“Infinite Forest” by Studio a + i

A week after we revealed the results of the AIDS Memorial Park Competition, we introduce you to the architects behind the winning proposal, “Infinite Forest.” The design by Studio a + i was praised as being a “clear, coherent, beautiful starting point” of a public space that could serve “both as a neighborhood park and an AIDS memorial of significance.” Firm co-founders Mateo Paiva, AIA and Lily Limo, RA worked with architects John Thurtle, Insook Kim, and Esteban Erlich, RA to create a fitting commemorative space worthy of the 100,000 New Yorkers who fell victim to the epidemic. Continue.

Studio a + i

The team lined the triangular site with three long walls which decisively and efficiently demarcate the public, urban context from park’s private zone; on the exterior, visitors could scrawl public messages on the slate cladding, while interior glass walls reflect an interior cloister planted with a grove of birch trees. In eschewing easy symbolism and, instead, contemplating the global meaning and history of the disease, the architects crafted an elegantly simple scheme that achieved a quiet power through its deft handling of space, as brilliantly envisioned by Guillaume Paturel’s idyllic rendering of autumnal reflection.

“We at Studio a + i are honored that our proposal, Infinite Forest, was chosen as the winner of the AIDS Memorial Park Competition and we would like to express our gratitude to the AIDS Memorial Park Coalition as well as the distinguished panel of judges. Through this design, we hope not just to honor the profound losses and ongoing struggles of those affected by AIDS, but also to reflect the changing and infinite ways in which AIDS affects us personally and as a society.”

The City Council will meet later in the month or in early March to vote on the prospective redevelopment of the Greenwich village site. For more on the other winners, see our profiles of the runners-up. The bios of each of the Studio a + i team members follows:

Mateo Paiva, AIA (licensed in New York), was born and raised in France, where he attended the Ecole d’Architecture Villemin at the Beaux Arts school in Paris. He co-founded Studio a+i with Lily Lim.

Lily Lim, RA (licensed in New York), was born and raised in Singapore. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago in 1999. She co-founded Studio a+i with Mateo Paiva.

John Thurtle grew up in Seattle and received a Bachelor of Architecture from University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 2007. He has worked for Studio a+i as a designer and project manager since 2009.

Insook Kim received a Master of Science in Interior Design from Drexel University in 2006 and a Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Duksung University, Korea in 2003. Insook has worked as a designer for Studio a+i since 2011.

Esteban Erlich, RA (licensed in New York), was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he studied architecture at the University of Buenos Aires. He works as an architect, illustrator and metal fabricator. He currently lives in Queens with his wife and two children.

Guillaume Paturel was born and raised in France, where he attended the Ecole d’Architecture Paris la Villette and Beaux Arts School in Marseille. In 1996 he founded by-encore studio, an architect visualization firm.  Since 2006, he has lived and worked in New York City.

by Samuel Medina

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tagged AIDS Memorial Park, AIDS Memorial Park Compeition, Infinite Forest, nyc, Studio a + i, winners

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