Freecell

Local Previews

Brooklyn & Manhattan, New York

2000 to present

A city like New York is in constant flux, but its extraordinary rate of transformation is largely driven by new developments intent on maximizing square footage and profits, showing little concern for neighborhood continuity or invigorating public space. “Construction sites beg the imagination of what could or should be built,” according to Freecell’s principals Lauren Crahan and John Hartmann. Local Previews is a series of fictitious development posters for unbuilt sites. One scheme advertises City Sort, a recycling center with a rooftop greenhouse. Another, SKY- field, proposes a vertical farm to supply organic produce to the city’s schools. “It’s a form of architectural graffiti,” they explain, “meant to capture people’s imagination and to challenge them to question the changes that are happening around them.”

Community, Economy, Pleasure, Sustainability
0
36 hours – 5 field research, 30 design, 1 hanging posters
6
Problem - real estate speculation
Solution - incite awareness about development