James Turrell's ganzfeld, New York

Extending between two floors of a Manhattan skyscraper is Turrell’s bi-level egg-shaped ganzfeld. Accessible from both a lower level and a balcony above, visitors walk into the space to face an undefined expanse of colored light.

Originally designed by Turrell as a rectangular box, the shape morphed during a brainstorming conference call with the artist, Flynn A&D, the client’s design team.

​

Flynn A&D created and resolved the project's control geometry including the complex, doubly-curved doorways that Turrell desired. The firm simplified the elliptical form down to a single-radius elevation curve within a 4-arc plan, saving the client considerable cost over the irregular, diagrid shell the fabricator’s structural engineer initially pursued.

​

Flynn A&D further assisted the fabricator in rationalizing the panelization system, reducing the quantity of unique panels required for the Corian exterior and the GFRG interior form. The firm's 3D surface model was used by the fabricator’s team to CNC mill the final parts.