Hot Damn!!

If this wasn't in Dallas, I'd definitely want to live here. via Treehugger:

Ultra-Green Block Coming to Central Dallas

by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 06. 7.09

Design & Architecture

Buzz up!

"Forwarding Dallas" - one of the winning designs.

The folks at San Francisco-based Urban Re:Vision weren't kidding when they announced their intention to build America's "first fully sustainable block" in Dallas, Texas. After receiving entries from designers in 14 countries, three winning designs have been chosen. Featuring affordable housing, on-site food production, renewable energy generation and a host of other green features, the project will be built in place of a parking lot across from City Hall. Here are the winning proposals...

Forwarding Dallas

Submitted by Lisbon, Portugal-based Atelier Data & MOOV, "Forwarding Dallas" is modeled on a landscape of hilltops and valleys. On the hills (the roofs of buildings): solar thermal, photovoltaic and wind power generation, providing for 100% of the energy needs of the 850 or so residents. In the valleys: trees and vegetation. Cascading down the sides of buildings: public greenhouses.

Entangled Bank

Conjured up by Charlotte, NC firm LITTLE, this mixed-use vision includes a vertical farm, glass ponds and a field for grazing livestock. In addition to its 500 apartments, the site would house educational institutions, a slow food restaurant and an organic farming institute.

Xero Place

By preserving an existing building alongside new construction, this proposal would place more emphasis on retail and and Dallas' history and heritage.

One of these designs will be selected for implementation by the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation (CDCDC), the non-profit developer who is building the project. Additional funding will come from the city, federal tax credits, foundations and perhaps the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Central Dallas CDC hopes that the project will change the way people look at Dallas, and are already looking ahead to revitalizing a broader section of the city. Said CDCDC's John Greenan:

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.