Sheikha Salama Foundation and Masdar announce installation of Wendy air-purifying structure during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Abu Dhabi, Jan 17, 2013 (WAM) - The Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, announce the international installation of Wendy, the HWKN (Hollwich Kushner)-designed air-purifying structure during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Wendy made her first appearance in New York as the winner of the 2012 MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program and was previously on display during the summer of 2012 at MoMA PS1. Wendy 2.0 kicks off during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, January 13- January 17, 2013. The Wendy 2.0 installation, re-envisioned in the context of a new site by the Foundation and powered by Masdar via solar energy for the first time, is open to the public to February 6. The Sheikha Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation works to contribute to the creation of positive futures for the citizens of the United Arab Emirates and the full realisation of their potential and aspirations. To that end, the Foundation develops and supports charitable initiatives in the areas of education; arts, culture and heritage; and the environment. "Much of what we do at the Sheikha Salama Foundation has a strong focus on the community and creating opportunities for community engagement. We are delighted to be supporting Wendy and offering this unique experience to the people of the UAE during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week," stated Dr. Salvatore LaSpada, the Foundation's Executive Director. "Generational product upgrades are common in almost all industries (for example the iPhone), but this is absent in architecture," HWKN Co-principal Matthias Hollwich said. "Thanks to the tremendous support we've received from the Foundation and Masdar, with Wendy 2.0 in Abu Dhabi we have the opportunity to explore evolutionary architecture with an upgraded scaffolding system, enhanced misters, new structural solutions, and a fully off-the-grid energy provision." Wendy is composed of fabric treated with a ground breaking titania nanofilm to neutralise airborne pollutants. Wendy will continue to clean the air again during her appearance in Abu Dhabi. Wendy's boundary is defined by tools like shade, wind, rain, music, and visual identity to reach past the confines of physical limits. Spiky fabric arms shoot out blasts of cool air, music, and water (via cannons and mists) to create social zones throughout the Al Sahil Maydan Plaza of the Corniche. "The design for Wendy was a study in how far we could push the envelope of architecture to capture the public's imagination and demonstrate what architecture can do for the built environment," says HWKN Co-principal Marc Kushner. "Wendy 2.0 is an opportunity to touch an even broader audience and raise awareness about the potential of the architecture that surrounds them." Helping to bring Wendy to Abu Dhabi was Shawati' Projects, A Cultural Projects Consultancy agency and publishers of Abu Dhabi's art, culture and design magazine, Shawati'. - Emirates News Agency, WAM