com­mon room is an archi­tec­ture prac­tice based on the Lower East Side. Our work with the putting lot emerges from an inter­est in rec­i­p­ro­cal exchange that trans­lates ideas into action.

Why were you inter­ested in par­tic­i­pat­ing in The Putting Lot? Does it relate to work you’ve done in the past?

com­mon room is inter­ested in an open-ended def­i­n­i­tion of archi­tec­ture and design work as it relates to the urban envi­ron­ment. we feel that the putting lot has been con­ceived in this spirit. we see this as an oppor­tu­nity to con­tinue our involve­ment in activ­i­ties that rede­fine the rela­tion­ship between work, cul­ture and community.

What is the inspi­ra­tion for your design? How does it relate to urban sustainability?

we are inter­ested in estab­lish­ing an obstruc­tion to the open field of play at the putting lot. ‘unti­tled’ is an opaque cylin­dri­cal reser­voir for rain water and golf balls. it is made from every­day, urban, build­ing mate­ri­als and serves as a col­lec­tion and dis­tri­b­u­tion point for the com­mu­nity of putting lot participants.

What else would you like to see in an empty space in the city?

noth­ing (com­bined with pub­licly funded insur­ance to do anything).

Do you have any child­hood mem­o­ries or good sto­ries about minia­ture golf?

no. but we have enjoyed par­tic­i­pat­ing in other pro­vi­sional urban golf courses that have come and gone in the city dur­ing the last 10 years.

What do you hope to see at The Putting Lot this summer?

any­thing (com­bined with a crit­i­cal dis­cus­sion of how to inhabit under uti­lized space in the city).