Bat Tower Griffis Sculpture Park architecture, East Otto building, New York Installation Design Image
Bat Tower Architecture
Architectural Project in Griffis Sculpture Park, East Otto, NY, USA
22 Jun 2010
Design: Joyce Hwang, ants of the prairie / University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning
Installation in Griffis Sculpture Park
BAT TOWER is a prototype building which seeks to increase public awareness of bats and highlight their critical role in our ecosystem where they are effective as natural pesticides and pollinators, as well as in the abatement of mosquitoes. However bats are often considered as problems, and frequently exterminated by ‘pest control’ services.
photo courtesy of Joyce Hwang
Bat Tower Design, East Otto, NY
BAT TOWER challenges notions of typical off-the-shelf bat houses. The tower stands as a prominently visible outdoor sculpture and draws from the idea of a vertical cave.
BAT TOWER is located adjacent to a pond and on a site that boasts an abundance of mosquitoes and other insects. Chives, oregano and other herbs that attract bats are planted at the base of the tower.
The project’s ribbed construction includes a series of ‘landing pads’ near the top of the tower and a pattern of grooves on both vertical and horizontal surfaces allows bats to more easily climb into the tower and cling to its ‘ceilings.’ To provide a suitably warm interior for bat roosting, dark wood panels cover the top of the tower where the bats will live.
images courtesy of Joyce Hwang
Bat Tower Griffis Sculpture Park – Building Information
Location: Griffis Sculpture Park, East Otto, NY
Completed: June 2010
Project Director: Joyce Hwang
Design Collaborators: Thomas Giannino, Michael Pudlewski, Laura Schmitz, Nicole Marple, Mark Nowaczyk.
Construction Collaborators: Michael Pudlewski, Laura Schmitz, Nicole Marple, Mark Nowaczyk, Dan Dimillo, Matt Salzer, Jake West.
Installation Collaborators: Matt Bain, Albert Chao, Joshua Gardner, Shawn Lewis, Sergio López-Piñeiro, Nellie Niespodzinski, Mark Nowaczyk, Michael Pudlewski, Joey Swerdlin, Angela Wu.
Consultants: Katharina Dittmar, Mark Bajorek.
Installation Photographers: Albert Chao, Nellie Niespodzinski, Angela Wu.
Special thanks to Dick Yencer and the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning Materials and Methods Shop.
Website: www.antsoftheprairie.com
The design and construction of BAT TOWER was made possible with an Independent Projects Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Van Alen Institute as the project’s Fiscal Sponsor. Installation made possible with a grant from the New York State/United University Professions’ Dr. Nuala McGann Drescher Program.
Bat Tower images / information from Joyce Hwang
Location: East Otto, NY, USA
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