The Living Pavilion is Thriving

The Living Pavilion is visible from outer space on Google Maps satellite.

The Living Pavilion is doing great. My colleagues from CASE and I had a delicious picnic in it on Friday. In some of the milk crates, the Liriope were spurting purple flowers. We hadn't been sure if this species would bloom or not. It's been wonderful to see the pavilion growing into its landscape, and continuing to receive so much attention from the community. Here are a few clips from various times this summer, you can check out a bunch more on our Architizer page.

We were published in the New York Times style section, print and online.

New York AIA has continued to be an amazing supporter.

Design Trust for Public Space held their regular potluck at the pavilion.

Figment and the Living Pavilion was aired on WNBC.

Clips: Sustainable Urban Typologies

pic: Joel Bedford

My second post this week for the Neenan Company blog explores the question "How will we build in 2050?" following the twitter conversation #rethinkarch. I spoke with journalist Greg Lindsey and architect Robyn Vettraino about connections between technology, resources, and policy in the design of urban typologies. Take a read and please leave a comment letting us know where you stand on the urban/suburban spectrum.

Sustainable Urban Typologies: The 2050 Debate

Clips: Renewable Energy 2050

Wind turbines in Portugal by AiresAlmeida

This week for the Neenan Company blog I looked at international examples of renewable energy implementation and asked what's holding back the United States. Check out the article and please leave a comment at Renewable Energy 2050: Learning from International Lessons.

Since writing this piece I came across AMO's Roadmap 2050: A pathway to decarbonize the United States power grid, which reminded me that the first step is to flesh out the problem and the second to start sketching out solutions. The reasons and mechanics for our energy issues are vast, and looking at the international examples calls into the field an entire world of policies, resources, and national sentiments. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but the trick is to pick at our own problem from a lot of different angles at once.
 
AMO is the design and research studio of OMA. The roadmap redesigns the US energy grid according to the conclusion that "What we need is a technology neutral, energy agnostic, energy policy that ensures a massive infusion of capital for research and development." That sums it up pretty well, the actual sustainability of any type of energy or technology will depend on regional resources rather than monolithic prescriptions, and it's all going to take some money. 

I love seeing design solutions, visualization is a call to action. No matter how much we talk about it, or how wasteful we are, ultimately we will run up against limiting factors that make it impossible to ignore the big problems. It's better to start paying attention now. Every person in every field has something to offer.  

Video still from AMO.

Clips: What is Government’s Role in Achieving Price Parity for Renewable Energy?

pic: ThisIsDuffy

Check out my post What is Government’s Role in Achieving Price Parity for Renewable Energy? published by design-build firm The Neenan Company.

Excerpt...

Can renewable energy reach price parity without government subsidies? While green energy is gaining momentum, it is still generally considered more expensive than conventional fossil fuels. How can this be? The word “renewable” implies seamless cycles of regeneration. Sunlight and wind are infinite. If we could live truly passive lifestyles, they would be enough on their own. Unfortunately, our society has been built to require fuel, so the trick now is to make non-polluting sources affordable and available.

Recent reports claim that “renewable energy expansion counted for 60% of newly installed capacity in Europe and more than 50% in the US. Experts even believe that this year or the next, the world as a whole will add more capacity from renewable than conventional sources.” Unfortunately, this newly installed capacity still accounts for only 6.2% of the market in the United States.


click here for the whole article

Living Pavilion Exhibition Opening

The Figment Living Pavilion is getting its own exhibition at the Center for Architecture. Please join us for the opening. Free event. Free beer. Yay!

Monday, August 2nd, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

The Center for Architecture

536 LaGuardia Place

event info: http://cfa.aiany.org/index.php?section=calendar&evtid=2108&rsvid=12300&msg

Clips: Guidance on the Guidelines

pic: swanksalot 

Check out my post Guidance on the Guidelines: How Good is LEED? published by The Neenan Company, a design-build firm in Colorado.

Excerpt...

Green building is not just a fad. It’s a real change in society’s relationship with nature. While conscientious firms have always embodied the first principles of sustainable design–from proper siting to make the most of the sun to climate-sensitive passive heating and cooling–there is now a need for public guidance. This has led to the enormous success of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, and opened a critical debate on how best to serve the domain of green design.

click here for whole article

Living Pavilion Dispatch #6: Construction Completion

more pics here

I am proud, joyful, and relieved to report that the Figment Living Pavilion stands complete a day ahead of schedule. On a drizzly Wednesday morning, after weeks of reported thunderstorms but gorgeous weather, screws were tightened and foundation ditches filled to secure our dream of building architecture in NYC's best park.

Figment has been an amazing supporter of this project. I'm waiting with anticipation to see this beautiful structure filled with arts programming and impromptu gathering come the debut of Figment 2010 on Friday--note the wealth of scheduled performances on the Pavilion Stage, from belly and ballroom dancing to improv musical comedy and interactive folktale theater. The participatory arts scene has been a great source of inspiration for me over the past few years, as has the architecture and design community. It means a lot that the we were able to merge the glorious social utopia of the glittering costumed free-for-all with a professional, measured, and intellectual view toward larger scale design thinking and experiments in sustainability. The ultimate test of our health as a society is how we fulfill ourselves as individuals in the context of shared space and resources. Participatory architecture has produced an icon to this belief that will literally grow into its own as plantings germinate and people, through use, imbue their own meanings.

A special thank you at this moment to David Koren and Jessica Sheridan who have worked behind the scenes with skill and aplomb to make this possible; to our very patient and helpful representatives from the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation; to the pavilion's brilliant and committed architects Behrang Behin and Ann Ha; to the amazing Figment production team; and to the 60+ volunteers (final count TK) who have made this possible, including those in the home stretch since my last blog post, Berardo Matalucci, Rusty Brinkman, Nic Warner, Lydia Orsy, Max Akulin, Kayla Soo-Youn Kim, Baraket Kezwer, Malgorzata Danilczuk-Danilewicz, Breta Bishop, Damir Pozerac, Beatriz Ortiz, and Tara Mrowka.