Two winners for 2015 City of Dreams Competition

FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) are pleased to announce that a distinguished jury has selected two winning designs in the fifth annual City of Dreams Pavilion Competition: Billion Oyster Pavilion by BanG Studio of New York City and Organic Growth by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects of Madrid and London. The design teams worked with FIGMENT, ENYA, SEAoNY, and Governors Island to install the pavilions on Governors Island where they are now open to the public for the summer 2015 season.

The Billion Oyster Pavilion is grounded in local history, tapping into discussions around resiliency and the long-term benefits of growing new oyster beds in New York Harbor.

©2015 Anthony Collins

Organic Growth Pavilion brings attention to the large amount of waste in our landfills by repurposing a smorgasbord of parts and pieces from discarded trash.

©2015 Anthony Collins

Maintaining two pavilions rather than one, however, does increase the amount of support required. FIGMENT is accepting tax-deductible donations to support the maintenance of these two pavilions on Governors Island for the 2015 summer season. Donations can be made by following the link here. 

Billion Oyster Pavilion

by BanG Studio (Babak Bryan, AIA; Henry Grosman; and Suzie Betts; with Sam Janis, Harbor School/Billion Oyster Project), New York, NY

©2015 Anthony Collins

BanG’s Billion Oyster Pavilion joins two of Governors Island’s most exciting enterprises: FIGMENT/ENYA/SEAoNY’s City of Dreams Pavilion and The New York Harbor School’s Billion Oyster Project. The materials that form the woven canopy (steel rebar, nylon rope, and hose clamps) are used in their harbor restoration work. The base of the pavilion is comprised of custom-cast “Reef Balls,” a restoration device that the school will also use as part of their habitat creation effort. The pavilion will be donated to the Harbor School and its materials will be completely re-used on the island once the summer ends and the pavilion is decommissioned.

©2015 Fil Maresca

Organic Growth

by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects (Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno, Sally Hart, Adriana Cabello Plasencia, Alejandro Espallargas Omedas and Alfonso Aracil Sánchez), Madrid and London

©2015 Anthony Collins

Izaskun Chinchilla Architects’ design takes inspiration from nature to create an innovative and flexible solution that directly engages with local communities and familiar materials. Flower structures such as those found in hydrangeas have the ability to respond to the natural environment, growing and morphing to remain in balance with nature. Izaskun believes architecture must adopt a similar responsiveness, adapting to uncertain budgets, social change and ecological dynamics naturally, beautifully and intuitively. The proposed design employs commonly found materials, giving them a new life after they have become unfit for their original purpose. The design utilizes broken umbrellas, old stools and damaged bicycle wheels, which several institutions in New York are already recycling. As with mop-head flowers, the pavilion is composed of many smaller elements, all of which can be dismantled and re-used after the summer. Branches composed of several umbrellas and tripods, can be easily reused as sun, wind, and rain protection in outdoor spaces all around the city. Larger elements can be beautiful indoor chandeliers and can be useful for community centers or other public spaces. Izaskun Chinchilla is a Senior Teaching Fellow, Senior Research Associate and Public Engagement Fellow at Bartlett School of Architecture, University College of London.

©2015 Melanie Rieders/Gothamist

For more information on the competition and its proposal criteria, former pavilion winners, and an overview of all 2015 finalists, click here.

Main page photo ©2013 Tes Rivera. Head in the Clouds Pavilion by Studiokca / Summer-Long, FIGMENT NYC