suspension cables.

Our material and process-driven approach ensured that every module and connection came together correctly. As a result, the project’s smooth curvature and natural quality create a sense of warmth and character within this large-scale space.

Joel Braverman High School Bet Midrash Canopy

Versace Showroom

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Client: Versace Architect: SO–IL Location: New York, NY Completion: 2015 Photography: Andrè Herrero

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We produced a set of custom wardrobes, designed

by SO–IL, to form a modular retail system within this Versace showroom in Manhattan. Each component slides along floor-inlaid curving tracks, allowing the space to be transformed at will.

Mimicking the process of clothing production, we patterned complex shapes in HDPE plastic sheets, folding and stitching them into their final threedimensional forms.

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81 Before installing the brass tracks on-site, we outfitted them in our Brooklyn fabrication shop to test the movement of each piece.

Versace Showroom

Fitting Rooms at Forty Five Ten, Hudson Yards

Client: Forty Five Ten Architect: 5G Studio Collaborative Location: New York, NY Completion: 2019 Photography: SITU

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For the New York debut of the multi-brand boutique Forty Five Ten, architects 5G Studio Collaborative designed a retail experience that blends fashion and contemporary art at a premier location within Hudson Yards. Their design features a suite of polished fitting rooms, which we fabricated using thermoformed solid surface material.

The 10-foot-tall fitting rooms are entered through a corridor with metallic finishes, mirrors and velvet curtains. The walls of each room are curved at the corners and bend into the ceiling to create podlike spaces with accent lighting running along the floorline. This rounded design is composed of tightly spaced panels with narrow gaps that align with doorways and built-in mirrors. In total, our scope included five individual fitting rooms—three sharing the same geometry and two larger, distinct rooms, including one with ADA accessibility.

Axonometric view of the five fitting rooms.

85 In such a curated environment, the details were extremely important. And, unlike some of our other projects, the designers approached us with an exact vision for the quality of space and materiality. Our biggest challenge was to achieve those qualities in the finished work. In particular, the specific blue color intended for the wall and ceiling surfaces was not available in an off-the-shelf product. Our team worked directly with the solid-surface manufacturer to develop a custom hue that would retain its vibrancy and sheen through the thermoforming process.

With the raw material in hand, we produced a series of armatures to use as molds in forming the various types of panels needed for each room. We used three basic typologies: flat panels, quarter-pipes and spherical octants or “shoulder caps.”

Fitting Rooms at Forty Five Ten, Hudson Yards

The flat sheets of solid surface material were heated until pliable and then draped over the armatures, which had to be design-engineered to avoid any buckling or tearing. Once the panels cooled, we transferred those to a set of corresponding jigs that stabilized the panels so they could be trimmed to their final dimension on our CNC-router. Having both a large format thermoformer and 5-axis CNC in house allowed us to quickly leverage both machines to keep the project on schedule. This digital approach also made it possible to precisely integrate built-in mirrors, custom hardware, fire safety equipment and lighting.

Exploded diagram of a fitting room, showing the three basic types of panels.

87 During an initial mockup phase, the designer and client decided on a custom high-gloss finish. After the machine processes were complete, we carefully hand-polished all of the surfaces. Our fabricators developed a specific technique that went beyond the manufacturer’s specifications to produce a consistent and durable finish.

Finally, we supervised the installation on-site.

Since there isn’t access to the other side of the walls that these panels attach to, we revised connection details to include a z-clipped mounting system that allowed for ‘blind’ installation without having to use visible fasteners.

Ultimately, we were able to fulfill the client’s vision for the fitting rooms as a polished and immersive extension of the brand. Since the design quality of fitting rooms is so often overlooked, we were excited to take on these custom features which resulted in a holistically designed retail experience.

Fitting Rooms at Forty Five Ten, Hudson Yards

Waitex Tower Lobby Client: Waitex Architect: GRT Architects Location: New York, NY Completion: 2015 Photography: Naho Kubota

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Set within an Art Deco–era skyscraper in New York’s Garment District, this lobby renovation project by GRT Architects required special material and technical fabrication expertise. Well-versed in alternative and experimental processes, we transformed dimensional stone into the distinctive pleated wall panels specified by the architect.

The project required navigating tight tolerances and producing seamless finishes to unify the partCalacatta marble, part-anodized aluminium panels.

91 T.O. fin ceiling typ. + 15’ - 2” T.O. fin stone typ. + 15’ - 0 1/8”

Wall panel joint typ.

B.O. fin stone typ. + 0’ - 1⁄8” B.O. fin floor typ. + 0’ - 0” STN—1

TYP.

Painted GWB by SCK

To achieve a tight reveal of less than a 1/16th of an inch, the back edges of each marble panel were mitered at varying degrees according to their geometry and position.

Waitex Tower Lobby

Fata Morgana Artist: Teresita Fernández Location: New York, NY Completion: 2015 Collaborators: Adirondack Studios, Thornton Tomasetti Photography: Elisabeth Bernstein, SITU

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SITU Fabrication assisted artist Teresita Fernández in fabricating her expansive installation in Madison Square Park, which was open from May 2015 to January 2016. Titled Fata Morgana, the installation consisted of a series of perforated gold mirror discs that were suspended over a 500 sq ft portion of walkways surrounding the central lawn.

95 Fata Morgana, Teresita Fernández

Working through early models to full-scale mockups and final production, we provided design assistance at every stage of the process.

97 Working closely with the artist, we developed a variety of disc patterns, a system for layering the discs and a flexible suspension structure. We used parametric modeling tools and by working through a series of material studies, our experimental production process provided a deeper understanding of the project’s larger fabrication challenges.

Fata Morgana, Teresita Fernández

Selected Clients Architects & Designers 5G Studio Collaborative 2×4 A+I Adjaye Associates AECOM Aether Tech Allied Works Architecture Andrea Steele Architecture Aranda\Lasch Archi-Tectonics Arup Asymptote Architecture Bernard Tschumi Architects BHDM Design BIG BKSK Architects BVN Camber Studio CDR Studio Christian de Portzamparc Clive Wilkinson Architects COOKFOX Architects Cooper Carry dash design Dattner Architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro DLR Group Efficiency Lab for Architecture Eisenman Architects Ennead Architects

Field Operations Foster + Partners Francis Cauffman Architects Frederick Tang Architects FTL Design Engineering Studio FXCollaborative Gary Shoemaker Architects Gensler GRT Architects Hariri & Hariri Architecture Heatherwick Studio HLW HOK INFORM Studio Interior Architects Jaklitsch / Gardner Architects Joanna Pertz Landscape Architecture Joel Sanders Architect Kenzo Digital Immersive Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates LTL Architects Lubrano Ciavarra Architects Marpillero Pollak Architects Marvel Architects Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects Mathieu Lehanneur M Moser Associates MESH Architectures Meyer Davis Murphy Burnham & Buttrick

Nash Hurley Architecture Studio Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects The Office of Thierry W Despont OMA Oppenheim Architecture Pei Partnership Architects Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects Pentagram Perkins&Will PDP London REX Rockwell Group Selldorf Architects SheltonMindel SHoP Architects Slade Architecture Snøhetta SO–IL SOM Standard Architects Steven Holl Architects Studio MDA STUDIO V Architecture Switzer Group TEN Arquitectos Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects Weiss/Manfredi West 8 Woods Bagot WXY

Gardiner & Theobald Gilbane Gotham Hines Hunter Roberts Construction Group Icon Interiors ICS Builders Jonathan Rose Companies JRM Construction Management J.T. Magen & Company Kiewit Lend Lease Lettire Construction Macro Sea March Associates Construction Monadnock Construction Novo Construction

One Vanderbilt NYC Economic Development Corporation Paramount Group The Parker Company Plaza Construction Reidy Contracting Group Related Companies RXR Realty Shawmut SilverLining Skanska SL Green Realty Structure Tone Turner Vornado Realty Trust WM Blanchard

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IAC Little Island LVMH Madison Square Park Conservancy Marc Jacobs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Microsoft MoMA Mount Sinai MTA National Museum of the American Indian New Lab New York Hall of Science New York University NYC Department of Cultural Affairs NYC Department of Parks & Recreation NYU Langone Health Oakley

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Artists & Galleries Maurizio Cattelan Derek Eller Gallery Sebastian ErraZuriz Teresita Fernández Gagosian Gallery Anton Ginzburg Dev Harlan Mara G. Haseltine Susan Hefuna

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