World Landscape Architecture (WLA) recently announced the shortlist the Reimagining the Spaces in Between international student ideas competition.
The jury has reviewed the shortlisted entries from various universities in a second-round and awarded the following entries as the winner and runner up:
WINNER
Biodiversity Bank
Joanne (Zhenheng) Li, Tian Wei Li – Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
Entrants Text
When you visit our project, “Biodiversity Bank,” you will see open spaces between buildings transformed into a living interface where the microbiome grows. Have you noticed that during COVID, alimentary and organic disposables have become more abundant, now that your home and kitchen are the center of your life? The Biodiversity Bank interface is a receptacle for organic food leftovers. The Bank produces nutrients for the bacteria and soil. Then, the spatial design incorporates these nutrients to support macro-scale biodiversity, producing social and ecological benefits.
Jury Comments
An innovative response that highlights the (often-overlooked) importance of soil and bacteria for health and well-being and maintenance of life. The solution presents the concept of city as a mutually symbiotic organism with everything inter-related. Interesting solution and compelling graphics. Appealing typologies such as orchards, meditation gardens and compost gardens that come together to create a startlingly different type of city solution.This scheme is graphically beautiful with a nuanced, exciting concept that can be integrated into existing city fabric to mitigate ecological effects of a pandemic as well as enhance day-to-day urban life. Conceptual feasibility is seductive with science that is believable. Small spaces can punch above their weight here with a resilient proposal that works both during a pandemic and otherwise.
RUNNER UP
LIVING GROUND: Redefine six-feet distancing
Xi (Echo) Chen, Sufeng (Sophia) Xiao, Xuezhen (Esther) Xie, Siqi (Joyce) Zhu – Graduate School of Design – Harvard University, CALS – Cornell University
Entrants Text
This project explores the potentials of the specific scale raised to public attention by the pandemic: six feet distancing. Our team investigates different scenarios that occupy 6ft * 6ft unit space and beyond. The project uses a grid system to offer both a sense of distance and a way to organize programs on the site. Currently, activities are centralized and programmed in urban public space, and the lack of collaboration between different institutions leads to the rigid separation of various programs. The project
reflects the significance of landscape architecture in making urban spaces and explores the future of urban space with flexibility and resilience.
Juror Comments
Extensive research and testing to re-conceive the city in 6ft modules that can be configured in endless possibilities to respond to different user scenarios. Well considered and illustrated.An aggressive scheme that reclaims public spaces for the public. Uses an easily reconfigurable module on a grid system to reinforce social distancing but transform dependent on conditions.
Congratulations to the Winners and their projects will be featured in the coming weeks on WLA.
