Governor's Island: design for a green culture

Governor's Island once upon a time known as the "Nut Island" due to its abundance of hickory, oat and chestnut trees has a rich history. When the Dutch first discovered this island they traded it for two ax heads, a string of beads and a handful of nails. After being traded back and forth between the Dutch and the British, the British finally got control over it. They used the island to house their Governor from which it derives its name "Governor's Island". It also played a significant role for military, army and air force purposes and was also used during World War 1 and 2.
In the early twentieth century the island went through some transformation making it more green with rocks and dirt from the excavations of the Lexington Avenue Subway. Eventually after several debates the Island was sold to the people of New York for a nominal cost for public advantage.
Governor's Island proposes to be created into a public space with a new public park surrounded by the New York harbor and spectacular views of the skyline. Governor's Island will be developed as the next great "world park" which will serve as an icon for New York City.West 8 a well renowned company for Urban Design and Landscape was selected as the winner of the prestigious international design competition for Governor's Island and therefore will be responsible for the master plan and landscape design for the island.
Therefore the new design of the park will be a compelling reason for the public to go visit. It responds to the current and future needs of a city like New York where this green space is required as it is overcrowded. It will not only restore its history but create a new excellent design for an organized park system facing the harbor with a great promenade. There will a lot of interactive activities. One can go there to enjoy the lovely green space, the historic sites, the water and the harbor. The re-design will reduce maximum cost to build a green environment. Hence by using recycled materials and building a park with flower beds, playgrounds, an amphitheater, arts and cultural center etc we see a new vision of a contemporary green culture at the Governor's Island for the betterment of the life of the public. I look forward to the opening of this new public park in May 2009 which will benefit us New Yorkers a great deal.
-- Radha Kapoor

Shanzhi, Taiwan

UFO Houses

The UFO houses, as they are called, were built about 30 years ago as a luxury resort in Taiwan. They have sat abandoned since then, the wind and rain slowly destroying the structures. Nobody knows for certain why they were abandoned. They now stand eerily grouped around pools with water slides and bridges. The UFO houses are not prized as indispensable to design and architecture, but they are incredibly fascinating. A designer definitely go see the resort. Firstly, the proposal to have people inhabit the UFO-like pods is an interesting concept in itself. Could it be plausible? How are the living quarters arranged in this untraditional structure? How is the structure designed? The pods are attached to central, concrete structures, but how are they held up? Who came up with the concept, who was the designer or architect? Apparently, the pods are fiberglass and as such inside they would be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. But as the pods were abandoned, we can’t know this for sure. How can they be redesigned to prevent that from happening? It would be quite impressive to go explore this at the actual sight, and to make educated conclusions about the UFO houses. The failure for this resort to be inhabited would also be important to consider. Yet, so few have actually seen the UFO houses. This unusual site would be ideal for a trip whose goal is to see what everyone is talking about.

by Anja M.

SOWETO, Johannesburg, South Africa

Soweto, the most highly populated black urban residential area in Africa, which according to Census 2001 puts its population at 896, 995, is the most metropolitan township in the country due to its close proximity to Johannesburg. Since its inception, the perpetual problems of Soweto have included overcrowded housing conditions, inadequate infrastructure as well as an extremely high unemployment rate. The township itself was a product of segregationist planning during the apartheid.
In 1904, Klipspruit, the oldest of a cluster of townships that make up Soweto, was established to house mainly black laborers, who worked in mines and other industries in the city, away from the city center due to the fact that the inner city was reserved for white occupation only.

It was not until a four-year public competition was held to come up with an appropriate name for the sprawling township. The winner, SOWETO, an acronym for SOuth WEstern TOwnship, was adopted as the official name for the area in 1963.

Opportunity

During and after a natural disaster like a hurricane, effected populations follow a set pattern: gather in a large sheltered area like a school gym, then move to temporary housing while the original homes are rebuilt, then move into new or restored homes. In the various stages of this ad hoc cycle, the architect Shigeru Ban has found the basis of architecture projects for refugees—emergency architecture. Some of the links posted in the right column of this page describe analogous architecture projects.

The "Lifescape" project for Fresh Kills by Field Operations, landscape architects, is the design for a recovered landfill (a man-made disaster?). The architects propose a several-stage process designed to recover the toxic site and produce a monumental recreation space.

The theme of opportunity invites contemplation of how architects and designers have discovered projects in the sites and circumstances of accidental or periodical events.

The Olympic Games

 
The Olympic games provide architects and designers with the opportunity to use their skills to create projects with specific criteria that will receive international attention.  These projects range from stadiums to villages that can be dismantled as soon as the games are over or they can be become a permanent must-see attraction in the host city.  This summer in Beijing the must-see feature was the Beijing National Stadium, known as The Bird's Nest.  For the 2012 Olympic games in London, the big new feature is the Aquatics Center, which will be "the gateway to the Olympic Park"[1].  The Aquatics Center is designed by Zaha Hadid and after the games it will be open to the public for "community and elite use…The Centre will be part of Stratford City and, along with other projects in the area, will help regenerate the Lower Lea Valley"[2].  For the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver the opportunity isn't so much about celebrity architects making celebrity buildings, but is about using sustainable practices within this village. The village will be expanded, after the games, into a sustainable community called Southeast False Creek [3].  This community "will house 3,000 residents in 1,100 units, including 250 affordable housing units and 100 rental units and…will transform a former industrial brownfield area into a showcase of sustainable living"[4].  The Olympics have always been a showcase of the athletic abilities of the participating countries and the host city always wants to put it's best foot forward by promoting it's athletes and the city itself.  Recently the Olympics have become a showcase for the architects who work to help the host city in its self-promotion.

 

1 & 2:http://www.london2012.com/venues/aquatics-venue.php

3 & 4:http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/competition-schedules-and-venues/venues/-/52756/32528/1x8qres/olympic-and-paralympic-village.html