Over/Under Kiosk

“Over/Under” are two curvy kiosks serving cold Heineken to overheated New Yorkers while soaking in magnificent views of the Brooklyn Bridge and East River. Over/Under opened in July 2018 as part of a program of temporary installations by the architects to help activate the Seaport District’s newly-completed Riverdeck at Pier 17. The design of the kiosks imaginatively interprets the design guidelines prescribed in the Seaport District’s master plan which dictated the building form adhere to a strict extrusion of a 2D profile. The kiosks are conceived as a solid block split by a sinuous curve to create two complementary, wave-like volumes. One half, the “Over” portion, arches overhead to provide shade, while “Under” slopes downward to create a bench – and, as an unintended use, an ad hoc dance floor. As such they blur the distinction between shelter and furniture, art and architecture. "Over/Under" was engineered and fabricated by a Brooklyn metal fabrication company, with support from structural engineers.. It was prefabricated before delivery, starting with the 3D laser cutting of six-inch aluminum tubes, each labelled to aid their assembly. The pieces were then shipped to New York for a powder-coat finish and final assembly. Standing ten feet tall, each 150-square-foot structure consists of 800 cylinders. The individual parts were bolted together to create a shell that allows the edifices to stand without an internal frame. A green acrylic roof filters the light and provides Heineken branding. The effect is a shifting play of light resulting from the angled curvature of the tubes’ ends and the changing coastal environment. Other of the architect’s summer pop-ups at the Seaport include the Market Bar, the al fresco River Bar, and custom food trucks on the performance space rooftop.