7/13/2010

Global Summer Spectrum: London Festival of Architecture.


So far this summer season has had no shortage of notable, worldwide design events which have all in some way or another accentuated the importance of sustainability. One intriguing concept came from the London Festival of Architecture, that took place for nearly a month from June 19th through July 4th. This year's LFA brought artists, architects, gardeners and scientists together to create an orchard that was anything but normal.

The Union Street Urban Orchard was designed by Heather Ring of the Wayward Plant Registry for The Architecture Foundation. This temporary community gem was once a vacant urban London lot which found a new life from June through September as a public garden complete with apple trees and a timber pavilion. A zero-carbon modular sustainable living pod can be found on the site as well called the "LivingARK." To demonstrate it's livability, volunteers inhabited the residence during the course of the festival.

Design students of the Finnish Institute were also able to participate in the design & build of the Urban Orchard with their timber pavilion creation titled "The Nest." Other highlights of this site included the skip turned ping-pong table created by Oliver Bishop-Young and the The Identikit Urban Playground from Thomas Kendall and Tamsin Hanke. For the next few months this temporary community haven will host several events and workshops. In September when the Urban Orchard is dismantled, the trees and greenery will be donated to local estates and gardens. To find out more about this exciting urban infill project created sustainably to bring a community together specifically for the London Festival of Architecture and summertime, check out their website here.

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