this design project, based on an actual competition put forth by the van allen institute, aimed at redesigning the tkts booth in new york's
duffy square to meet its present and future needs. after much debate, i came to the conclusion that the present booth was not only efficient in selling the discounted tickets, but it was extremely successful in attracting people, all the while, competing against the huge billboards and neon lights that are ever-present on times square.
the actual discount theatre ticket booth, a landmark in the city since 1973, is an icon in the city, and the idea of replacing it with a booth that had no guarantee of working as well as this one seemed to be a futile effort. as the saying goes "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" rather than change the booth and place something new, i thought it might be best to give a sense of purpose to the rest of the site and make the booth span its whole length.
the first idea that came to mind was to add an extra bay to the booth, and rearrange the interior spaces to accommodate the new lounge required for the personnel. since the booth is made up of modular elements, this would be a very simple task and would virtually go unnoticed by the passersby, which was the intention.
next, was the idea of having the crowds of people line up on broadway only. this would not only provide a visual connection to all the venues where the shows take place, but it would free up duffy square on 42nd street and allow it to be used as a park at all hours.
the actual discount theatre ticket booth, a landmark in the city since 1973, is an icon in the city, and the idea of replacing it with a booth that had no guarantee of working as well as this one seemed to be a futile effort. as the saying goes "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" rather than change the booth and place something new, i thought it might be best to give a sense of purpose to the rest of the site and make the booth span its whole length.
the first idea that came to mind was to add an extra bay to the booth, and rearrange the interior spaces to accommodate the new lounge required for the personnel. since the booth is made up of modular elements, this would be a very simple task and would virtually go unnoticed by the passersby, which was the intention.
next, was the idea of having the crowds of people line up on broadway only. this would not only provide a visual connection to all the venues where the shows take place, but it would free up duffy square on 42nd street and allow it to be used as a park at all hours.
model by: james rasor and nathalie ohayon 
