Small Scale, Big Change at MoMA

Urban-Think Tank’s project, the Metro Cable of San Agustín in Caracas, was selected as one of eleven projects featured in the exhibition, Small Scale, Big Change at MoMA in 2010. The featured work came from five continents, all responding to localized needs in under-served communities. These pragmatic solutions demonstrate how architecture can serve the greater needs of society.

In 2003, U-TT proposed to build a cable-car system linking San Agustín, an informal settlement with approximately 40,000 residents, to the formal city below. The plan followed the philosophy of urban acupuncture, where minimalist and sensitive interventions create a major impact. Developed after numerous site surveys, community workshops, and consultation with international experts, the plan also called for for “plug-in” buildings—structures attached to each station that would provide housing, cultural, and recreational programs. The completed cable car line, with five stations, opened in 2010. The system has proven to be extremely popular and affordable, moving up to 1,200 people per hour.

Additional Details

Exhibition Design: Alfredo Brillembourg & Hubert Klumpner
Drawings and Coordination: Lindsey Sherman and Michael Contento
Models: SITU Studio
Video: U-TT Media (John Frankfurt, Alfredo Brillembourg, David Frankfurt, and Daniel Schwartz)

Selected Press Coverage

“Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement,” New York Times, 2010

“MoMA’s Small Scale, Big Change,” Dwell Magazine, 2010

“The Museum of Modern Art reveals its sensitive side,” The Architectural Review, 2010