CARV (Custom Automated Re-programming Vehicle) is a hybrid between a CNC router and an automated vehicle designed to precisely demolish Manhattan’s streets and effectively reclaim public space. The device is capable of drilling down to the soil, lightly etching patterns on the surface of asphalt and concrete, or sculpting anything in between.

The test site for CARV is Petrosino Square; a small public space wedged between the neighborhoods of SoHo and Little Italy in Manhattan. The site is flanked to the West by an underused one-way street, bike lane and parking lane. If the parking is removed, the square can stretch towards the western sidewalk and imply a large public zone. There are some manual demolitions which could also benefit the site as well. These changes include removing the recently installed obelisks, gates, and fence. CARV could then redefine the spatial conditions of the site by integrating the existing planted areas with new sub-spaces and surface patterns.