Young Architects Program International

MOS is the winner of the 2009 edition of YAP with afterparty, a Bedouin tent-like "urban shelter" that will serve as a cooling escape for the thousands of people who attend WarmUp this summer. They were, in fact, involved in YAP twice as finalists (in 2004 and 2007) before going on to create this 10th anniversary project.

Q&A with MOS

MoMA PS1: How did you position yourself to get nominated?
Michael Meredith, MOS: Positioning oneself sounds odd to us. The answer is simple: we are really just working, working, working!

MoMA PS1: Did YAP change anything for you or your firm? When did you recognize the full potential of the competition?
Hilary Sample, MOS: We have a unique perspective on this question since we've been on both sides of winning and losing. Our 2007 entry, Prehistoric Future aka Perpetual Breeze, an inflatable structure, resulted in a real project for us. We're starting construction on an inflatable community center in Newfoundland, Canada. Winning helps with recognition, but winning in a recession may not help us with getting new work.

MoMA PS1: How was your design shaped by the history of YAP?
MOS: It's something we've thought about carefully. We've visited many of the installations over the years. We have been the most interested in the structural and material aspects of the projects, durability, how they weather, and especially in understanding the limits of the site from the perspective of physical, environmental, and social experiences.