In the spring of 2010, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC DOT (Department Of Transportation) launched the Competition for Designing Temporary Surface Treatments in Times Square. Designers and artists were invited to propose innovative conceptual design solutions to renew the surface treatments at 5 pedestrian plazas located on Broadway from 47th to 42nd streets. The main surface material, asphalt, acts as the canvas for the Artists. These temporary streetscape treatments would enhance the plazas while the area's permanent capital reconstruction project is initiated beginning in 2012.
The Request for Proposal, titled "reNEWable Times Square", challenged participants tothink boldly about their vision for the temporary plazas, carefully weighing design components along with factors that will enhance pedestrians' experiences and improve the setting for ongoing public art installations and many visual and performance events that occur at the Site. Designs also ought to accommodate different "use zones" such as fire lanes, crosswalks, seating areas and existing street furniture. Other design considerations required proposers to submit an artwork which would:
• be made of epoxy coating, as was currently in place at the Site
• be a maximum of 4 distinct colors
• consist of a graphically bold design that may be repeated throughout the Site or may allow for variations
• consist of a legible and unified scheme.
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Times Square is considered the “Crossroads of the World”, where people, art, culture and commerce intersect. This surface treatment design proposed by ArchiCulture Studio joyfully represents our interconnectedness and our universal and essential make up of molecules and atoms.
The proposed design has a positive impact on the Times Square area. It playfully considers the experience of the pedestrian, serving their creative spirit, with the added intention of providing an environment that street artists might intuitively incorporate into their work.
The artwork consists of a graphically bold design that may be repeated throughout the Site and allow for variations based on the overall concept. The design is flexible and can be modified to accommodate the budget and time schedule.
The design is comprised of 4 colors: the first 3 distinct colors are superimposed on a background of green which represents a renewable environment. The design respects the need for the creation of practicable stencils, with only 8 core shapes to fabricate. In addition, the color combinations have been conceived to honor an efficient application of the required epoxy coating. 
Stenciling technique:
4 basic shapes are comprised of connected circles. In total, only 8 shapes (stencils).
The shapes have circles with different diameters (1- to 8-foot diameter, in 1 foot increments).
Each shape is also designed to be combined as a puzzle:
• shapes connect in the center of the circles (like atoms)
• the distances between the centers of the circles are the same
• the angles between all the circle axes are 60 degrees.
