First look at “Cast & Place”, the 2017 City of Dreams Pavilion

Once again, FIGMENT, the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee, and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) challenged architects and designers to propose the City of Dreams Pavilion for 2017 on Governors Island. 

Driven by the mission to inspire sustainability-oriented design in response to a future world with limited natural and economic resources, the yearly competition seeks out the most innovative sustainably designed proposal for the outdoor pavilion. Entrants must consider the environmental overall impact of their design, from material sources to disposal (ideally reuse) at the end of the summer season.

Starting with over 100 submissions and out of five finalists, the jury gave the winning commission to  “Cast & Place” by Team Aesop (Josh Draper from PrePost/RPI-CASE; Lisa Ramsburg and Powell Draper from Schlaich Bergermann Partner; Edward M. Segal from Hofstra University; and Max Dowd from Cooper Union). 

The other finalist designs were MARL by knitknot architecture; Ventifact by Studio Spontaneity; Mille-Feuille by FY/D; and Seed Cone Pavilion by DFA.

Read on for more.

Cast & Place's design looks to the foundation of Governors Island (so to speak) while reusing a prominent waste material: aluminum cans — 250,000 of them, to be exact. The pavilion will comprise of soil dredged from the East River — the same material used to construct Governors Island — that will be laid out to dry and crack. The cans will then be melted down and poured into the cracks.

Once fully built, the pavilion will have “light, strong panels that provide structure and shade, assembled into spaces for performance and play. Rain-soaked reflecting pools of dredge reveal the pavilion’s formwork as they dry and crack in the summer heat.”

In the coming months, Team Aesop will work with FIGMENT, ENYA, SEAoNY, and Governors Island to decide the exact site for Cast & Place, as well as refine the design, obtain necessary approvals and fundraising, and assemble the pavilion in time for this summer.

Team Aesop introduces their winning project in the video below. Also check out additional project images in the gallery.

2017 jury: Enrique Norten, Hon. FAIA, Director/Founder, TEN Arquitectos; Henry Grosman, Principal, BanG studio (2015 City of Dreams Pavilion Winner, Billion Oyster Pavilion); Hector Orellana, Artist and owner, Fabklyn studio. CDR Studio Founding Partner Victoria Rospond, AIA, will serve as a design mentor to the winning design team.

Images courtesy of City of Dreams 2017 competition.