STACK

Located in Sarasota, Florida—a city known for its mid-century modern architecture, annual Film Festival, and commitment to the arts—STACK explores public participation as an artistic expression. Conceived as an interactive public installation, the project transforms a single urban parking space into a place for creativity, connection, and engagement, inviting visitors to build temporary stone compositions informed by personal interpretation and experience.

Inspired by the ancient practice of stone stacking, from historic cairns to modern sculptural expressions, STACK explores the relationship between humans and nature through the act of building. The installation celebrates balance, patience, and collaboration, creating an environment where participants become both creators and observers of an evolving collective artwork.

Strategically positioned along 1st Street between Sarasota’s cultural institutions, public transportation, and commercial destinations, the installation sits at a highly visible intersection of the city’s urban infrastructure and natural landscape. This contrast informs the design, which blends organic materials with modular construction systems to create a flexible and accessible public space.

A palette of sand, recycled southern yellow pine, stone, and welded-wire gabions establishes a dialogue between natural and built elements. Sand provides a tactile, calming foundation that invites interaction and experimentation, while modular wood components serve as seating, display surfaces, and spatial boundaries. The stacked wooden elements form a semi-transparent enclosure that separates the space from adjacent traffic while preserving openness and visual connection.

Gabion structures extend the concept of stacking into architectural form, transforming stone into permanent spatial elements that define the installation. Integrated vegetation, including horsetail grass and existing oak trees, softens the intervention's edges and reinforces the connection between the built environment and nature.

Through the simple act of balancing stones, STACK fosters an inclusive public experience that cultivates mindfulness, creativity, and a shared connection to place.

Location:
Downtown | Sarasota, Florida

Awards:
2014 | AIA Florida/Caribbean Parking Day Competition, 1st Place