Re:Vision Dallas Competition Announces Three Winners

With urban density expected to soar over the next 100 years, what will the future city look and feel like for its inhabitants?  Across the street from City Hall in downtown Dallas, a neglected parking lot spanning one square block will soon be transformed into one of the world’s most sophisticated models for sustainable urban development. 

Today, Urban Re:Vision announced the winners of its international design competition, Re:Vision Dallas, which drew hundreds of entries from the world’s top architecture firms and city planners in 26 countries.  The self-sustaining inner-city block will run “off the grid” using advanced technologies to capture wind, solar, water and geothermal resources. Meant to contribute to an array of revitalization programs in Dallas, the block will generate resources, and support and empower the community, all while acting as a working model of sustainability for cities around the world.

A local community development organization, the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation (CDC), is the lead developer for the project.  “The quality of the thought and effort of the design teams is astounding.  It was very clear that a lot of people had put their hearts and souls into this competition,” said CDC Executive Director John Greenan. “It was an absolute privilege spending time with the competition entries and seeing their creative vision.”

On Dec. 5, 2008, prior to the competition, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert hosted urban planners and leading design professionals from around the country for an intensive “design charette” put on by Re:Vision to examine the necessary framework and community impact of what will become the first fully sustainable, urban square block in the U.S.  “I’d like to see Dallas be at the forefront of design, sustainability and vibrancy of cities,” says Mayor Leppert. (VIDEO: Watch Mayor Leppert’s Kickoff Speech)

Entries were judged by a panel comprised of a number of Dallas community leaders as well as several expert global architects and community planners.  Among the judges were Eric Corey Freed, principal of organicARCHITECT and Aidan Hughes, principal at ARUP, leading North American planning practice.  Also on the panel were Nathanial Corum, an architect with Architecture For Humanity, Pliny Fisk, director/co-founder of Maximum Potential Building Systems and Sergio Palleroni, director/co-founder of the BaSiC Initiative at University of Texas at Austin.  Acting as advisors were Cameron Sinclair, executive director/co-founder of Architecture For Humanity, and Peter Head, director of ARUP.

The jury criteria were evenly balanced to consider:

• Sustainability and reality of intent
• Affordability/Constructability: Could it be built in the next few years?
• Innovation and Originality
• Incorporation of Sustainable Materials and Practices

The three Re:Vision Dallas finalists are:

Entry #193: Forwarding Dallas, chosen for European-style massing, vegetated screens, innovation

Architectural Firm: Atelier Data & MOOV
Lisbon, Portugal

Authors: António Louro (MOOV), Filipe Vogt (Atelier Data), Marta Frazão (Atelier Data)
Collaborators: André Almeida (Atelier Data), Carolina Pombo (Atelier Data), Inês Vicente (Atelier Data), José Niza (MOOV), João Calhau (MOOV)
Landscape architecture: Susana Rodrigues
Energy efficiency and resources: Maria João Rodrigues, João Parente
Concept communication: João Rato

Forwarding Dallas is modeled after one of the most diverse systems in nature, the hillside.  The site is a series of valleys and hilltops.  The valleys contain trees and more luxurious plants which transition into more resistant plants as the altitude increases.  Atop the hills, solar thermal, photovoltaic and wind energy is harvested. 

Design components include:

• Heavy utilization of native vegetation
• Open ‘green’ spaces including wooded paths and interior courtyards as well as green roof prairies and orchards
• 100% prefabricated construction system, integrating building materials from local sources
• Housing options from studio apartments to three bedroom flats fit to accommodate approximately 854 residents
• Combination of photovoltaic (solar) and wind power which will providing 100% of the energy needed for each resident
• A Southwest façade set up for solar gain in a venetian-blind-like system which adjusts according to the season
• A Northeast façade made from prefabricated, thick, high thermal mass straw bales provides added insulation
• Rooftop water catchment system designed to recycle water collected from rooftops and store underground for later use
• Public green houses, including a sensorial greenhouse, swimming pool green house and meeting point green house
• Water permeable paved areas to prevent pooling and flooding

A spiritual space, gymnasium, café and exhibition space are also provided to accommodate various lifestyles.  There is a temporary accommodation center as well as a daycare center designed for both children and the elderly. 

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Entry #113: Entangled Bank, chosen for striking full-block massing, arrangement of sustainable systems

Architectural Firm: Little
Charlotte, North Carolina

Team Members: Bradley Bartholomew, Ashley Spink, Stacy Franz, Kevin Franz, Kumar Karadi, Don Breemes, Coby Watts, Chad Lukenbaugh, Jason Bizzaro, Ryan Davis, Philippe Bouyer, Bo Sun

The Entangled Bank is a mixed use development combines residence and retail, making each sustainable through the integration of education and green technology. On top of the Entangled Bank is a green roof with vegetation and a sky pasture to sustain ‘Dexter’ livestock that require less dietary consumption and can thrive on pastures where other cattle would starve. The sky pasture is also available for each tenant in the community to grown produce for their own consumption or resale in the market. The power utility system outfitted with vertical axis wind turbine that produces 50% more electricity than conventional turbines. This is best suited to the Dallas median wind needed to generate the turbines. A grey water treatment will be redistributed for irrigation. This plan is designed to incorporate education with sustainable profitability through the Organic Farming Institute and a Slow Food Restaurant. Food will be grown on site for the organic grocery store and host produce from many local organic farmers.

Design components include:

• Intensive green roof system providing the base structure for an elevated park
• Grain field providing seasonal vegetation for livestock grazing in the sky pasture
• A vertical farm which climbs the side of the building for tenant use
• Photovoltaic panels are attached to the exterior providing up to 100% of the power required on each of the 500 units
• Vertical axis wind turbine will provide power for core needs including common lighting, retail space and parking level ventilation
• Glass ponds on the elevated park level captures runoff from rooftop vegetation

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Entry #136: Greenways Xero Energy, chosen for creating sense of community, bold greenway plans

Architectural Firm: David Baker and Partners Architects and Fletcher Studio
San Francisco, California

Team Members: Mark Hogan, Amit Price Patel, Ian Dunn, Amanda Loper
From Fletcher Studio: David Fletcher, Sarah Donato
Rendering assistance from Mike Brown and Megan Morris of Medized.

The Greenways Xero Energy design, which centers around a working landscape, focuses heavily on making connections with surrounding neighborhoods.  The 12-story building is divided into three, four-story sections and houses 210 bedrooms total. 

Design Components Include:

• Walkable “greenways” serving as the public space infrastructure
• Multi-modal transit center designed to decrease reliance on cars
• Ground level and balcony gardens to provide shade and improve air quality
• Self-sustainability through urban agriculture practices including vertical farming and slow food restaurants
• Water catchment from adjacent buildings to provide grey water irrigation system
• Micro-retail space offering a variety of goods and services
• Domestic solar hot water system
• Photovoltaic panels in a grid-tied system on south façade produce electricity during daylight hours
• Alternating courtyards integrated into the building design creates a variety of micro-climates across different seasons
• Landscaped surfaces wind up from the street level and continue onto the green roof providing additional shade to south façade
• Ground source heat pump combined with hybrid dessicant cooling system provides air conditioning during summer months with minimal energy use

By nature of its concept, Greenways Xero Energy allows for easy integration of surrounding areas into the block, each ‘district’ having a unique identity; one might be the arts district while another is the historic or design district.  Elements of this unique platform include public orchards, community gardens, private planter boxes, food stalls and locally supplied restaurants, all designed to appeal to the surrounding Dallas community and connect this block with surrounding neighborhoods.

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Re:Vision Dallas is the 6th in a series of global competitions that focus on:

• Re:Volt: intelligent energies for urban development
• Re:Route: urban transportation
• Re:Store: healthy urban economy
• Re:Connect: sustainable environments that instill a sense of community
• Re:Construct: Sustainable Building Materials and Practices

Images: Re:Vision Dallas