39571 InfoWash, planned and built by students of Parsons The New School for Design

Designed and constructed by students in an academic design/build program, 39571 InfoWash is a direct response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the small town of DeLisle, Mississippi. In an attempt to meet both the physical and emotional needs of the community, the project houses both a 24-hour Laundromat and an organization which provides rebuilding assistance to local residents. The simple task of washing one’s clothes thus provides immediate relief while easing community members into the long and complicated process of reconstruction. Because of its program and context, 39571 InfoWash has a responsibility to provide a physically and psychologically sheltered realm, while at the same time projecting an open and inviting presence to its community.

39571 InfoWash is built for the residents of DeLisle, Mississippi, a small city which was distroyed by Hurricane Katrina

Composed of two volumes connected by a covered breezeway, the southern side of the building is sheltered by a deep overhanging roof, while a translucent polycarbonate northern wall provides ample daylight to interior spaces and allows the building to glow at night. A panelized wood slat screen attached to aluminum straps wraps both the opaque and translucent walls tying together the program elements while adding a degree of warmth and familiarity to the expression of the facades. Western Red Cedar was chosen as the primary exterior material because of its resistance to insects, its workability, and its natural weathering characteristics.

Combining elements that address the short-term and long-term needs of the community, 39571 InfoWash attempts to offer residents a return to normalcy and provide much needed services once taken for granted.

39571 InfoWash

The project was envisioned by local resident, Martha Murphy, who saw an opportunity to engage the students of The Design Workshop after a conversation with Federico Negro, a graduate from the Master of Architecture Program and a member of SHoP Architects. SHoP Architects were in DeLisle working with Martha Murphy to rebuild immediately after Katrina hit, and provided critical input and support for the Design Workshop project.

39571 InfoWash, provides a 24-hour laundromat and an organisation which provides rebuilding assistance to local residents

Architects: The Design Wirkshop, Parsons The New School for Design
Location: Delisle, Mississippi, USA
Spring Studio Instructor: David J. Lewis
Summer Studio Instructor: Terry Erickson
Summer Staff: Joel Stoehr
Students: Huy Bui, Ivan Chabra, Sarah Coffin, Christian Eusubio, Dominique Gonfard, Kailin Gregga, Dominic Griffin, Parker B. Lee, Laura Lyon, Kip Katich, Nora Meehan, Shana Sandberg, Emily Wetherbee
Architect of record: Shop Architects
Client: Mississippi Katrina Fund, with special thanks to Martha Murphy, Kathi Heinzel, Bill Heinzel, and Loretta Lizana
Consulting Structural engineering: Dunne & Markis Consulting Structural Engineers
Engineer of Record: Goeffrey Clemens / Compton Engineering P.A. (Bay St. Louis, MS)
Constructed Area: 185.8 sqm
Photographs: Laura Lyon & Ivan Chabra

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Addictlove by Tom Burr

A research project at the Institute for Theory at Zurich’s University of the Arts looks at current furniture works involving design and art.

Design and art

Ever since the modern concept of the autonomy of art created the necessity of dividing the two areas more than 100 years ago, designers and artists have again and again adopted each other’s design and production concepts. Today this practice can increasingly be observed in the structure of exhibitions, methods of production and sales channels.

do hit by Marjin van der Poll, 1999

However, with the existing differences in the ways these two disciplines see themselves and the debates taking place in the fields of art and design it does not appear useful simply to call for these borders to be broken down. On the contrary, in this project the all-inclusive research approach is applied to the examination of a modified concept of function within design, art theory and sociology, as well as their current relationship with the things that are created. 

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