Parti Wall, Hanging Green
2008

As part of the 2008 national convention of the American Institute of Architects, Susan Harnett of the Boston Society of Architects conceived of an exhibition that would display the work of local up-and-coming firms. The goal was to highlight the vital creative economy of Boston and dispel the perception that Boston is a place where clients shopped for architects who could produce respectable red brick buildings. A generous grant from the LEF Foundation provided funding for the collective project, run by the ten participating firms. The resulting installation “Parti Wall, Hanging Green” was a temporary, five-story-tall prototype intended to transform a blank brick wall into a lush, green environment. The team aimed to generate awareness for underutilized sites in Boston and to offer design solutions that apply sustainable principles for improving public space and creating healthy neighborhoods in the city. The structure, which was on view for two months, included panels of Sedum suspended by metal cables to form an overall pattern. Its installation involved nearly fifty volunteers and participants, forming a design community where students from various schools and designers worked side-by-side. The Young Architects Boston Group includes: Ground; Höweler + Yoon Architecture; LinOldhamOffice; Merge Architects; MOS; over,under; SsD; Studio Luz Architects; UNI; and Utile.

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