Governors Island to Get Two Summer Pavilions

"After a four-hour-long deliberation, the jury was deadlocked in deciding between the Billion Oyster Pavilion and Organic Growth Pavilion," according to a statement from the competition organizers, FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY) and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). FIGMENT's David Koren explained: "The jury saw that the Billion Oyster Pavilion and Organic Growth were both incredibly interesting designs that interpret the competition brief in completely different ways. If we can build them both, perhaps we can create some really exciting dialogue around temporary architecture and sustainability."

The Organic Growth Pavilion by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects (Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno, Sally Hart, Adriana Cabello Plasencia, Alejandro Espallargas Omedas and Alfonso Aracil Sánchez) incorporates found materials, such as damaged bicycle wheels and broken umbrellas, to give the objects a second life. The form references flower structures that grow and morph in response to the natural environment. The architects hope the pieces will find third lives after the summer as canopies in outdoor spaces around the city and indoor chandeliers in community centers.

For the Billion Oyster Pavilion Brooklyn's BanG Studio (Babak Bryan, AIA; Henry Grosman; and Suzie Betts) has teamed with the New York Harbor School's Billion Oyster Project (Sam Janis) to craft a structure made from the materials used in the latter's harbor restoration work on Governors Island. These include steel rebar and nylon rope for the canopy and custom-cast "Reef Balls" that the school will use as part of their habitation creation effort.

Over 100 entries were submitted for the 2015 City of Dreams Pavilion competition. The jury named five finalists who subsequently developed their designs before the final decision was made. The three other finalists are highlighted below.

The 2015 City of Dreams Pavilion Competition jury: