Pierscape: Redesign of Navy Pier in Chicago

Navy Pier has been an icon for Chicago, Illinois and the Midwest for decades. Municipal Pier, the Pier's original name before it was changed to Navy Pier in 1927, has had many, many uses over the decades. (Some of which range from housing soldiers during WW1 to the University of Illinois' campus.) Over the years, no matter what the Pier's use was, it's clear to see that Navy Pier has stood the test of time, and is now known for its iconic reputation throughout its rich history in Chicago. To get a better understanding of just how rich Navy Pier's history has been throughout the decades, check out the Navy Pier's website that gives you a timeline of important events.

Ships/Boats at Navy Pier

Municipal Pier (Previously Named)

Old Perspective View of Navy Pier

University of Illinois Campus Building at Navy Pier

Perspective View of Navy Pier

Sidewalk at Navy Pier

Chicago Children's Museum

You might be wondering what a tourist attraction in the heart of the Midwest has to do with green design. Well, in case you haven't heard, Navy Pier is approaching its centennial birthday in the year 2016. To celebrate this birthday of all birthdays, Navy Pier, Inc., a not-for-profit entity, developed The Centennial Vision, a re-imagined Navy Pier. With this vision, their goal is to create an atmosphere that local Chicagoans as well as tourists from all over the globe will want to become part of the new experience the Pier will have to offer.  

So how do you choose a design team to design an 85- now 115 million dollar  (from grant money and donations) redesign? Navy Pier, Inc. decided to answer this question with a ingeniousness solution- a friendly competition. The process started in September 2012 by inviting design firms from around the globe to submit their qualifications. Navy Pier Vision stated, "Navy Pier intends to select the team that best understands its objectives and would make a great partner in further exploring, developing, and refining design ideas and concepts to respond to the complex conditions at Navy Pier and to work with the Pier on implementing a vision for the Pier’s Pierscape." In simpler terms, the Pier has in recent times been described by local Chicagoans as cheap, outdated, and coined as a tacky tourist attraction. The city of Chicago's goal of the redesign is to create a hub for quality entertainment and more interactions between people and nature. Some of the interesting features the design teams included in their designs were a swimming pool that would serve as an ice skating rink in the winter and an indoor garden filled with lush, green vegetation. 

What design team was chosen to redesign Navy Pier? First, the competition had a total of fifty-two initial entries, and out of those fifty-two, five design teams were chosen as finalists. Those five final design firms were AECOM/Bjarke Ingels Group, Aedas Architects/Davis Brody Bond/Martha Schwartz Partners, James Corner Field Operations, !melk/HOK/Urban Lab, and Xavier Vendrell Studio/Grimshaw Architects. (Drum roll, please...) The selection was recently announced on March 15, 2012. Navy Pier Inc. stated that they chose James Corner Field Operations because they had an "interesting and appropriate balance between creativity and practicality; a thorough understanding of the complexity of Navy Pier; relevant experience with several successful high profile, large-scale and complex projects; and a strong sense of flexibility and collaboration."

Without further ado, here are some of James Corner Field Operation's perspectives of what they envision for Pierscape in 2016.

Pierscape Rendered Perspective View

High Hanging Green Planters inside Crystal Gardens

Pierscape Pool Area

Pierscape Skating Rink 

Pierscape's Revamped Ferris Wheel

Pierscape Water Feature

Pierscape Walkway

Pierscape Park Steps

Pierscape Walkway

Pierscape Lake Pavilion

Pierscape Rendered Perspective View

Also take a look at James Corner Field Operations Pierscape Video for a more in-depth understanding of the entire project layout and design.

In James Corner Field Operation's Design Book, the design team addresses the issue of sustainability and how their design answers this topic. Specifically they state, "the design includes but is not limited to water use and management, sustainable materials, alternative energy and long-term maintenance practices." 

So you tell me, will you be enticed to visit the innovative, sustainable-driven Pierscape?

Let me know your thoughts on Navy Pier's soon-to-be redesign!

The Cube Project

Talk about a minimal impact on the environment! I'm not sure if The Cube would be for me, but there is no doubt it's an innovative concept. As a design student, I've found one of the most challenging spaces to design for are small, confined areas. What I found intriguing about this project is the versatility of the purposed-designed chairs and table in the living area. Because The Cube is only 3 x 3 x 3 meters, about 10 x 10 x 10 ft., flexibility of any furniture layouts would be virtually impossible. It's evident that The Cube's design team carefully took into consideration the user's needs within the space; and therefore, was  able to successfully design for The Cube's maximum space use. However, one has to wonder if these cubes could be stacked, placed side by side, or reconfigured for multiple occupants. If they could be reconfigured, imagine the possibilities of The Cube. Some possible uses that came to my mind were a unique hotel next to an airport or even inside an airport, short-term housing for camping enthusiasts, or even something packed up and shipped to provide housing for victims of disaster.

If you had a Cube, what would you use it for?

Gallery of Green: 10 Innovative Green Products

1. Foot + Peg Stool

Designer: Toby Nowland

Details: Sustainable materials, including recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or PET bottles such as plastic water bottles. Won the Green Award at the Australian International Furniture Fair in Sydney, Australia in 2013.

2. BuzziLight

Designer: BuzziSpace

Details:  Materials include BuzziFelt, a kind of felt made of 100 per cent recycled PET waste or BuzziFabric, a fabric made of recycled wool.

3. Livinglass

Designer: Livinglass

Details:  Made with 100% recycled glass, non-allergenic and easy to clean, Class A/ Class I Fire Rated, water, UV, and chemical resistant. Available in different thicknesses, styles (curves vs. straight), and a variety of patterns/colors.

4.  Superlight Chair

Designer: Frank Gehry and Emeco

Details:  Made with lightweight, recycled aluminum. It gently rocks back and forth

5. 111 Navy Chair

Designer: Coca-Cola and Emeco

Details: Made of 111 recycled PET bottles, 65% Recycled Pet, 35% Glass Fiber. The designers' goal was to solve an environmental problem by up-cycling consumer waste into a sustainable, timeless, classic chair. Chairs come in a variety of colors including the following: charcoal, flint, snow, red, persimmon, and grass. Chairs can be customized with a handmade Navy Seat Pad (available in black vinyl or with the option of fire retardant C.O.M or C.O.L Fire retardant foam). Note: chairs are non-stackable.

6. Life After Corkage Bar Stool

Designer: Phase

Details: Powder coated steel base with vinyl coated polyester mesh seat, filled with 1,200 recycled corks.

7. Beam Line

Designer: Uhuru

Details: Antique pine beam/natural walnut base coffee table. It is created from timber that comes from the beams, joists, and support columns salvaged from the building being renovated/demolished in Brooklyn, NY

8. Buoy Lamp

Designer: Paul Masterson, Uhuru

Details: Reclaimed foam buoy. Metal: aluminum. Wood: elm. Salvaged from a Red Hook pier, the buoy sits atop an aluminum and elm base, while a rod holds the lighting fixture (compact fluorescent or LED bulb only)

9. SBW Stool

Designer: Miles & May

Details: Reclaimed heart pine and powder coated black steel

10. Hemp Chair

Designer: Studio Aisslinger

Details: Made with renewable raw materials including hemp and kenaf. These materials are compressed with a water-based thermoset binder to form an eco-friendly, lightweight strong material.

Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest)

what's this all about?

The city  of Milan, Italy has a bad reputation for its pollution and lack of green space. The Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest, includes two residential towers, one reaching 27 and the other reaching 17 stories in height on the edge of the Isola neighborhood. The towers house 900 trees measuring 3, 6, or 9 m tall, and various other shrubs and floral plants. 

With this design alone, the city of Milan will be able to optimize flat land by building up instead of out as well as produce energy. According to Stefano Boeri Architetti, "The diversity of the plants and their characteristics produce humidity, absorb CO2 and dust particles, producing oxygen and protect from radiation and acoustic pollution, improving the quality of living spaces and saving energy. Plant irrigation will be produced to great extent through the filtering and reuse of the grey waters produced by the building."

Section of the Vertical Forest Tower

Construction phase- Towers are taking shape

Construction phase- Greenery is being added

the future is looking green

The Vertical Forest is only the beginning of Italy's eco-sustainable rede­vel­op­ment of the Isola neighborhood. Milan Expo Tours stated, "The Vertical Forest is one of six ideas for a new Bio­Mi­lan, a metrop­o­lis aim­ing to become an icon of bio­di­ver­sity and of a new bal­ance between man, nature and pro­duc­tiv­ity. The new eco-project will include urban spaces such as a swim­ming pool and gym, shops, a piazza between the two build­ings, and offices."

Want to check out more info?

Stefano Boeri Architetti 

Milan Expo Tours

Earthship Biotecture

After an hour of watching countless YouTube videos, I stumbled upon this video and got chills because I was so inspired by the design's simplicity and functionality. The design speaks volumes because it can be built in any part of the world, which in turn saves costs in transporting building materials and practically eliminates climate as an issue. It also addresses many other green solutions such as: water harvesting, recycled materials, on site sewage treatment, day lighting, food production, and solar/thermal dynamics- just to name a few. 

After watching the video, you can see how the architects'  used unconventional, innovative building materials like recycled tires and pop cans. You might be asking yourself, why are building materials like used tires and pop cans necessary when we have better, more advanced building materials to choose from? The architects of the Simple Survival Earthship sum it up quite nicely by stating, "Housing has been big and inefficient for a long time.  Energy shortages and dwindling natural resources are making us look at smaller, more planet dynamic housing.  The Earthship Simple Survival Concept is our answer to this issue." This back-to-basic design concept is an excellent solution for developing countries who need low cost, safe structures, or possibly even disaster relief housing. The Simple Survival Earthship addresses these issues because the Earthships are designed for little money and are designed to be constructed in a short amount of time. In addition to low initial costs and a short construction period, the Simple Survival Earthships' require no bills such as electricity or water, your own food and water sources, as well as your own sanitation system. How awesome is that? But most importantly, to someone living in a third world country, such as Hati, this type of innovative technology would be life changing. Unfortunately, I think many people around the world have preconceived notions that design and architecture are lavish extras and only the wealthy can appreciate it because they are the only ones who can afford it. However, this video shows us this couldn't be further from the truth. Design- the true need for good, safe, clean design- is needed most by the people who don't have access to the services, the technology, or the money to afford it. These are the people the world should and needs to design for. As a future designer, I can only imagine how gratifying it would be to be a part of a design team working on a sustainable project such as the Simple Survival Earthship. From this project alone, it's clear that green design does have huge benefits for the environment as well as everyone living in it. 

what are your thoughts?

• Is this the future of designing sustainable buildings? Or is it a fad that will soon fade out?
• Would you ever consider living in a Simple Survival Earthship because of its various benefits such as virtually no maintenance and now utility bills?
• Are the Earthships a viable option for third world countries, especially countries who have faced a disaster and need immediate shelter, clean water, and sanitation that Earthships could provide?
• Because Earthships are solar powered, they can't have a lot of electrically powered appliances including lap tops, phones, kitchen equipment, etc. What are three electrically powered items that you could live without, and what are three that you would never give up in a million years?

For more information on the Earthship Simple Survival Concept click here to check out their website!