~ Big Ass Fans® Donates Eight AirGo® Fans for Long Island City, N.Y. Installation ~
LEXINGTON, Ky., July 24, 2012 – Sustainability has been reformed by Wendy, a 56-foot wide, 45-foot tall spiky, blue starburst sprayed with pollution-fighting chemicals. The New York-based architecture firm, HWKN (Hollwich Kushner), had the winning design in MoMA PS1’s 13th-annual Young Architects Program, created to offer emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and present innovative projects. Wendy is displayed in the Long Island City museum’s courtyard this summer, outfitted with AirGo® fans from Kentucky-based Big Ass Fans®, the worldwide leader in high-performance fans.
Each year MoMA PS1 challenges participants to develop creative designs for a temporary, outdoor installation that must provide shade, seating and water while addressing environmental issues. HWKN’s starburst entry fits these requirements by providing a splash of design and color in the museum’s courtyard while cleaning the air for the patrons of the 2012 Warm Up outdoor summer concert series.
Opened to the public on July 1, a blue skin enclosed in a cube of scaffolding takes up a 5,000-square-foot section of the museum’s courtyard. Inside a DJ booth blasts music and eight 8-foot diameter AirGo® fans mist water and circulate air.
The fans’ compact design and durable construction are specially engineered with high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) technology that delivers energy-efficient air movement with 360-degree angle adjustment capabilities. This circulation pushes air through the titania nanoparticle-treated nylon skin to neutralize air pollutants and cool concertgoers. Wendy is expected to be the environmental equivalent of removing 260 cars from the road over the summer.
“The fans’ magnificent scale and craftsmanship are the perfect complement to Wendy’s complicated form and mission,” said Marc Kushner, Principal of HWKN, who created Wendy with his partner, Matthias Hollwich.
Kushner continued, “Deep inside of the structure these slowly turning, perfectly balanced machines make the entire environmental agenda of the project come to life.” Big Ass Fans also offers an optional All Terrain Package with oversize tires, a wider base and four-wheel steering, to provide increased mobility and ease of movement that turn AirGo fans into an outdoor wind wonder.
Lastly, many may ask, why “Wendy?” HWKN wanted a familiar name people would remember. With its impressive structure and friendly name, it is hard to forget. This new lady on the block is available to view until September 8, 2012 with a roster of events scheduled. The schedule is available at http://momaps1.org/warmup.
