“Forwarding Dallas” has been selected as the final winner of the Re: Vision Dallas competition.  The following resources and brief description of Forwarding Dallas has been organized for researchers, news media and community interests.

Press Release: http://www.revision-dallas.com/?p=757 

Mayor’s Welcome: http://www.revision-dallas.com/?p=380

Developing Firms: 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 Features:

• 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

Images:

• Quick download (2 high res, 2 web res images + narrative brief): DOWNLOAD ZIP FILE (5MB)
• Large download (6 frames including art and process diagrams): DOWNLOAD PDF FILE (14MB)

Interviews:

Urban Re:Vision’s media team will gladly make introductions for interview (subject to availability) with the following:

• António Louro
  Lead Architect/MOOV
• Brent Brown
  Founder/bcWORKSHOP (Dallas)
• Eric Corey Freed
  Executive Director/Urban Re:Vision
• Filipe Vogt
  Lead Architect/Atelier Data
• John Greenan
  Executive Director/Central Dallas CDC
• Stacey Frost
  Founder/Urban Re:Vision

Common questions:

Q Is this a City project?
A No. While the City of Dallas supports and encourages Re:Vision Dallas, it is lead by three nonprofit organizations:

1.  
   1. Urban Re:Vision
   2. Central Dallas CDC
   3. bcWorkshop

Q Will it be built?
A Yes. The following links may help those following this project to understand the timing, financing and players behind this project:

1. Feature article from Dallas Observer, “Are the Plans To Build A Green, Sustainable Building of Tomorrow Smack in the Heart of Downtown Dallas Some Pipedream or A Reality?”
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2009-10-01/news/are-the-plans-to-build-a-green-sustainable-building-of-tomorrow-smack-in-the-heart-of-downtown-dallas-some-pipedream-or-a-reality/

2. Answer to article by John Greenan, Exec. Director of Central Dallas CDC:
http://citywalktalk.blogspot.com/2009/10/eat-this-building.html

Contact:

Ian Bryan, Media Relations Director: 828.242.1868 / ianbryan@sensiblecity.com

Designed by European architects and led by Central Dallas CDC, this development will transform a city hall parking lot into sustainable urban hillside

DALLAS – Today, Urban Re:Vision and the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation announced that “Forwarding Dallas” has been selected as the winning design from Re:Vision Dallas, an international design competition. The challenge, to transform a vacant inner-city block behind City Hall into a carbon-neutral community, drew hundreds of entries from top architecture firms and city planners in 14 countries worldwide.  Forwarding Dallas is the product of a collaboration between Portuguese-based architectural firms Atelier Data and Moov, and will run “off the grid,” acting as a working model of sustainability for cities around the globe. Ground breaking is scheduled for early 2011.

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 containing 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.

Other design components include open ‘green’ spaces, housing options from studio apartments to three bedroom flats, a rooftop water catchment system designed to recycle water collected from rooftops and store underground for later use, a 100% prefabricated construction system and public green houses, including a sensorial greenhouse, swimming pool green house and meeting point green house.

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

Last May, three winners and three honorable mentions were selected from hundreds of entries.  During the months since, Urban Re:vision and the Central Dallas CDC worked with a cadre of pro-bono executives provided by The Real Estate Council Foundation who have done extensive work on the proposed designs, including site analysis, creation of trial proformas, engineering and architectural reviews and estimates of construction costs for all three of the winning designs.  During the first two weeks of November, each of the three winners flew into Dallas for additional discussion.

“All three of the design teams impressed us, both with the quality of their designs and in the interviews,” said John Greenan, Executive Director for Central Dallas CDC.  “Dallas would be a richer city to have the work of any of these architects represented, but as we went further into our review, we began to see the deep logic of the MOOV-Atelier Data design, Forwarding Dallas. Forwarding Dallas seemed to us to do the best job of incorporating concepts of sustainability into the foundation of the design.”

“One of the things that is terrific is the location of the block being right across from city hall,” said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert during his welcome at City Hall last December. ”I think it is something that is going to be special for Dallas and it fits in well with what we’re trying to do.”

Considerations for the selection included:

• 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

As the re-visioning of one Dallas city block gains momentum, Greenan is already looking toward future endeavors. “The greatest economic impact will come from rebuilding a long neglected part of downtown,” Greenan said. “There are probably an additional half dozen underutilized blocks in the area of the project, and once we prove up the viability of rebuilding the south central part of Downtown Dallas, I think all those blocks will also be revitalized.”

“What I would love to see is an entire section of downtown notable for innovative, sustainable design–an attraction in the southern part of downtown balancing the Arts District in the northern part of downtown. There are already some interesting, green projects in The Cedars immediately to the south of downtown. A sustainable district that extends from downtown all the way into The Cedars neighborhood is a very reasonable possibility.”

For more information on Urban Re:Vision, visit http://www.urbanrevision.com

For more information on Re:Vision Dallas, visit http://www.revision-dallas.com

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About Urban Re:Vision: Re:Vision is a revolutionary initiative to create the prototype for an innovative, sustainable urban community. At the heart of the process is a series of contests generating visionary ideas for what can be in the design about urban space.   For more information, visit www.revision-dallas.com.

About CDC: Central Dallas Community Development Corporation (Central Dallas CDC) is a grassroots, faith-based community development organization serving the needs of Dallas County, TX.  Their mission is to build affordable housing, develop communities, and establish economic opportunities in Dallas, Texas.  For more information, visit http://www.centraldallascdc.org.

Press Inquiries:

Ian Bryan
IanBryan@sensiblecity.com
828.242.1868

The World Watches as Sustainable Design Revives a Forgotten City Block in Dallas

05.29.2009 – DALLAS— 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.

“It’s truly inspiring to see the way Dallas has welcomed and embraced this step toward sustainability and community growth,” says Stacey Frost, Urban Re:Vision founder. “Equally inspiring is the amount of heart contestants have put into the designs, into helping Dallas take that step.”

• Dallas Winners and Honorable Mentions

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) A local community development organization, the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation (CDC), is the lead developer for the project.

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:

Forwarding Dallas
chosen for European-style massing, vegetated screens, innovation
FIRM: Atelier Data & MOOV
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
Lisbon, Portugal

Entangled Bank
chosen for striking full-block massing,arrangement of sustainable systems
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

Greenways Xero Energy
chosen for creating sense of community, bold greenway plans
FIRM: David Baker and Partners Architects and Fletcher Studio
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.
San Francisco, CA

To view winning and honorable mention designs, visit www.urbanrevision.com/dallas

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

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About Urban Re:Vision: Re:Vision is a revolutionary initiative to create the prototype for an innovative, sustainable urban community. At the heart of the process is a series of contests generating visionary ideas for what can be in the design about urban space. For more information, visit www.revision-dallas.com.

About CDC: Central Dallas Community Development Corporation (Central Dallas CDC) is a grassroots, faith-based community development organization serving the needs of Dallas County, TX. Their mission is to build affordable housing, develop communities, and establish economic opportunities in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.centraldallascdc.org.

Media Contact
Ian Bryan
Sensible City
312.528.9111 x.108
ianbryan@sensiblecity.com

Local, National Leadership Converge In Dallas to Examine Impact, Design

Dallas, TX – December 2, 2008 - The City of Dallas will host a full-day “Design Charrette” this Friday to examine the necessary framework and community impact of what will become the first fully sustainable, urban square block in the United States. The Charrette, attended by community design and urban planning experts from across the nation, will be held at City Hall from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. The outcome of the day will include a series of recommendations which will in turn structure an international design competition to create the actual block. That competition, which kicks off in January 2009, will invite architects and planners from around the world to translate the needs of the Dallas Community into structural designs for the future city block.

“The goal is to create the first fully sustainable block downtown,” said Brent Brown, Dallas architect and founder of the building community WORKSHOP. “And by sustainable, we mean a place that is socially, economically and environmentally healthy. We’ll take the first step in that effort on Friday.”

Hosted by the City of Dallas, San Francisco-based Urban Re:Vision and Dallas’ Building Community Workshop, the Charrette will look at the common city block in an uncommon way, examining the impact of this particular city block’s development on the City of Dallas and its surrounding area. In rethinking the city block, experts will re-assess the potential value of available resources like water, waste, and air and how to strike the delicate balance between economy and equality.

“Our job on December 5th is to explore how pivotal the city block is in the urban landscape, and how it can be used as a catalyst for a whole new way of living,” said Stacey Frost, Founder of Urban Re:Vision. “This process is one that puts real people first and promotes sustainability.”

Potential requirements, barriers, and changes will be examined in an effort to pave the way for the implementation of the proposed site. This examination will also serve to aid both site-specific, and regional decision-making. Topics will include: energy systems, transportation, the natural and developed environment, community, the economy and technology.

Additional groups involved include Downtown Dallas, The Real Estate Council, Central Dallas Ministries, The Institute for Urban Policy Planning, Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture, Enterprise Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, Vision North Texas and others. Participants from outside the Dallas area include representatives of the Biomimicry Institute, Architecture for Humanity, ARUP, Organic Architect, United States Green Building Council, and others.

Media attendance will be strictly limited, RSVP required
Location: Dallas City Hall
Date: December 5, 2008

Timeline:
8:30 – 10:30:Registration, Discussion & Mayor’s Welcome
12:00 – 1:30: Lunch / Interviews
4:00 – 5:30: Presentation of Regional Plans / Question and Analysis

About Re:Vision:
Re:Vision is a diverse group of people focused on changing the urban landscape by re-imagining all the components that make up a city block. From energy to transportation to commerce to community, Re: Vision believes that by finding innovative, healthy and sustainable ideas to help revitalize one urban block, we can create a blueprint for better cities everywhere.

Led by founder, Stacey Frost, Re:Vision is committed to creating the national prototype for sustainable urban living via a six-part, international competition. This competition solicits innovative, actionable plans from industry professionals and concerned citizens that address the environmental, transportation, energy, economic, and design needs of our urban areas. At the completion of the competition an entire major-market city block will be renovated into a wholly sustainable urban community thereby creating a template that can be incorporated into additional cities throughout the United States. Additional information can be found at http://www.urbanrevision.com.

About bcWORKSHOP
The buildingcommunity WORKSHOP (bcWORKSHOP) was founded in 2005 by Brent Brown as a multi-disciplinary community design resource. The bcWORKSHOP seeks to improve the liveability and viability of communities through the practice of thoughtful design and building.

The independent organization is governed by an advisory board and funded through the building community WORKSHOP Donor Advised Fund at The Dallas Foundation. Through formal partnerships, it intends to provide all individuals access to thoughtful, quality design by engaging architects and students in the active facilitation of community building. The bcWORKSHOP seeks to first understand the financial, social, technical, and design strategies required to build livable neighborhoods of choice and recognizes that the physical environment is not the only determinant of neighborhood viability.

Through a project based approach incorporating a participatory design process, the bcWORKSHOP is committed to providing high-quality design services that result in desirable places/buildings to live.

Press Inquiries:
Ian Bryan or Amy Senn
ianbryan@sensiblecity.com
Re:Vision Media Relations
Tel: 828.242.1868

Parking lot adjacent to City Hall to become off-the-grid, self-sustaining residential community

Dallas, TX – December 9, 2008 – The City of Dallas hosted a full-day “Design Charrette” last Friday to examine the necessary framework and community impact of what will become the first fully sustainable, urban square block in the United States. Mayor Tom Leppert greeted participants and announced the selected site for development; what he called the “forgotten landscape” across the street from City Hall that takes up approximately 2 square blocks.

The full day planning session, attended by community design and urban planning experts from across the nation, was held at City Hall from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. The outcome of the day included a series of recommendations which will structure an international design competition to create the actual block. That competition, which kicks off in January 2009, will invite architects and planners from around the world to translate the needs of the Dallas Community into structural designs for the future city block.

“The goal is to create the first fully sustainable block downtown,” said Brent Brown, Dallas architect and founder of the Building Community WORKSHOP. “And by sustainable, we mean a place that is socially, economically and environmentally healthy. We’ll take the first step in that effort on Friday.”

The site’s benefits include easy access to public services and transportation, community benefits in walking distance such as the Dallas Public Library and Farmers Market, and an investment opportunity in a downtown corridor which many predict will become a vibrant living community over the next 5 years.

“I think that you are going to have a lot of fun today,” said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert when addressing the group of planners. “Sustainability thinks strategically about how you use spaces and how you use structures. And that goes beyond the green. There are projects we are doing in Dallas that I hope are examples of that.”

Additional groups involved include Downtown Dallas, The Real Estate Council, Central Dallas Ministries, The Institute for Urban Policy Planning, Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture, Enterprise Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, Vision North Texas and others. Participants from outside the Dallas area include representatives of the Biomimicry Institute, Architecture for Humanity, ARUP, Organic Architect, United States Green Building Council, and others.

To learn more, visit www.revision-dallas.com

Press Inquiries:

Ian Bryan or Amy Senn
Re:Vision Media Relations
Tel: 828.242.1868
Email: ianbryan@sensiblecity.com