Winnie Ng Unfold winnie99ng@yahoo.com
The Long Edge: day to night. The seaweed farm acts as a carbon sink and provides a fast-growing source of natural fibre for the research & development of sustainable fabrics.
Exploded Structural Isometric - existing concrete substructure elements on site from a disused pier are retained and repurposed for the new textile academy.
Views and solar gains are contrrolled by the angular facade, with visibility towards the Bush Terminal Piers Park to the south, and towards the Lower Manhattan skyline on the north.
The Brooklyn Textile Academy
Located in the strategic port location of South Brooklyn, the Textile Academy serves as a joint institution for the design, research and manufacture of sustainable fabrics in working towards a closed loop economy. With the fashion industry responsible for 10% of global emissions, the proposal aims to bridge the apparent disconnect between the design phase and production of garments and textiles by colocating education and industry under one roof. The design school operates an in-house recycling facility to collectively develop cleaner production methods in tandem with waste reduction.
The folded facade wraps around the building obliquely, stitching together the orthogonal programme across the building’s linear profile.
The workshops and design studios are filled with diffuse lighting from north-facing rooflights, optimising visual comfort for intricate tasks such as drawing, weaving and needlework.
The building’s linear form echoes the cycle of fibre processing from raw to refined, establishing a simplicity and order in its programmatic zoning and user circulation. A standardised steel skeleton forms the primary orthogonal grid over which the oblique external envelope is laid, expressing a pattern of folds driven by solar orientation and the framing of views. This language carries through to the details and palette of materials employed, with the use of corrugated and perforated steel to create something that appears solid from afar, but unfolds a series of finer, filtered qualities up close. Long Section: The triple-height entrance hall unveils the building’s full composition - volumetrically and programmatically - signalling a generous public gathering space that then leads onto the more private and protected spaces within the building.
Storyboard 1 to 6: A visitor’s journey through the design school & recycling facility. Storyboard i to vi: Day in the life of a student at the academy.