If you’re trying to keep cool in NYC this summer, you can skip the beach and head straight to Governors Island! Although the much-anticipated eco-renovations are set to begin in 2012, the island is getting a head start by installing the winner of the first annual City of Dreams Pavilion Completion! Dubbed “Living Pavilion”, the temporary, low-tech and zero-impact structure is made of reclaimed milk crates that will be become a growing surface for an edible garden.
Designers Ann Ha and Behrang Behin’s plans for their “Living Pavilion” get us totally pumped for summer in New York. Not only is “Living Pavilion” a great place to relax and keep cool — the designers also considered the full life-cycle of the project by making sure every step contains as little environmental impact as possible.
The reclaimed milk crates form a rolling wave of life and growth. The “wave’s break” consists of a distribution of more crates full of crops that can be harvested and later distributed into the community. The wave shape provides many different orientations for solar exposure, allowing for a large variety of plantings with unique needs.
Wow! I love it when art, sustainability and design come together. This type of creative approach to sustainability is what will create a wonderful green future.
So many artists and design people are integrating these two areas in their work. I was really inspired by JC Scott’s article – Why I Went Green: An Artist and Designers Aha moment… check it out here: http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/feature/why-i-went-green-an-artist-and-designers-aha-moment/
Commitment to green design is starting new business models and we need creativity and art to play a part in this movement to move us forward.
Thanks this great article!
Andy Bernhart
http://www.lifeasahuman.com
Work is under way on the pavilion and we need your volunteer help to get it built. Please be in touch if you’d like to come out and play architecture with us. It’s a great project and we’re having fun. For progress and contact see: http://builtecology.blogspot.com/search/label/figment
[...] past April we got excited for this year’s FIGMENT Festival after taking a sneak peek at the design drawings and plans for the event’s Living Pavilion. Now that the annual festival has come and gone, [...]