NEW YORK — A pavilion structure formed entirely from soil drudged from the East River and 300,000 infinitely recyclable aluminum cans has been named the winner of the 2017 FIGMENT ‘City of Dreams’ pavilion competition.
To create a prototype for their project ‘Cast & Place,’ Team Aesop formed panels of clay which once dry and cracked, they melted down aluminum cans and poured the molten metal into those crevices. The dry soil was then washed away by rain leaving behind an interconnected lattice-like sculpture.
“We became excited about using waste as a building material and how do you find the value in the valueless.”
Team Aesop is made up of principal Josh Draper of PrePost, designer Lisa Ramsburg, director of operations Powell Draper from Schlaich Bergermann & Partner, Edward M. Segal from Hofstra University and Max Dowd from the Cooper Union, Architect Magazine writes.
The contest emphasizes sustainable design with a “focus on the future of a world that faces strains on both economic and natural resources.” Besides promoting sustainability, the competition requires designers to think outside of the box and consider the environmental impact of their structures and the materials they use, both during and after the installation.
The temporary pavilion will be constructed on Governors Island in New York this summer. At the end of the summer, the pavilion will be disassembled and turned into benches and trellises.
After reviewing more than 100 design proposals, the jury chose Team Aesop’ s Cast & Place as the winner. The design team is currently raising money to help fund the project.
The contest is presented by participatory arts event Figment, the Emerging New York Architects Committee of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, and the Structural Engineers Association of New York.
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