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Ungourdly Progenies: Architects Celebrate Halloween at Pumpkitecture 2019

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October 30, 2019
by Center for Architecture
QRP with the Pritzkerpumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
QRP with the Pritzkerpumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
QRP's winning bulbous pumpkin seedling creation. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
QRP's winning bulbous pumpkin seedling creation. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
QRP's winning pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
QRP's winning pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
A closeup of QRP's winning design. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
A closeup of QRP's winning design. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
QRP's winning bulbous pumpkin seedling creation. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
QRP's winning bulbous pumpkin seedling creation. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
SITU's zoetrope pumpkin. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
SITU's zoetrope pumpkin. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
LTL's painting pumpkin. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
LTL's painting pumpkin. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
LTL's painter pumpkin creations. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
LTL's painter pumpkin creations. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
ARO's Calder-inspired sculpture. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
ARO's Calder-inspired sculpture. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Raad Studio's gruesome pumpkin section. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image courtesy of Raad.
Raad Studio's gruesome pumpkin section. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image courtesy of Raad.
Raad Studio's gruesome pumpkin section. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image courtesy of Raad.
Raad Studio's gruesome pumpkin section. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image courtesy of Raad.
Leroy Street Studio's edible pumpkin mousse. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Leroy Street Studio's edible pumpkin mousse. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
RAMSA's goo-preserved pumpkin bits. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
RAMSA's goo-preserved pumpkin bits. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Handel Architects' plaster pumpkin sculpture. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Handel Architects' plaster pumpkin sculpture. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Bernheimer's pumpkin ghosts. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Bernheimer's pumpkin ghosts. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
The Center for Architecture's sustainable Center for Architecture. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
The Center for Architecture's sustainable Center for Architecture. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
DXA's Jack Skellington axo. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
DXA's Jack Skellington axo. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Ennead's pulsating glowstick pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Ennead's pulsating glowstick pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
GRT's Turrell pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
GRT's Turrell pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
ikon.5's pumpkin Pantheon. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
ikon.5's pumpkin Pantheon. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
MdeAS's plexi-sectioned pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
MdeAS's plexi-sectioned pumpkin. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Mitchell Giurgola's infinity pumpkin room. Image courtesy of Mitchell Giurgola.
Mitchell Giurgola's infinity pumpkin room. Image courtesy of Mitchell Giurgola.
Mitchell Giurgola's infinity pumpkin room. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Mitchell Giurgola's infinity pumpkin room. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Rogers Partners optical illusion. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Rogers Partners optical illusion. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Studio Joseph's plexi-sectioned jack-o-lantern. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Studio Joseph's plexi-sectioned jack-o-lantern. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Weiss/Manfredi's Stranger Things pumpkin. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Weiss/Manfredi's Stranger Things pumpkin. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
2019 Pumpkitecture jury members (l-r) Dr. Takeshi Yamada & Seara, Mark Zlotsky, Chen Chen, Kai Williams, Ellen Van Dusen, and Ashley Mendelsohn. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
2019 Pumpkitecture jury members (l-r) Dr. Takeshi Yamada & Seara, Mark Zlotsky, Chen Chen, Kai Williams, Ellen Van Dusen, and Ashley Mendelsohn. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
2019 Pumpkitecture Jury, (l-r) Dr. Takeshi Yamada & Seara, Chen Chen, Ellen Van Dusen, Kai Williams, Mark Zlotsky, and Ashley Mendelsohn. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
2019 Pumpkitecture Jury, (l-r) Dr. Takeshi Yamada & Seara, Chen Chen, Ellen Van Dusen, Kai Williams, Mark Zlotsky, and Ashley Mendelsohn. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
A close-up of Weiss/Manfredi's creation. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
A close-up of Weiss/Manfredi's creation. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.
Pumpkitecture 2019. Teams carve at Pumpkitecture 2019. Image credit: Sam Lahoz.

The Center for Architecture kicked off Halloween at its fourth-annual Pumpkitecture! Architectural Pumpkin Carving Competition on October 25. 19 New York City-based firms (and the Center for Architecture’s own home team) showed off their eerie eye for design as they carved to win the prized Pritzkerpumpkin.

Firms awakened the spirits of Marcel Booeuer and Michael Gravesyard to cunningly construct their architectural curibitas. While the Center for Architecture provided a standard set of pumpkin carving tools, firms were encouraged to bring additional (non-flammable) tools and materials; this year, Handel Architects hauled 125 pounds of plaster to our space.

After an hour and 15 minutes of carving, our dreaded jury picked from our patch of jealous jack-o-lanterns and selected newcomer Quennell Rothschild & Partners (QReePy) as the winner of the Pritzkerpumpkin. The jury then generously bestowed several Pathetic Consolations (Honorable Mentions) to other piteous pumpkins deemed unworthy of the Pritzkerpumpin. The teeming masses, our drab and dreary audience, also cast their soiled ballots to nominate SITU as the winner of the People’s Pumpkin for the second year running.

Awards

Pritzkerpumpkin – Quennell Rothschild & Partners (QReePy), for their seedling-growing, bulbous pumpkin structure
People’s Pumpkin – SITU (SitoOoOooOOooOo), taking home the People’s Pumpkin for the second year in a row, for their crank-powered zoetrope pumpkin strobe light

Pathetic Consolations (Honorable Mentions)

The Re-Animator – Also to SITU
Premeditated Murder – LTL Architects (Lantern.Jacko.Lantern), for their pumpkin as Jackson Pollock, in recognition of most prep done prior to competition
Mad Engineer – Architecture Research Office (Pumpkin Research Office), their Calder-like pumpkin mobile “Untitled No. 13 by Alexander Cauldron”
Jack the Ripper – Raad Studio (Raank), for their gruesome, hellish pumpkin section
Hannibal Lecter – Leroy Street Studio (Leroy Spooky Scary), for creating edible pumpkin mousse
The NoGOOchi – Robert A.M. Stern Architects (Jack-o-lan-stern), for preserving their pumpkin in goo
The BrancoOOoooOOOsi – Handel Architects (The Anti-Pumpkin), for their plaster-cast pumpkin tower
Plaster the Friendly Ghost Award – Bernheimer Architecture (Burn, Hellraiser), for their floating pumpkin ghosts

Other teams who joined the fun included:

Center for Architecture, with a sustainable model of the Center for Architecture, designed with recycled CFA marketing materials
DXA studio (D Hex A studio), with a Jack Skellington exploded axo
Ennead Architects (UnnDead Architects), with a pulsating, glowstick pumpkin
GRT Architects (Guts Rats Tears), with a James Turrell-inspired pumpkin
ikon.5 architects (ikon. 666), with a hidden Pumpkin Pantheon elevation
MdeAS (Monsters of Arms and Skeletons), with a plexi-sectioned pumpkin
Mitchell Giurgola (Muderous Gurgling), with a Yayoi Kusamaesque infinity pumpkin room
Rogers Partners (Rougish Pranksters), with a reflective, optical illusion pumpkin
Studio Joseph (Angels of the Rind), with a plexi-sectioned pumpkin with a perspectival jack-o-lantern face
Weiss Manfredi (Freights Manspooky), with a Stranger Things-inspired pumpkin

Our most blood curdling congratulations to the winners and thanks to all participating firms and our cunning jury for a wonderful evening!

Chen Chen and Kai Williams, Founders, Chen Chen and Kai Williams
Ashley Mendelsohn, Assistant Curator, Architecture and Digital Initiatives, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum
Ellen Van Dusen, Founder and Designer, Dusen Dusen
Dr. Takeshi Yamada & Seara, artist and rogue taxidermist
Mark Zlotsky, Founder of LARD and half of the elusive artist duo Mookntaka

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