Climate Change Solutions from Fiji to Philadelphia

International teams win awards for sustainable community design

In June, I had the honor to serve as a judge for a unique design competition hosted by the California chapter of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)–USA.

The competition, Building a Sustainable World: Life in the Balance, challenged designers from around the globe to develop concepts for healthy, vibrant communities that address climate change and reverse, rather than add to, environmental damage and social injustice.

At a weekend symposium in Los Angeles, the 12 finalists presented their concepts, all of which tackled environmental and social challenges of enormous scope. Their moving, often ingenious visions filled me with hope for the possibility of a global shift to a restorative future.

First prize was awarded to a team from Fiji, Toby Kyle, Chris Cole and Kamineli Vuadreu, for their Vakabauta Village concept that focuses on the needs of low-income Fijians living in dilapidated temporary housing.

Second prize went to the Brisbane, Australia, team of Gall & Medek Architects and Team DES for a proposal focusing on climate-adaptive strategies, technological innovation and socio-cultural change projected over 50 years for the city of Boonah, Australia.

Third prize went to Wallace Roberts and Todd, LLC of Philadelphia for The Urban Kidney—Revitalizing the Forgotten Bottom. The team developed a comprehensive plan for restoring a long-abused wetland as the centerpiece of a new neighborhood built on an abandoned industrial brownfield.

Find out more at riba-usa.org/Competitions/index.htm. 

© 2007 Jennifer Roberts. Originally published in Good Green News.