The Cubes

The Cubes

The first permanent home for Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City
By Architecture Firm LOT-EK

ABOUT | PRESS | PRESS RELEASE (2022) | PRESS RELEASE (2016)  |   PRESS KIT | ABOUT LOT-EK | GROUNDBREAKING PHOTOS (pw: nycparks)

“The Cubes” at Socrates Sculpture Park is a new 2,640 square-foot, two-story building designed by the innovative architecture studio LOT-EK. Multi-functional by design, this new permanent space provides facilities for the park’s administrative offices, arts education and community work, creating opportunities for year-round public programming. Constructed from up-cycled shipping containers, the building’s origin, materials, and design invokes Socrates Sculpture Park’s founding principles of creative reclamation, adaptable re-use, and honoring the neighborhood’s industrial roots.

The new building has two main functions:

1) to serve as administrative offices for the organization allowing us to physically be in the park we operate and program
2) to provide an indoor space for our curatorial, education, and community programming during the fall and winter months.

Aesthetically and philosophically, The Cubes is a highly innovative building. The building design embodies a 21st century imperative of reuse, adaptability and sustainability. It was selected in 2016 as one of ten public capital projects to receive The Public Design Commission Design Award. Completed in April 2024, this new home secures the Park’s future so generations to come can enjoy the Park and take advantage of our programs.

Image Credit: Kamila Harris Photography. Rendering of The Cubes at Socrates Sculpture Park, courtesy of LOT-EK

PRESS

April 24, 2024
AIA New York “In the News: April 24, 2024”

October 17, 2022
Spectrum NY 1 “Socrates Sculpture Park to get Indoor Space”

September 22, 2022
QNS.com “Officials break ground on administrative building at Socrates Sculpture Park”

September 22, 2022
Queens Scene “The Cubes at Socrates”

September 20, 2022
GothamToGo “NYC Parks & Socrates Sculpture Park to Break Ground on $5.7 Million New Facility ~ ‘The Cubes”

August 30, 2022
Surface Magazine “Ground breaks on LOT-EK’s shipping container structure for Socrates Sculpture Park.”

August 29, 2022
Designboom “socrates sculpture park’s shipping container home ‘the cubes’ begins construction”

October 14, 2012
Architect “The Cubes”

September 16, 2016
The Architect’s Newspaper “LOT-EK and Socrates Sculpture Park reveal renderings of “The Cubes”

September 16, 2016
Curbed “Socrates Sculpture Park’s first permanent home will be made from shipping containers“

September 16, 2016
The Art Newspaper “Socrates Sculpture Park releases design for first permanent building”

October 17, 2022

 

HAVE A QUESTION?

Email info@socratessculpturepark.org

THANK YOU

Leadership support for “The Cubes” is made possible by Stuart Match Suna, as well as public funds from the Queens Borough President’s Office in partnership with Donovan Richards and the New York City Council in partnership with Julie Won. Additional support is provided by Catherine Nolan & the New York State Assembly. Thank you to The Whitney Museum of American Art.

Capacity support for this project is also made possible by the generous donors to the Future Fund campaign:

Mark di Suvero
Maxine & Stuart Frankel
Agnes Gund
Richard & Ronay Menschel
Molly Blank Fund
Nancy Nasher & David Haemisegger
Richard Serra
Joel Shapiro
Robert & Christine Stiller
Ursula von Rydingsvard