Fulton Sky Net
The Sky Reflector-Net, a 79-foot-tall tensile structure suspended inside the conical atrium of the Fulton Center transportation and retail hub in lower Manhattan. The combination sculpture–daylighting device was conceived by artist James Carpenter, who then collaborated with Grimshaw, architects and Arup, engineers, to fine-tune it and integrate it with the structure.
Composed of a steel cable net and 952 perforated, folded aluminum panels, it drives light from 120 ft. above street level deep into the cavernous space. At the same time, it draws the eye up to a luminous field of blue-gray tones. And for good measure, it conceals the hulking mechanical infrastructure. Carpenter likens the perceptual effect of the net to “folding the sky down into the station.”
The Sky Reflector-Net, a 79-foot-tall tensile structure suspended inside the conical atrium of the Fulton Center transportation and retail hub in lower Manhattan. The combination sculpture–daylighting device was conceived by artist James Carpenter, who then collaborated with Grimshaw, architects and Arup, engineers, to fine-tune it and integrate it with the structure.
Composed of a steel cable net and 952 perforated, folded aluminum panels, it drives light from 120 ft. above street level deep into the cavernous space. At the same time, it draws the eye up to a luminous field of blue-gray tones. And for good measure, it conceals the hulking mechanical infrastructure. Carpenter likens the perceptual effect of the net to “folding the sky down into the station.”
The Sky Reflector-Net, a 79-foot-tall tensile structure suspended inside the conical atrium of the Fulton Center transportation and retail hub in lower Manhattan. The combination sculpture–daylighting device was conceived by artist James Carpenter, who then collaborated with Grimshaw, architects and Arup, engineers, to fine-tune it and integrate it with the structure.
Composed of a steel cable net and 952 perforated, folded aluminum panels, it drives light from 120 ft. above street level deep into the cavernous space. At the same time, it draws the eye up to a luminous field of blue-gray tones. And for good measure, it conceals the hulking mechanical infrastructure. Carpenter likens the perceptual effect of the net to “folding the sky down into the station.”