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New York City's steam tubes — the white and orange striped pipes that sit in the middle of intersections and emit giant plumes of vapor — are among the cityscape's most recognizable icons.
Though, they're not quite as stunning as, say, its skyscrapers.
American artist Mark Reigelman set out to make over these eye sores. His mobile art installation, Smökers, covers New York's manholes with a tiny wooden cabin he built,all as part of an effort to shed light on the city's remarkable infrastructure and incite whismy on a person's commute.
Tech Insider spoke with Reigelman on how the project came together.
New York City is a giant steam-powered machine. A network of pipes runs underground, delivering steam to nearly 2,000 buildings.
New York's steam system dates back to the late 1800s.
It heats buildings in winter and powers cooling systems in summer, reducing the demand for electricity.
Sometimes, the pipes leak steam, sending up scalding hot vapor. The manhole covers are replaced with these candy cane-striped chimneys.
The tubes divert steam upwards, accomplishing two things: preventing pedestrians from getting burned and keeping drivers' line of sight open.
Reigelman describes these cost effective, efficient steam tubes as a "pinnacle of utilitarian design."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider