SAN FRANCISCO – Among the three-dozen installations designed for the 2016 Market Street Prototyping Festival, SonoGROTTO, designed by Kuth Ranieri Architects, creates a moment of pause on one of San Francisco’s busiest sidewalks. The installation, which is constructed merely from cardboard, intends to facilitate social interaction while highlighting the beauty of a passing day, which is often neglected in the fast-paced nature of life. Its versatility is intended to prompt various social interactions – from hosting classes, meetings and small concerts to offering a site for spontaneous conversation between strangers.

Ranging between 15 to 60 cm in diameter, hundreds of cardboard tubes are fitted together to create an open yet insulated enclosure. The cylinders serve a multitude of functions: they form beams to support the installation’s infrastructure, create seating, and leave apertures that offer circular viewing points to the sky. The hollow nature of SonoGROTTO allows light to penetrate through and creates dynamic shifting shadows, while its warm palette reflects the energy of social interaction and frames surrounding views. 



Photos Brad Knipstein 

kuthranieri.com