Architecture News

A New Vision for Dallas

If all goes as planned, a self-sustaining, mixed-use project conceived by a team of Portugese architects will be constructed on a city block in Texas.

By Tim McKeough

**A New Vision for Dallas**

Forwarding Dallas by Portugal-based Atelier Data and MOOV puts urban farms on sloping towers.

*Image courtesy Re:Vision Dallas*

Winners

In December, Portugal-based Atelier Data and MOOV were named the winners of Re:Vision Dallas, an international competition put on by the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation (CDCDC), an affordable housing organization, and Urban Re:Vision, a national nonprofit group dedicated to responsible city planning.

Launched in January 2009, the competition brief asked entrants to design a complex with residential, retail, and commercial space that would be built on a 2.5-acre site across the street from Dallas City Hall. The scheme needed to offer a new “urban framework” and address issues such as energy, waste, transportation, sustainable construction, and the health of local economies.

In total, 174 entries were received, representing architects and planners from 26 different countries. The winning plan, “Forwarding Dallas,” features a series of mountain-like towers with integrated green space and urban farms. The jury included representatives from Architecture for Humanity, Arup, the BaSiC Initiative at University of Texas at Austin, the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, and organicArchitect.

While it has yet to line up funding, the CDCDC aims to have shovels in the ground by January 2011. The budget is expected to be between $30 and $60 million, which the organization hopes to raise through a mix of grants, tax credits, loans, and even sponsorships from green technology companies.

The development could serve as a model for cities everywhere, says Stacey Frost, founder of the four-year-old Urban Re:Vision. The entries have created “a bank of ideas from architects to pull from,” and the Dallas project will be a prototype that reflects those ideas. She adds that it’s important the project be large in scale: “We believe that city blocks function much like organs of the human body. One block can have a catalytic effect.”

Winners of “Re:Vision Dallas” Competition

Winner
Forwarding Dallas by Portugal-based Atelier Data and MOOV puts urban farms on sloping towers.

Finalists
Entangled Bank by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Little aims to help residents of all income levels by generating both electric power and community support systems.

Xero Energy by San Francisco-based David Baker + Partners and Fletcher Studio would be built from prefab modules.

Honorable Mention
Co-op Canyon by Los Angeles-based Standard architecture envisions terraced urban cliff dwellings.

Seeds for Integration by Houston-based Morris Architects is a compact development with green roof, greenhouse, and vertical farming.

Commonwealth by San Diego-based PI.KL features a phased design and offers affordable housing and many new community spaces.

Special Recognition for Being Visionary
Dallas Eye by Savannah, Georgia-based Ming Tang calls for a building with a kinetic skin.

Pilot Square by Dallas-based Downtown Architects would be constructed from recycled airliner fuselage.

Ubi City by Spain-based Estudio Ame and MCP Arquitectura draws on ideas from numerous non-architectural fields and features a pixel-like plan.

Valley of the Water by Emeryville, California-based Tsui Design & Research includes unique water collection and storage systems.

Special Recognition for Breadth Of Research
Dallas Peaks by New York-based Rickenbacker + Leung resembles natural hill formations, shaped by environmental factors.

Sustainable Urban Living by Dallas-based HKS aims to maximize natural open space while capturing daylight and summer breezes.

Special Recognition for Social Responsibility
7 Habits of Highly Effective Neighborhoods by Singapore-based SOMC Asia focuses on community characteristics such as pride, friendliness, and walkability.

One City Contributing to Humanity by New York-based Cooper Carry Architects aims to inspire well-being through a communal environment and shared goals.

Rancho Re:Vision by a team of San Francisco-based designers envisions a roofscape that facilitates the movement of energy, people, food, and ideas.

Urban Oasis by Los Angeles-based Behnisch Architekten focuses on creating an iconic landscape that supports diverse activities and lifestyles.

Special Recognition for Connection Between Public and Private
Fresh by Brooklyn-based Egbert Chu and Zachary Colbert aims to link social, environmental, economic, and aesthetic sustainability together.

Special Recognition for Technological Innovation
Urban Aeration by Brooklyn-based Konyk would be built from materials that reduce carbon dioxide in the air.