The MoMa PS1 courtyard in New York City is the setting for the museum’s annual Young Architects Program. Each year it gives one architect the opportunity to design and construct an experimental structure that takes a unique, innovative look at construction. The 2015 project is called COSMO and was designed by Spaniard Andres Jaque. It features a maze of interconnecting pipes forming a water purification system. The aim is to show that infrastructure could very well become the future of architectural design, rather than the current practice of having systems hidden from the eye.

COSMO is a unique structure featuring a series of biological filters to purify water. The filters include tanks filled with woodland plants to provide de-nitrification. Translucent tubes expose the fluid to UV light and then algae to provide further filtration, most notably removing phosphorus. Finally, the water goes through a series of waterfalls to increase the amount of dissolved oxygen. The end result is clean water that can be reused in several ways.

The COSMO design aims to show that architecture of the future could be much different to what we currently have. One of the main changes that the designer expects is that people will think less about space and look closely at how they interact with infrastructures. Water systems like this one will be far more visually appealing, whilst also providing the purification benefits.

At Coffey Architects we share similar views about architecture, infrastructure and the benefits that can be obtained from bringing the two closer together. We make every effort to account for the environment in our designs and ensure it is protected. We have been involved in projects around the world and take inspiration from all the cutting edge designs and ideas we have seen. If you are planning a project and need an architect in London to design the property with innovative green systems, we would be happy to help you.