“It’s a dry heat.”
That’s what everyone always says when hearing about the intense heat of a Phoenix summer. It may be true, but 105 degrees is 105 degrees, and black asphalt streets that can be used as a frying pan in the direct desert sun are not the most hospitable of places.
A proposal from Blank Studio Design + Architecture, however, looks to make the streets of Phoenix more inviting by turning city streets into corridors where the asphalt has been replaced in favor of dense ribbons of flora, cars have been removed, and a canopy of sisal fiber provides shade from the sun, Dezeen reports. Blank Studio’s proposal won first place in the 2016 Metro Design Competition that was organized by the Phoenix chapter of AIA.
The canopies would be made up of ropes of sisal, a natural fiber that comes from the agave plant. The ropes would measure two inches in diameter and reach lengths of up to 25 feet. Each rope would be attached to an overall framework and coiled extensions would hang down to create movement in the wind like that of swaying grass. The sisal canopies would filter the sunlight, making the heat less intense and the new corridors more habitable.
Cars would not be welcome in these newly designed corridors and the streets would instead be filled with amenities such as cafes, playgrounds, and markets. Mass transit will exist as the only means of transportation within the corridors. Additionally, bioswale channels would collect and reuse rainfall and greywater from neighboring buildings would irrigate the landscape.
Related Stories
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
| Oct 6, 2010
From grocery store to culinary school
A former West Philadelphia supermarket is moving up the food chain, transitioning from grocery store to the Center for Culinary Enterprise, a business culinary training school.
| Sep 30, 2010
Luxury hotels lead industry in green accommodations
Results from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2010 Lodging Survey showed that luxury and upper-upscale hotels are most likely to feature green amenities and earn green certifications. Results were tallied from 8,800 respondents, for a very respectable 18% response rate. Questions focused on 14 green-related categories, including allergy-free rooms, water-saving programs, energy management systems, recycling programs, green certification, and green renovation.
| Sep 22, 2010
Michael Van Valkenburg Assoc. wins St. Louis Gateway Arch design competition
Landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and a multidisciplinary team of experts in “urban renewal, preservation, commemoration, social connections and ecological restoration” have been picked for the planning phase of The City+The Arch+The River 2015 International Design Competition.
| Sep 21, 2010
Forecast: Existing buildings to earn 50% of green building certifications
A new report from Pike Research forecasts that by 2020, nearly half the green building certifications will be for existing buildings—accounting for 25 billion sf. The study, “Green Building Certification Programs,” analyzed current market and regulatory conditions related to green building certification programs, and found that green building remain robust during the recession and that certifications for existing buildings are an increasing area of focus.
| Sep 16, 2010
Gehry’s Santa Monica Place gets a wave of changes
Omniplan, in association with Jerde Partnership, created an updated design for Santa Monica Place, a shopping mall designed by Frank Gehry in 1980.
| Sep 13, 2010
Campus housing fosters community connection
A 600,000-sf complex on the University of Washington's Seattle campus will include four residence halls for 1,650 students and a 100-seat cafe, 8,000-sf grocery store, and conference center with 200-seat auditorium for both student and community use.
| Sep 13, 2010
Second Time Around
A Building Team preserves the historic facade of a Broadway theater en route to creating the first green playhouse on the Great White Way.
| Sep 13, 2010
Palos Community Hospital plans upgrades, expansion
A laboratory, pharmacy, critical care unit, perioperative services, and 192 new patient beds are part of Palos (Ill.) Community Hospital's 617,500-sf expansion and renovation.
