CertainTeed Encore vinyl siding, consistently ranked a top practical siding material, was transformed into architectural folly by the Philadelphia architectural firm Austin Mergold, who used the siding to build a sculpture named Sural Ark (like Noah’s Ark) and won top honors in the Architectural League of New York’s Folly 2014 competition.
In the annual competition emerging architects designed and built large-scale projects which were displayed and served as conversation pieces in the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City.
The winning installation rose above 171 submissions from 17 countries. Sural™ Ark took the form of an overturned ship and a typical suburban house. It spanned more than 50 feet with an elevation of 16 feet and was comprised entirely of 2 x 6 lumber and a patchwork of vinyl siding. Austin Mergold chose the materials after extensive abstract and hands-on research. The piece represented the increasingly blurred lines between city, suburban environments and rural living in America today. While the exhibit just ended, information is here.
The upturned ark also echoed Socrates Sculpture Park’s past while considering the future, and perhaps a possible escape from rising tides that submerged the park in October 2012 during Super Storm Sandy. However, for those who might be more interested in the practical aspects of Encore vinyl siding, it combines great looks and affordability, is maintenance free and never needs painting. It’s available in 13 low-gloss colors with coordinating trims.
CertainTeed, a 100-year-old company headquartered in Valley Forge, is focused on the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products. It’s now a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, with more than 5,700 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada.
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Top photo courtesy of Austin-Mergold.
