IK Studio's Torqueing Spheres wins Folly 2015

Torqueing Spheres by Cambridge and Philadelphia-based practice IK Studio is the Folly 2015 competition winner, as announced today by The Socrates Sculpture Park and The Architectural League of New York. Focusing on contemporary interpretations of the architectural folly, the competition calls for early-career architects and designers to propose an outdoor folly pavilion that would be temporarily installed at the Socrates Sculpture Parkin in Long Island City, Queens, NY.

The 2015 jury selected Torqueing Spheres out of 126 entries from around the world. Staying true to the nature of the competition, IK Studio's distinctive proposal features a series of connected spherical forms that form a social-interactive space.

Torqueing Spheres will open to the public on May 17 at Socrates Sculpture Park from 3-6 p.m.

More about the design below.

Project summary:

"Torqueing Spheres combines a simple concept – a straight line – with complex spherical pods which become deep, self-supporting chambers to create experiences for both the collective and the individual. To construct the voluminous curves of Torqueing Spheres, IK Studio has implemented a material technique that uses a cost-effective method of bending plywood while maintaining a system of control and delivery. By blending folly formalism with innovative material techniques, IK Studio plays off of traditional architectural geometries to create new construction spaces that allow for exploration."

Previous winning proposals include SuralArk, 2014, by Austin+Mergold; tree wood, 2013, by Toshihiro Oki architect p.c.; and Curtain, 2012, by Jerome K Haferd and Brandt Knapp.

2015 jury members: David Benjamin (The Living); Leslie Gill (Architect); Sheila Kennedy (Kennedy & Violich Architecture); Alyson Shotz (Artist); and Socrates Sculpture Park Executive Director John Hatfield.