Sustainable Architects Duel Live in New York
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 01.18.07
If you ever watched Iron Chef and thought, “hm, they should do this with architects,” my friend, you are in luck. This Tuesday, January 23, 2007, at a yet undisclosed location in New York City the Master-Disaster Architect Duel III will take place. In this unique event devised by LVHRD (pronounced "Live Hard"), a surprise brief will be presented to the competing architects who then have to creatively solve the problem, build a model and present it to the live audience. At the end of three timed rounds the audience will decide which team won by secret ballot. An ecological and sustainable approach to architecture and urban planning will serve as the main platform for battle. Having a hard time imagining the scene? Check out footage from last year’s event here.
Both teams know their stuff so the competition should be quite exciting. Through utilizing sustainable systems and understanding ecological principles, Balmori Associates architects Killian O'Brien and Sarah Wayland-Smith acknowledge the positive effects of emerging technologies on the reversal of environmental degradation. Their opponents, Sierra Bainbridge and Maura Rockcastle from Field Operations, a New York City based landscape and urban design firm, are experienced in reclaiming landfills and post-industrial landscapes for new public use.
CBSnews.com attended last year’s competition, and summed up the LVHRD event as follows: “The second LVHRD Master-Disaster Architect Duel, pitted two firms in a build-off, while artsy types, who had been text messaged the location of the event only a few hours earlier, gathered to sip drinks, mingle, and observe...” According to their website LVHRD (www.lvhrd.org) “is an organization that seeks to unite creative individuals that have a passion for change, willingness to succeed and determination to overcome conventions.” Part private club, part flashmob, part creative salon, part social experiment.
Sound like your cup of tea? If so, visit the website and get your ticket ($11 for members, $22 for non-members. Price includes cocktails). You’ll receive the event location by SMS text message a few hours before the showdown begins at 8 PM. Be there or be square. ::LVHRD
