June 5, 2014

In New York City’s Socrates Sculpture Park, a massive overturned boat hull rises elegantly forming a canopy for visitors to enjoy. Designed by Architecture Professor Jason Austin with his partner Aleksandr Mergold (Austin + Mergold), “Sural™ Ark” was selected as the winning design from 170 entries in the “Folly” 2014 competition. Organized annually by the Architectural League of New York, “Folly” is a design-build residency at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens that was created to explore large-scale architectural installations that blur the boundaries between art and architecture.

The notable residency examines the idea of an architectural “folly”—an ornamental or purposeless structure – and how it can serve to reinterpret the contemporary relationship between architecture and landscape. Built from pine lumber and reclaimed vinyl house siding, the 55-foot long, upside-down modern ark interprets the “folly” of an ark in Biblical times.

Sural™ Ark was installed in Socrates Park in April 2014 and will be on view to the public through August 3. Click here to read more about the Folly competition.