For the launch of a much-anticipated sustainable clothing collection by Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of the New York City-based cult fashion brand PSNY, in 2018 Modellus Novus conceived of a building that would serve as an architectural sculpture. Located at the intersection of New York City’s Soho and Chinatown neighborhoods, MN used simple means — paint, utility lights, and pea gravel — to transform the building into an urban exhibition echoing the designers’ statements about permanence and place, reuse and repurposing.
Name
PSNY
Location
New York City
Type
Retail
Size
2,150 SF
Status
Completed
Project nr
1816
The gallery-like environment was grounded with ten tons of pea gravel poured across the entire floor, creating a three-inch rock bed that forced visitors’ contemplation as their feet rustled through the space.
Photos by Aaron Thompson and PSNY
Stats
10
Tons of pea gravel installed as finish flooring is an unexpected "wall-to-wall carpet" on which guests walk through the entire space; a structural engineer was required to confirm that the building could withstand the added weight
3
Thickness of gravel installation in inches on the existing building floor
1
Number of colors used to coat the existing building facade, including window and door glass, brick, metal, tile, and fire escape
450
Length in feet, of line of people awaiting entry to the launch event
3
Second floor windows with light installation in each
15
Number of shades of grey reviewed by client for final facade color
13
Mannequins display the season's collection, a treatise on permanence and sustainability
