“The Arctic is indeed the gatekeeper of climate disorder: for years, this region has been sending us signals that we cannot neglect anymore. The international community must hear them and turn them into acts.”
Laurent Fabius
French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, President of COP21
Ice Touch attempts to raise civic consciousness and to evoke emotional response on global warming and climate change by formally plotting an icy glacier into New York City’s temperate urban environment. Besides satisfying functional needs of metro exits, it reflects the belief that above and below ground are an integrated and connected whole by shedding sun light underground with its light wells. Its semi-translucent surface creates a blueish iridescent light quality, and its rugged texture invites human touch. Ice Touch is a tribute to artist Olafur Elliasson’s installation, Ice Watch, in which he brought twelve blocks of iceberg from Greenland to Place du Pantheon, Paris, which melted away from 3 to 12 December, 2015.
inspiration images
model study process
elevation oblique
The above ground section of Ice Touch is an urban park amidst a grove of trees adjacent to Stuyvesant Town public housing. Some of the icebergs are seats for people to rest on while others are bike racks for subway passengers to temporarily store their bikes. By replacing side street parking with bike racks, Ice Touch encourages sustainable city commuting. The pristine quality of Ice Touch symbolizes the ongoing effort to sanitize New York’s public transit system.
seat and bike rack design
underground rendering