“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

From the mind and heart of Michelle Kaufmann-

“We had a great Re:Vision Salon last Thursday night Wade Crowfoot, West Coast Political Director for the Environmental Defense Fund, as the guest. The group and the conversation were dynamic and inspiring. The group included Wade, the team with Urban Re:Vision, Allison Arieff, Janelle Kellman, Ted Van Der Linden, Scott Badenoch, Warren Karlenzig, Christine Arena, Barry Hooper, Sally Dominguez, Nathaniel Corum, Bryan Burkhart, and other friends and colleagues.”

Want to see what else Ms. Kaufmann had to say about the Re: Vision Salon  click here.

Imagine, if you will, a utopia smack in the heart of downtown Dallas. In this green, sustainable building of tomorrow, you might roll out of bed, take a shower and find your runoff water feeding vegetation growing on the roof and walls, upon which you’ll feast later that night. Or maybe you’ll move downtown and become a cattle rancher several stories above the concrete jungle. Or perhaps you’ll grab a bite in the slow-food café downstairs after knocking off your shift working the counter in the holistic pharmacy next door.

Solar panels heat and light your home, and the high-tech and the natural mesh seamlessly in aLogan’s-Run-to-a-kibbutz kind of way. It’s a place so inviting, so self-contained that there’s really not much reason to ever leave home.

The possibilities, say the three architectural firms competing to design this future world, are endless—so much so they can’t really pin down what life in their buildings would be like, which is precisely what makes it so hard to believe one will ever exist. But if local affordable housing advocates Brent Brown and John Greenan have their way—and they insist they will—this world of tomorrow might be a lot closer than you think.

Click here to read the entire article on the Dallas Observer’s website.

Entangled Bank

One of the winning Re:Vision Dallas designs, “Entangled Bank”,  has been shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival 2009.  Little Diversified Architectural Consulting (Little) will present at the Festival in Barcelona in November where category winners, Best in Show, and World Building of the Year 2009 will be selected. Entangled Bank was selected out of over 630 entries from 81 countries for the “Future Projects” category.

Check out these links for more information on Little and the World Architecture Festival:

http://www.littleonline.com

http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

“During the past 100 years a number of dramatic changes in the character of public life have taken place, all of which makes detailed and careful planning of people an essential theme within the built environment. Comparing street scenes from 100 years ago with present day street scenes, an obvious change in the volume and character of the public life stands out. In the bustling street scenes from around 1900, nearly all people are engaged in some type of necessary activities. Use of the public realm was an important part of daily life, and the spaces were filled to maximum capacity with all kinds of activities; in the process, public space functioned in the ever-present role as the essential meeting place for people.”

- From “Urban Oasis” designed by Behnisch Architects Inc. in Los Angeles, CA, who received special recognition for social responsibility.

In spring of this year we announced the  3 winning entries for the latest of the Urban Re:Vision design competitions, Re:Vision Dallas.  We are now pleased to announce the Re:Vision Dallas Special Awards, recognizing 10  teams of architects and designers from around the world who’s entries exhibited exceptional  creativity, innovation and community consideration.

The special awards categories include:

Special Recognition for Social Responsibility

Special Recognition for Being Visionary

Special Recognition for Breadth of Research

Special Recognition for Community Methodology

Special Recognition for Connection Between Public and Private Realm

Special Recognition for Interesting Technological Innovation

Click here to see complete information including team descriptions, overviews and images.