AIANY and SEAoNY team up with FIGMENT to bring the City of Dreams Pavilion to Governors Island each summer

The Governors Cup construction. Image by Chu Yang.

There’s a stunning new architectural pavilion on Governors Island this summer, thanks to over 100 volunteers and 120 donors

The Governors Cup Pavilion hovers among a cluster of trees on the south end of the Parade Ground. CDR Studio designed and constructed the pavilion specifically for the 2014 FIGMENT program. Visitors are invited to go inside the structure made of 30,000 reclaimed plastic cups that otherwise would have been tossed in the trash. The Governors Cup is the winner of the 2014 City of Dreams Pavilion competition, part of FIGMENT NYC, an annual free participatory summer-long arts event that has returned to Governors Island for the 8th time.

FIGMENT NYC is now accepting entries for the 2015 City of Dreams Pavilion design competition

More photos of the Governors Cup are available at Inhabitat.

Each year, FIGMENT teams up with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects NY Chapter (AIANY) and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) to host a competition to design and construct an architectural pavilion on Governors Island, the City of Dreams Pavilion.

As part of this year's FIGMENT summer-long program, the Governors Cup stands along with four interactive sculptures, a treehouse, and a minigolf course. The FIGMENT NYC Summer-Long Program will be free and open to the public while the island is open through September 21st.

FIGMENT kicks off each summer-long program and unveils the current City of Dreams Pavilion during FIGMENT NYC Weekend -- two days of exploration, play, dance, paint, and inspiration. Artists fill Governors Island with art of every imaginable style and medium. FIGMENT’s collaborative projects explored historical, current, and environmental issues while showcasing New York City’s diverse community. Check out pictures from this past June in TimeOut and Gothamist. This year, nearly 30,000 people came out to the island for the event.

Each year's City of Dreams Pavilion is a gathering place for people to meet, learn about the arts programs on the island, enjoy a performance or lecture, and experience the interaction of art and the historic context of Governors Island. FIGMENT asks applicants to imagine a future New York City where anything is possible, creating a pavilion that has a net zero impact and that serves as a prototype for a new, truly sustainable, way of thinking about design and construction. The pavilion should employ recycled or recyclable materials, be constructed off site, and will be transported by water taxi to the island.

Entries are encouraged from individuals or teams of architects and non-architects of any age or experience level, provided they are prepared to design and construct the project. CDR Studio shared their process of planning, constructing, and assembling the Governors Cup on their Kickstarter page. They’re using this as an opportunity to educate visitors on how the 100 billion disposable cups Americans use each year could be reduced, reused, and recycled. Visit the HuffPost to learn what was involved in constructing the 2013 Head in the Clouds pavilion.

The deadline to register is August 20th, 2014 and all proposals must be submitted by September 30th. Finalists will be notified by October 15th. The winner will be selected by a jury of leading architects and other industry professionals in November 2014. Pending appropriate permit approvals, the pavilion will be installed in June 2015.

Head in the Clouds Pavilion by StudioKCA, image (c) 2013 by Tes Rivera

The 2015 pavilion will be our fifth City of Dreams Pavilion. In 2010 the Living Pavilion was designed by Ann Ha, Assoc. AIA, and Behrang Behin, Assoc. AIA; In 2011 Bittertang designed Burble Bup; In 2013 Head in the Clouds by StudioKCA won a Best of Year award from Interior Design Magazine in the installation category.

Living Pavilion by Ann Ha and Behrang Behin. Image (c) 2010 SpatialK

Since Governors Island first opened to the public in 2004, the attention and interest that this new public place has received has increased exponentially. In 2013, nearly 400,000 people visited the island through its summer season to engage in a variety of arts and cultural programs, as well as to enjoy summertime activities like picnicking and bike riding on the island.

Visitors to the island can bring their own bikes aboard on the ferry or rent bikes on the island. Food vendors will be there to serve FIGMENT visitors, but packing your own picnic basket is also encouraged. Visitors taking the 10 am and 11 am ferries from Manhattan and the 11 am and 11:30 am ferries from Brooklyn ride free. Adults can purchase $2 round-trip tickets online or at the dock for afternoon ferries. Children under 12 ride the ferry for free at all times. More information on getting to Governors Island is available on the Governors Island website.

Learn about the proposal criteria and to register for the City of Dreams competition

• Registration deadline: September 20, 2014
• Submissions due: September 30, 2014
• Construction: Spring 2015