LOWLINE LAB 2

Built in 2015, the second Lowline LAB was initially a means to test RAAD Solar’s daylighting equipment and to refine horticultural methods with our partners, Mark Mini of JMDL, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and Signe Nielson of MNLA. But what emerged went far beyond that.

From a design perspective, we conceived of the LAB as being a large, interactive art installation, centered around one question: What would happen if we left our solar technologies running into the far future, beyond the lifespan of human civilization?

The design that emerged combined science fiction elements, such as the solar harvesters and the hexagonal anodized aluminum ceiling array, with a contrasting landscape of wild, dripping, cave-like planted forms - a sort of post-apocalyptic garden.

Within the garden, RAAD owner James Ramsey designed in a tiny, secret cave, as a fun discovery for his own late children, and as an homage to icon Shigeru Miyamoto, creator/designer of Super Mario Brothers.

The LAB space was used primarily as an educational facility for local school visits during the week. On weekends it was open to the public. The LAB was open and functioning for about 20 months.

In that time, the Lowline LAB was, for its size, the most popular cultural attraction in NYC, with more visitors - on a square foot basis - than major institutions including MOMA, the Met, the AMNH, and others.