"Building a Sustainable World" Winners Announced

The Royal Institute of British Architects USA (RIBA–USA) has announced the winners of its international design competition “Building a Sustainable World: Life in the Balance.” The competition asked entrants to conceive self-sustaining communities that respond to the challenges of global climate change (see

EBN

Vol. 15, No. 9). More information on winning entries and finalists is available at www.riba-usa.org/Competitions/index.htm.

• First prize went to

Vakabauta Village, an urban housing project in Suva, Fiji, designed to be self-sustaining by Toby Kyle, Chris Cole, and Kamineli Vuadreu of Fiji. The project addresses the needs of low-income people currently living in temporary housing within the city and includes a bamboo grove on the site, used to both create green space and generate revenue for residents.

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Boonah Two Development, located about 60 miles (100 km) inland from the east coast of Australia, won second prize. Developed by Gall and Medek Architects of South Brisbane, Australia, and Team DES of Crows Nest, Australia, the 50-year plan for the small city of Boonah incorporates agricultural production areas and renewable power generation.

• Third prize went to Wallace Roberts Todd, LLC, of Philadelphia, for

Urban Kidney Project—Revitalizing Forgotten Bottom. The project addresses a post-industrial waterfront neighborhood of Philadelphia (known as Forgotten Bottom) that is both polluted and economically depressed. The project team created a neighborhood redevelopment plan centered on a restored wetland located on a brownfield site.

– Allyson Wendt