The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) had purchased an abandoned building on the far west side of Manhattan for use a dormitory, and wanted to improve the design of the façade in a way that would call attention to the institution.

We developed a series of metallic panels that could be attached to the façade at the brick spandrel panels, and proposed different arrangements to create a supergrid. Using the existing fenestration pattern and rhythms of the building, the panels can be arranged to emphasize the central entrance location on the ground floor, and to articulate the name of the institution at the skyline.

An enclosed gathering space was also proposed on the roof, inside which the water towers would become colossal interior furniture.