Until now, architectural design and space exploration have remained relatively separate domains. Though similar strategies have been developed in parallel for buildings, the direct adaptation of fabric layers as a retrofit strategy is novel. Drawing parallels between astronauts in extreme environments and urban dwellers facing extreme environmental shifts, SpaceSuits.US explores how heat reflection, thermal insulation, and ultra-thin adjustments to existing buildings can provide an architectural solution for impending climatic emergencies. Building on NASA’s material research, SpaceSuits.US features a method of tailored assembly, in which the materials in question can be pinned, cinched, or draped onto leaky old houses.
Participants
EMILY EZQUERRO, SAM SHEFFER, CHARLES KIM, STEPHANIE RAE LLOYD, EMMA SHEFFER, AND JERONIMO EZQUERRO
PROVIDENCE, BOSTON, AND NEW YORK, USA - Emily Ezquerro, New York, USA, 1992. Lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island. Jerónimo Ezquerro, Mexico City, Mexico, 1996. Lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island. Charles Kim, Iri, South Korea, 1994. Lives and works in New York, New York. Stephanie Rae Lloyd, San Francisco, USA, 1993. Lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island. Emma Sheffer, Seattle, USA, 1991. Lives and works in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sam Sheffer, Seattle, USA, 1993. Lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts.
Supporters
Rhode Island School of Design
