Just in time for the season opener of MoMAPS1’s Warm Up music series this weekend, the Young Architects Program (YAP) winning structure opens in the courtyard. Hy-Fi, a circular tower of organic and biodegradable bricks that uses biological technologies combined with cutting-edge computation and engineering, the structure was created through a new method of bio-design conceived by its designer, David Benjamin of the New York-based architects The Living. It will remain in place through September 7.

Now in its 15th edition, YAP has been committed to offering emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and present innovative designs for a temporary, outdoor installation at MoMAPS1 that provides shade, seating, and water for its summer audiences. The architects must also work within guidelines that address environmental issues, including sustainability and recycling.

Rendering of The Living’s Hy-Fi, winning design of the 2014 Young Architects Program. The Museum of Modern Art and MoMAPS1. Image courtesy of The Living.

Hy-Fi combines cutting-edge engineering with innovative biotechnology to create a new building material that is grown rather than manufactured, and with it a structure that is almost entirely compostable. Its bricks are made entirely of organic matter, a combination of discarded cornstalks and living root-like structures from mushrooms. After a few days in a mold, this mixture hardens into a sturdy, lightweight solid. The natural cycle of carbon through the ground, air, water, and living matter is temporarily diverted to produce a building that grows out of and returns to nothing but earth—with almost no waste, no energy input, and no carbon emissions.

Rendering of The Living’s Hy-Fi, winning design of the 2014 Young Architects Program. The Museum of Modern Art and MoMAPS1. Image courtesy of The Living.

The tower is designed to create a pleasant microclimate in the summer by drawing in cool air at the bottom and pushing out hot air at the top. Hy-Fi offers shade, color, light, views, and a futuristic experience that is refreshing and  thought-provoking.

Warm Up 2014 begins Saturday, June 28 and takes place every Saturday this summer through September 6. A New York summer staple now in its 17th year, MoMAPS1’s highly anticipated Warm Up outdoor music series continues its tradition of introducing audiences to the best in experimental live music, sound, and DJs—both local and international—across a range of genres. Warm Up supports both established and emerging artists by creating a platform that allows for experimentation and providing a space for collaboration, new material, and side projects.