studioSTIGSGAARD

Ptarmigan Residences “Denver Lanterns”

Denver, Colorado 2024

450,000 SqFt

studioSTIGSGAARD is actively engaged in the evolving real estate landscape, where shifts in work habits have left significant office space unoccupied in metropolitan areas. As remote and hybrid work models become the norm, we have focused on transforming office buildings into residential spaces, addressing the growing demand for living environments that support both work and personal life.

Our work with HTD-Ptarmigan Place in Denver, Colorado, aims to convert an office building in Cherry Creek into a high-end residential complex. This transformation will create modern, adaptable residences that meet the changing needs of urban living.

We are developing innovative apartment layouts that move beyond traditional configurations to better accommodate the dual functions of living and working. The conversion of the building will involve significant updates to its Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) systems to ensure they meet residential standards while being energy-efficient and sustainable. Collaborating with local engineers early in the process is key to achieving these goals.

A major focus is on updating the building’s exterior. Discussions with mechanical engineers indicate that the façade will need upgrades to meet current codes, offering an opportunity to rebrand the structure with a more residential, tenant-friendly appeal. Another important idea is the upgrade amenities and create a unique landscape for the tenants, both substituting large part of the exposed parking lot, but also, by adding balconies and a communal roof garden.

This project represents a significant opportunity to enhance Cherry Creek’s urban landscape and offer a forward-thinking residential solution that addresses Denver’s evolving housing demands.

w/ Voorsanger Architects: Lead Designer Martin Stigsgaard

New Orleans, Louisiana

Project Size: 2,500sf

Liberation Pavilion Chapel: A Tribute to Resilience and History
The Liberation Pavilion Chapel is a solemn yet uplifting space, architecturally harmonized with the museum's overall design. Drawing inspiration from the tumultuous era of World War II, its slanted walls and distinctive geometry echo the tumult of war, the landscapes of the Normandy coast, and the indomitable spirit of the Allied forces. This architecture is illuminated by a unique blend of natural and artificial light. The back wall is bathed in soft, indirect daylight, while integrated lighting within the walls and ceiling creates a serene, contemplative environment for reflection and remembrance.

The American Sector Restaurant: A Culinary Experience Wrapped in History
The American Sector restaurant offers a dining experience steeped in history yet infused with contemporary expressions. The centerpiece is a semi-transparent, curved metal mesh ceiling, reminiscent of both the undulating waves of a D-Day landing beach and the abstract essence of World War II military equipment. The dynamic ceiling design creates a sense of movement, sweeping upwards towards the curtainwall as it approaches the public street, crafting an illusion of the ceiling soaring away from the diners.

Experience the convergence of history and modern design at the National World War II Museum, where each space tells a story of courage, resilience, and innovation.

Photography: Thomas Damgaard

w/ Voorsanger Architects: Lead Designer Martin Stigsgaard

Aspen, Colorado 2004

Project Size: 15,000sf

America has many spectacular sites but this property is unique among them. Located along the crest of Wildcat Ridge, this site hovers above the Snowmass Ski Resort in Aspen, Colorado at an elevation of 9,200 feet. The site had already been excavated for a discontinued residential project when we arrived. Our normal preoccupation with not impacting the landscape reverted here to rehabilitating and reforesting the uprooted site. The profile of the house evolved to respect the tectonics of the folded plate system and followed the longitudinal parallel of the crest of the mountain, with the public rooms, study, and master bedroom oriented west toward Snowmass Village. The guest bedrooms had an eastern orientation with views of the receding mountain ranges.

The use of a folded plate structural system allowed for especially efficient long spans between vertical supports than normally possible in a steel structure, eliminating the need for interior columns.  At the entrance to the house, the roof stretches out to a 40-foot cantilever over the driveway, which also provides much needed shade in the summer.  The steel trusses form ribs that are visible inside the house and extend outside to the cantilevered edges of the roof.

A massive wall of moss rock runs the length of the house, marking the division between living spaces in the west wing and the service spaces and children’s bedrooms in the east wing.  The wall acts as a continuous spine, punctured by connecting elements linking the two wings of the house. 

Sustainable design has allowed the use of uncommonly large spans of glass not usually associated with a mountain house subjected to heavy snows, high winds and intense sunlight.  More than 60 geothermal wells extend 200 feet into the earth below to provide renewable energy in the form of ground source heat serving the heat pumps heating and cooling the house. The geo-thermal wells provide one hundred percent of the cooling and ninety-five percent of the heating loads. The windows throughout the house are double-glazed and make use of low-e coatings that dramatically reduce heat transfer through the glazing.  The use of laminated glass (two layers of glass with a plastic inner layer) further improves the thermal performance of the glass. 

Martin Stigsgaard's role as lead designer meant he was responsible for the initial selected design concept which is the base for the final architectural parti.

Photography: Thomas Damgaard

The project is the full renovation of a 3,600sf, full sixth floor loft, within a recently completed eight story building of new construction. The existing building is located in the TriBeCa neighborhood of New York City. Renovation of the space was completed in March 2013.

The project evolved with a focus on the main public spaces, master bedroom suite and a home office. The project was developed with client through series of 3D drawings and models, leading into full size mockups. The project became a laboratory for ideas and the perfection of fabrication and execution of construction.

The stone wall is made of a series of angled planes — about 40 pieces in all, each a little over an inch thick — that intersect in precise, computer-milled joints. The wall is as much an organizing device as it is a focal point as it links all the spaces and creates a visual path throughout the apartment. The wall separates the public and private areas of the loft. Color spectrum is a movement through greys, blacks and vibrating white. Most of the furniture, dining table and light fixture, side table, master bed, millwork has been designed by us with horizontal and vertical movement depending on its orientation and location.

Martin Stigsgaard designed this project with Bart Voorsanger

View The New York Times Article

Jungle Residence for urban couple

Nosara, Costa Rica 2017

Project Size: 2,000sf

Lead Designer Martin Stigsgaard w/ VoorsangerMathes Architects:

New Orleans, Louisiana 2003 - completion 2022/23

Project Size: 245,000sf

Architecture

The design approach for the World War II Museum is to offer architectonic events that honor the story of World War II. The extensive size of the exhibit —85,000 square feet—suggested multiple pavilions placed on a commemorative surface called the Parade Ground. Open to the sky and located one level above the street level entryway, the parade represents the daily rallying of events, reveille, close order drill, celebrations, disciplinary action, calisthenics, and ceremonies that permeate military life. Historically, parades in New Orleans function as either simple or elaborate events celebrating life or death. The confluence of this local tradition and military ritual offered a platform on which to present the story of this world-changing war. To offer weather protection for the Parade Ground in the semi-tropical environment of New Orleans, we proposed a six-hundred-foot translucent space canopy that hovers over the pavilions protecting them from sun and rain while proffering shade and symbolically proclaiming peace. The story of war is told at the Parade Level with the Canopy of Peace, the consequence of victory, waving overhead.

New Orleans is a major destination city. We anticipate the majority of visitors spending a half to full day at the museum. Consequently we needed to create a clear orientation of specific locations of exhibits and an “express” route for those with limited time. Our solution was to position the exhibits in five separate pavilions. The journey starts with the U.S. Pavilion, which tells the story of the start of the war; then the Campaign Gallery and the subsequent battles in the Pacific, Atlantic, Europe, and Africa; moving on to the Liberation and Military Services Pavilion; and the Pavilion for Winning the War and Victory. At the end of this path, or story, is a large theater that will be programmed for military cinema and special events. The original D-Day Museum is being modified but remains in its existing location.

Landscape

The story of this war could not be told working solely within the confines of architecture. Although not requested in the competition brief, we felt it crucial that our design addressed how significantly landscape affected the outcome of the war and how it was in turn impacted. So many soldiers were unprepared for the heat and sands of North Africa, the jungles of the South Pacific, and the forests of the Ardennes, environments that had a profound effect on equipment, morale, and an outcome of victory or defeat. Uncertain of the best way to express this, we worked with Olin Partnership to integrate the concept into the project. The Landscape of War is presented at the Parade Level, and includes species of trees and vegetation appropriate to the military theaters of the war.

Martin was lead designer for the team winning the design competition. He has continue the lead throughout the design development and construction from 2003-2019.

Photography: Thomas Damgaard

​Rammellzee (1960–2010), a seminal New York artist, is finally getting his due with the expansive and explosive two-floor retrospective RAMMΣLLZΣΣ: Racing for Thunder at Red Bull Arts New York. The celebration of this multi-hyphenate artist, writer, and musician is no staid, white cube exhibition. The paintings, sculptures, videos, drawings, and ephemera that comprise the exhibition are brought to life in a deservedly elaborate space designed by studioSTIGSGAARD. ​​Though perhaps no longer as well-known as some of his contemporaries, Rammellzee was certainly renowned in the downtown scene in the 1980s and 90s. Referred to as the “King of the A Line” for his tagging chops during his early street art, he collaborated with the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat (who designed the album art for one of his music releases) and appeared in numerous films, including Jim Jarmusch’s cult classic Stranger than Paradise (1984). At the peak of his notoriety and commercial success, Rammellzee rejected art world trappings and retreated to his Tribeca loft, which he called the Battle Station, where he would spend 20 years working on hisGesamtkunstwerk, a constantly evolving mythical world.​​Stigsgaard’s design, which was developed in close collaboration with curators Max Wolf, Carlo McCormick, Candice Strongwater, Jeff Mao, and Christian Omodeo, honors the legacy of Rammellzee’s Battle Station, without trying to replicate it, something they felt could not be done by anyone except Rammellzee himself. Instead, Stigsgaard tried to “create a framework…to set his work off,” relying on the body of work to bring visitors into his world while still providing an intelligible timeline and order in an immersive environment.Upon entering the exhibition space you are confronted with a tunnel of mesh walls with irregular, geometric apertures that create a spatial “compression.” Stigsgaard says this references not only a subway tunnel, the site where Rammellzee first began mobilizing language by tagging the A train in Far Rockaway, Queens, but also a tank firing range, apt for an artist who felt that he was leading a war against the cultural tyranny of the alphabet.​​​Down the tunnel are some of Rammellzee’s early visual works, as well as a script he developed, and an original 12th-century manuscript. The manuscript serves as a touchstone for Rammellzee’s approach to language as a visual, and eventually, performative and spatial, practice and his self-identification as a “gothic futurist.” He was constantly fighting against normative order—his own manifesto Gothic Futuristdescribes the symbolic battle of letters against the alphabet’s stultifying standardization, as realized in his graffiti and his later Letter Racers.The central upstairs gallery manifests Rammellzee’s military obsession and his invented linguistic theory of “Ikonoklast Panzerism.” For this space, Stigsgaard used what he described as Panzerkeil formations, which refer to a V-shaped arrangement of tanks used by the Germans on the Eastern Front. The formation leads to a strong exterior defense with a weaker interior. Here, the formation acts as the parti for the exhibition space; the structure presents a full-frontal approach for larger work with a more intimate interior to observe smaller pieces, simultaneously organizing the space and causing one to be “put off balance.” The formation’s visual logic extends even to the angular vitrines and other details.​​​The final stage upstairs exemplifies the unorthodox use of lighting in the exhibition. Shifting on a timer, the lighting in this last space goes between the usual white light to black light that makes Rammellzee’s paintings and sculptures pop and glow. As you come around towards the stairwell, you see Rammellzee’s Letter Racers, hung ready for battle, spiraling downstairs. These Letter Racers are 26 fighter plane-style assemblages of detritus and consumer goods mounted on skateboards and remote-controlled cars, each a letter in Rammellzee’s invented alphabet. Light confronts you in your face as you take their mass in. This is hardly unintentional. As Stigsgaard says, “It’s not about creating a comfortable lighting. I like that you get a big blast in your face. This is not a white box, ordinary gallery. You need to be a little bit thrown off.”The downstairs takes on a more cave-like quality. Ceilings are low and the space is almost unnervingly dark. We have entered the physical realization of the 25th century, a major era in Rammellzee’s extensive cosmology. Metal mesh walls that conceal and reveal—again in Panzerkeil formation—are on islands of what at first appears to be stone or gravel, but upon closer investigation are shredded tires. Here are perhaps the most memorable pieces in the exhibit, his Garbage Gods, full-scale armored sculptural costumes made of found objects and sidewalk trash. This cast of characters each has their own place within Rammellzee’s sci-fi mythology, with personalities he would adapt by wearing and performing the costumes.​​In the rear of the space is a glowing polystyrene “rock formation” that holds scale model Garbage Gods in its niches. This strange hybrid of natural and artificial, urban and prehistoric, creates a space that Stigsgaard describes as “outside of time.” The gothic meets the space-age, suits accumulate and reconfigure the histories of the found objects that comprise them, boundaries breakdown and time falls into itself—both in Rammellzee’s art and in the design of the space.​After passing the final massive Garbage God, slivers of red light hint at an additional space. Though relatively large, tire shreds take up most of the room, allowing you just small passage. At dead center is a pyramid. Suspended on acrylic it seems to be floating. Red light hits its reflective surface, again creating an almost blinding moment. Lurking in the right corner is another Garbage God and at the right is one of Rammellzee’s bricolage luggage pieces. The room certainly feels significant and has a certain stillness, but without reading the wall text the space’s real weight might be missed. This pyramid is an urn, designed by Rammellzee, to contain his own ashes. This Garbage God is Reaper Grimm. This luggage is what he wished to carry into the next life. It is here, with Rammellzeepresent, that you realize this is no mere exhibition; this is a temple, or perhaps even, a mausoleum.

Text by Drew Zeiba

https://archpaper.com/2018/05/studiostigsgaard-designs-rammellzee-retrospective/

Lead Design by studioSTIGSGAARD. Architectural collaboration with VoorangerMathes LLC. And BGR architects

Lubbock, Texas 2019 - Ongoing

Texas Tech University is master planning and fundraising to build a facility on the campus of Texas Tech that will house the Vietnam Center and Archive and a new Museum of the Vietnam War.

Over the past three decades, the Vietnam Center and Archive have been dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to the history of the Vietnam War. The institution is dedicated to promote a better understanding of the Vietnam War through conferences and symposia, guest speakers, and many other educational programs.

In addition to traditional archival materials like documents and photographs, the center has received innumerable artifacts in the collections to include uniforms, equipment, weapons, and helicopters.

It is time to place these amazing materials on display so that veterans and their families, teachers and students, scholars and researchers, and the American public can see them and learn first-hand about the history of the Vietnam War through state-of-the-art and interactive museum exhibits and an unforgettable immersive experience.

Vietnam veterans and their families deserve a museum that tells the story of their service and sacrifice during the Vietnam War. The right place for that museum is the Vietnam Center and Archive and Texas Tech University.

Currently, studioSTIGSGAARD, in collaboration with VoorangerMathes LLC, are developing the concept design, master plan and fundraising material to assist in fulfilling the important mission set out by the Vietnam Center and Archive.

w/ Voorsanger Architects: Lead Designer Martin Stigsgaard

Dubai, UAE 2009

GFA: 1,387,000 SqFt 129,900 S. Meters

As part of the development of Dubailand, this high-end Housing projects took the idea of an urban design strategy and transplanted it into the desert of the UAE on the outskirts of Dubai. Travelers and inhabitants in the Middle East are continuously demanding a more contemporary habitat.

The characteristic Loft has been modified to become original in its orientation, sustainability and privacy. Unique to the Loft are the unimpeded internal vistas to both the internal garden landscape and exterior streets. The roofs act as large visors that significantly control the amount of sun coming into the building, thereby reducing heat gain. They are expressive unifying elements creating an identity individual to the buildings and the entire complex. Additionally, there is a metallic scrim set vertically that provides increased shading and most importantly multiple levels of privacy.

Installation Overview

Overlooking the Pacific and nestled below the ridges of Santa Monica Mountains, surrounded by canyons, a site specific art installation - hidden within a tower -  oscillates over a private residence. The tower is a beacon for the residence and is clearly observable within the canyon. It is also visible from Charles and Ray Eames house, located diagonally across, a few hundred feet away, on a plateau within the canyon slopes. 

The remoteness of the tower from the rest of the residence allows the viewer to transition into an immersive experience surrounded by thousands of geometric metal cells which encompasses the entirety of the space. 

From a domestic environment, one enters the installation by climbing up a circular staircase which leads one to the installation entrance and into the suspended super cube within. Crossing the threshold into the super cube through hundreds of fragmented cubes, one arrives into a chamber containing 3000 angular metal cubes. The pixelation of the cubes allow for individual cubes to rotate and projects into various directions and dimensions. Once inside the sculpture, one is surrounded by thousands of these hollow cubes: during the day the sunlight constantly reflects into the thousands of surfaces refracting the light and casting onto itself, the ceiling and the reflective dark floor. The thousands of cubes are installed within a large super cube which is approximately 10 feet x 10 feet x 8 feet high with an additional 8 feet pyramidal ceiling above. The extrusions of the individual cubes creates apertures through which one can partially view the other side. At times, it brings into view dramatic vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the mountain ridge, other times the surface of the space encapsulating the sculpture. The sculpture is offset, approximately 3 inches, from the four sides of the physical space.  Within this chasm, an invisible LED lighting system is nestled.  As the dusk settles, it activates and the metal paint coating of the physical space becomes the reflective surface for the illumination.

The separation from the exciting tower space and the hovering above the floor, creates a notion of suspension. The combination of daylight and artificial lighting further removes the space from ordinary time perception. The distortion of time heightens spacial memories, simultaneously distancing one from present as well as connecting one to former inhabitants and their lifestyles, and at the same time propelling one forward into a future not yet defined. In a way, the installation is a time capsule that generates its output from the energy of past, present, and future memories and emotions.

As the day progresses, the installation transitions into its evening and night modes as  artificial illumination gradually merges with and ultimately overtakes the daylight. The exterior visibility of the sculpture contained within the tower amplifies as the dusk leads to night and the installation is seen from the ocean, the Pacific Coast Highway as well the mountain ridges. 

At 8:45pm, the LED illumination within the tower transitions through one minute cycles of gradual light change before turning dark. The light starts with a silver blue-ish tint and gradually progresses towards a purple hue, before finally metamorphosing ing into a dark reddish blue.

Historical Background of the Installation Site

Historically, the residence, built in 1926, has been a capsule of unconventional life styles and personalities, renown for experimenting and pushing conventional boundaries. 

The residence was built by Edmund Goulding, a well renown Hollywood film director and a notorious enfant terrible, known as the Bad Boy Genius. “His name was always on the shortlist of early Hollywood bad boys,” said an art director George James Hopkins in Matthew Kennedy’s biography of the director, Edmund Goulding: Dark Victory.   

Writing about the residence, Mathew Kennedy describes it as “a hot spot among Hollywood's screen writes, performers and slew of beautiful people. The parties would last all night and guest would sometimes stay for days.” Bright Young Things of Hollywood’s silent era would flock to parties at the secluded residence, which soon became notorious as young men and women would be hired to have sex, with Goulding directing them as if they were actors on a film set:

Eddie’s house was a comfort zone for trysts that would otherwise be socially damaging. Instead of going to a hotel to copulate, famous people simply borrowed Eddie's house keys. His lips were sealed and their privacy was ensured.

From Edmund Goulding’s Dark Victory by Mathew Kennedy 

As the silent films transitioned into talkies, Goulding’s residence would also attract some of the greatest stars of the era, including Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Gloria Swanson.

Inspiration and  Composition Layout:

At the time of Edmund Goulding tenure at the residence, a Hungarian pianist and composer, Ervin Nyiregyházi, moved to Los Angeles. Ervin Nyiregyházi (January 19, 1903 – April 8, 1987) was a Hungarian-born American pianist and composer. After several years on the concert stage in the 1920s, he descended into relative obscurity before briefly reemerging in the 1970s. His highly distinctive playing style, which has been seen by some as a link to the kind of Romantic pianism associated with Franz Liszt. He was, at one point, considered one of the most talented pianist of the era. Nyiregyházi was known to start his concerts with an almost incoherent explosive outburst which would gradually would become more and more structured. The idea of chaos leading into recognizable structured composition was the inspiration for the final articulation of the installation. High notes and base points is created a rhythm that ties together the entire installation which in an abstract form is a 3-dimensional pixilation absorbing, refracting and reflecting the light. 

The installation is made out of approximately 2000 lbs metal, composed of 3000 Marine Grade Aluminum square tubes cut in angles for optimum reflectivity and "perspective participation". The aluminum was cut ad installed by Serett Metalworks in New York and driven across the country in a large truck by. The final installation required hand lifting all the metal cubes 3 flights of stairs up into the tower. 

The composition and placement of the individual metal units is thought of as a progression from chaos into a more structured order. There are high nodes and base nodes that establish the overall balance of the piece. After a lengthy process with 3D computer studies and several 1:1 mock-ups on site the final process and positioning was created. This installation which took over 2 weeks within the space while living in the house was a process of reviewing the composition during different times of day light as well as experimenting with artificial light during the transition times and into the night.

Cultural Center: PRISMATIC LANDSCAPES

Location: Undisclosed remote Location
Program: Cinema, Café, Gallery

In the presence of nature’s magnificent splendor, architecture confronts the delicate balance of celebrating and potentially overshadowing its surroundings. Indeed, such natural beauty can often be experienced with mere simplicity—just a tent and a sleeping bag. Thus, the question arises: how do we erect a permanent structure in such a setting without detracting from its inherent elegance?

The project is conceived as an answer to this challenge. It seeks to seamlessly blend the essential elements of the building program with the contours of the site. This amalgamation of architecture and topography results in a spatial journey where visitors meander through both the immediate surroundings and eons of geological history. The only man-made hint on the horizon? Sculptural glass lenses, serving dual purposes as skylights for indoor spaces and understated lanterns for approaching visitors. By day, they mirror the vast expanse of the landscape, and as dusk approaches, they shimmer with a gentle glow. With abstract orientations, these lenses mimic the random dispersal of ice shards under the sun’s piercing gaze.

This intertwining of the cinematic experience and the majestic landscape fosters a harmonious blend of nature, architecture, and the art of film. As one navigates through the edifice, the fluid interplay of light, space, and views crafts a narrative that shifts between internal and external vistas. The carefully positioned light-gathering lenses weave the structure into its environment, remaining ever cognizant of its surroundings. Instead of being an imposing structure, the building remains mostly subterranean, reminiscent of Michael Heizer's "Double Negative" land art. Up close, its presence is tangible; from afar, it disappears into the earth.

The site, poised at the juncture of colliding tectonic plates, encapsulates the energy of Earth’s monumental land shifts. This constant geological dance resonates far and wide, reminiscent of ancient stories told through symbols that bridged cultures and territories. Today, cinema adopts this role of visual chronicle, sending messages that transcend boundaries.

Program: Internally, the building juxtaposes private enclosures with open expanses. The cinema, projection room, kitchen, and restrooms are sequestered, whereas spaces like the entrance, ticketing area, café, and gallery bask in the luminescence pouring in from the skylights and expansive glass walls.

Materials and Construction: Sustainability lies at the heart of the design. Nestled underground, the building remains shielded from Iceland's severe climatic conditions, maintaining a consistent temperature between 4-5 degrees Celsius. This reduces its energy footprint substantially. Additionally, geothermal wells further augment the heating system. The verdant rooftop is occasionally interrupted by climatic-resistant double-glass lenses, which are adaptable for various art displays. Automated screens and insulating materials ensure optimal conditions, adjusting to the changing seasons.

Cleveland, Ohio 2006

Recently, a strange phenomenon infiltrated the city of Cleveland.  Initially, it was dismissed as a random occurrence, but soon it became evident that this was no accidental observation.  A viral growth of light reflectors permeated the city’s fabric.  These reflectors showed up at what appeared to be chance locations.  But as the numbers multiplied, it became evident that a delicate crystalline structure spread like a root system throughout the urban fabric.  As if rising out of a primeval tar pit, paths of light began to emerge.  Following the light from one reflector to another, they directed their energy to one central point near where the train tracks pass by The Lakeview Cemetery.

On September 1, 2007, a select group of people received a strange envelope labeled Cleveland Sun.  Contained inside the package was a small reflector.  Printed on the reflector were an explanation, invitation, and instruction - Please hang outside.

On September 7, 2007, the mystery was revealed with the opening of the exhibit, Cleveland Sun by The New Weather Group at the Sculpture Center.

Concept:

The idea is to create an art installation in the gallery at The Sculpture Center that conceptually and literally draws on the energy of the entire city of Cleveland. The selected medium for this installation is light. The art piece will gather and accumulate light from throughout the city and direct it toward the gallery space. The Sculpture Center will be the eye of the hurricane where all the attention is funneled into. The skylight in the gallery will be the actual funneling point for all the reflected lights. The final climax is revealed with the gallery acting a massive light collector.

Strategy:

 1) 1001 reflectors was installed throughout Cleveland up until the opening on September 7th, 2007. Some reflectors are permanent, other stay only temporarily at a location and travels on.

2) The Sculpture Center is the host for the light funnel which is the culmination of this site specific installation.

3) Invitations have been printed on mirror and guests are encouraged to install the invitation on the exterior on their property and throughout the city.

4) Within the gallery the collection of light fills the space.  Site photos, process pieces maps, working drawings, renderings are exhibited.

The Cleveland project focuses on the sun as the vital force for global survival. It is the intention to focus on the large scale consequences of global warming and climatic changes, but also it is equally important to narrow in on the local environment. The Midwest is the bread basket of United States and is a region that relies heavily on weather. With all of its industrial development, Ohio still uses the majority of its land for farming.  The difference between a good and a bad harvest severely affects the region and the primary force is the sun.

This installation will be a large impact art piece that will intertwine the urban fabric and provide the people in Cleveland with something visual to unite around. Furthermore, the idea is to encourage people to follow the path to The Sculpture Center and experience the accumulation of the lights.

Martin Stigsgaard is the inventor of New Weather Group. The core founding group is Rahul Saggar, Masayuki Sono and Thomas Damgaard. Everyone take equal credit for NWG projects.

www.newweathergroup.org

w/ Voorsanger Architects: Lead Designer Martin Stigsgaard

Abu Dhabi, UAE 2009 - ongoing

Project Size: 365,000sf

The United Arab Emirates requested a cultural icon to commemorate and inspire future generations toward peace, as well as a design signifying defense, determination, and a proactive presence to ensure it. The structure of the architecture suggests a "portal" or "gateway." It is an invitation to enter the "capital" of the U.A.E. and signifies arrival, thereby referencing the nearby, historic Maqta Fort. The sustainability requirement led to a series of solutions that resolve structural, thermal, and environmental criteria and utilize the Estidama Building Guidelines. The proposal for this national museum was won in design competition.

w/ Voorsanger Architects: Lead Designer Martin Stigsgaard (glass garden court among other things)

New York City, New York 2000

Project Size: 75,000sf

Asia Society is an international organization headquartered at Park Avenue and 70th Street in a 1980's red granite eight story building.

The architectural transformations focused on four areas: re-designing office floors for a more efficient and environmentally friendly use; significantly enlarging the exhibition areas; enlarging visitor support functions, such as retail services and back of the house facilities; and creating a new and original precinct for members and visitors.

The renovation also created space for the Society’s expanded public programming, teaching and website development. The spatially contracted lobby now opens dramatically onto a four-story interconnecting stair and a two-story garden court that is a reinterpretation of the original second-story terrace.

To promote its new emphasis on exhibitions, the Society renamed its headquarters the Asia Society and Museum.

Photography: Thomas Loof

Finalist in International Competition

The Unity Ribbon Memorial
Las Vegas, 2023

The powerful resonance of collective loss, the palpable resilience of bereaved families, the intricate emotions borne by survivors, and the indomitable spirit of unity demonstrated by the community have been the compass of our design journey for the Unity Ribbon Memorial.

From the inception of this project, community outreach has been paramount. Recognizing the myriad experiences and needs, we ensured the memorial design was shaped by those it aims to serve. Building on the foundational efforts by the committee, we adopted a comprehensive approach: design-specific surveys, community workshops, and personal dialogues. The synthesis of these insights painted a poignant picture that became the essence of our design.

Our guiding light has been twofold: honoring the cherished lives lost and creating a sanctuary that encapsulates the diverse healing journeys of those left behind. The memorial draws inspiration from the community’s fervor for country music, the mesmerizing Las Vegas landscapes, and the resilient spirit that has long been the hallmark of the city.

Natural elements, like the enduring force of the Colorado River cutting through the Mojave Desert, the mellifluous curve of a guitar, the stalwart silhouette of a cactus, and the timeless fossil beds of Tule Springs, have informed our design. The result? The Unity Ribbon, a delicate balance of strength and transparency. Rising harmoniously from the ground, it demarcates a sacred space of remembrance, shielding it from the city's vibrant pulse, yet maintaining a visual connection to the environment, underlining a sense of openness and unity.

Within this sanctuary, spaces are designed to reflect the gamut of human emotions: joy and grief, reflection and hope. They stand as an open invitation to every individual, recognizing that healing is a journey with its unique pace.

As this project evolves, our dedication remains unwavering. The Unity Ribbon Memorial is more than a physical structure; it is the embodiment of the community's spirit, a tribute to unity in the face of profound loss. Among five finalists, our proposal stands as a testament to the enduring human spirit and the power of collective resilience.

Design Team:
studioSTIGSGAARD and Aaron Neubert Architects collaboration
Landscape: Agency Artifact
Exhibitions: Gallagher & Associates
Lighting: L’Observatoire
Glenn Kaino: Artist
Engineering / Civil: Labib Funk
Composer & Sound Artist: Benjamin Wynn

w/ Voorsanger Architects

Gdansk, Poland 2010

The architecture evolves in the time line of Polish and European history and its many generations of mutual interdependence. There is the devastation of being attacked; the evolving loss, imprisonment, extraordinary underground survival, fortitude to resist, ultimately victory for all people and a march to a new future.

The visitor first crosses the Voids of Loss, the naked flag poles of a courageous army, descends below grade to the entry and the internal Hall of Resistance. The visitor’s path is indirect participating in the story of Polish and European resistance through interactive exhibits and external voids inhabited by exhibition and story. The architecture and visitor then ascend as Poland emerges from a decimated Europe, struggling to rebuild, and evolving a new renaissance. The visitor can ascend the sloping upper terrace that starts at grade with the story of loss and ascends to a rebuilding of a new and democratic Poland. Overhead is a Canopy of Hope that is architectonically fragmentary, emblematic of a continuing rebuilding, the unfinished struggle for new, future aspirations, a reuniting and rebuilding of a more powerful Europe at peace.

As one ascends the upper terrace to peace and rebuilding there is the viewing Platform of Strength on axis to Westerplatte. The view of remembrance to Westerplatte is only then completed by the view of the present and to our common future. Yes there has been remarkable recovery, but this is also a reminder of the event that ignited a cataclysmic war that future generations should never forget. One again, a proud, new nation emerged, one that is ready to take its rightful place in Europe.

NYC, New York 2012

Project Size: 2,000sf

The challenges for designing this project was in particular with the existing skewed U-shaped plan. Fulfilling the program of for 3 bedrooms, the desire was to generate a fluid design that visually seemed continues along a series of social spaces and maintain the idea of loft living. The entry, dining and living room all tie as a horizontal social surface throughout the apartment. Vertically, a series of clerestories optically allow for views from one end of the loft to the other.

The high polished concrete floor and super white walls is the overall theme, but beyond this the use of walnut planks and lighting creates ascents and warmth as well as guiding visitors through the loft. The clerestories is a combination of glass and layered laser cut acrylic with a highly complex geometric pattern. The baseboards are all stainless steel cast into the concrete topping. The millwork is all designed without the need of hardware and has shop lacquer painted finish.

The entry bench and the AV storage unit has been custom designed based on the clients' specific needs and are smoothly integrated into the architecture. HVAC units and lighting is all hidden within the millwork.

Photography: Thomas Damgaard

Ocean Tower Sculpture, Santa Monica, CA