Renting a cramped apartment? Need more nature, more light? Or perhaps, “More Sky,” the laudable new idea by Argentinian Architect and Industrial designer Aldana Ferrer Garcia, a disciple of the famed Pratt Institute. Conceived as part of his thesis project, ‘More Sky’ is a functional as well as a designer window concept that literally gives you more access to the visuals all around you. The windows can be extended out from the walls they are attached to, creating a cozy space to sit-in and feel the Sun, the air, or perhaps to lean back and enjoy the Starry night. Garcia himself speaks that his conception “provides visual relief, access to sunlight and fresh air for small apartments” and responds to the “current needs in densely populated cities.” Presented at the Inaugural Dubai Design Week’s, the ‘Global Grad Show,’ among the 50 projects by students from leading universities, “More Sky” is a refreshing new take on exploring the Architectural space and redefining its plausible extents.
More Sky was designed keeping in mind Brooklyn’s development regulations but is a concept that will be acceptable by city dwellers around the world. It was born out of an idea to find some basic solution for the kind of dense-urban living that we all are so used to, to ensure better living standards and a healthier environment. The window, with three available configurations, can be custom-fitted. The three styles of frames include the “Hopper Niche,” the “Casement Niche” and the “Awning Niche.” The first one is a reader’s delight, it allows space for leaning onto the extension, quite like an Accordion, with a clear view of the sky above. The second one is the perfect spot for meditating in the mornings, it can be rotated out to make enough room for one to sit cross-legged onto the sill. The last frame is for anybody who likes to peer out into the landscape, it can be folded out very much like an awning, providing in the process, a wide berth to comfortably lean-out. “As an attempt to understand the threshold between ID and architecture, this project is conceived as an object and space at the same time, responding to current needs in densely populated cities.” Our needs lead to the best innovations. Garcia and his design can be spotted as leading examples of this. A very feasible and realistic solution to one of the bigger but often overlooked problem, ‘More Sky,’ can easily be in the future a preferred choice for windowed apartments and even high-end construction.
By: Antara Jha
