Noah's Arcs

Ananth Sampathkumar’s Noah’s Arcs proposed the creation of movable, responsive canopies for city sites. While these have the potential to serve as effective street furniture, they also suggest broader possibilities for the creation of public space. The sophisticated constructions are responsive to environmental considerations, taking cues from their human users and the specific climate conditions of the site. Sampathkumar’s design allows the Arcs to be transformed into any number of architectural aggregates, from bus shelters to open pavilions, disaster-relief shelters to urban superstructures. Ananth Sampathkumar is the founder of NDNY, a studio dedicated to the design of collective environments in New York.