What is the future of the world’s most iconic public spaces in the face of growing inequality and runaway climate change? It’s one of the questions raised by LA+ ICONOCLAST, a design ideas competition that inspired 382 designers from 30 countries to reimagine New York’s Central Park. From a total of 193 submissions competing for a share of $20,000 in prize money and feature publication in LA+, the jury awarded five equal winners:
Joe Rowling, Nick McLeod, and Javier Arcila (e8urban; Sydney, Australia)
Song Zhang and Minzhi Lin (Song and Minzhi; Shanghai, China)
“From megastructures to new ecologies and radical ideas for democratizing public space, the LA+ ICONOCLAST winning entries show how designers can move beyond the status quo of picturesque large parks and embrace the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century,” jury chair Richard Weller said.
Each of the winners will receive $4,000 and the winning designs will be published in LA+ Journal, the interdisciplinary review of landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. The jury further awarded 10 honorable mentions, which will also be published in the Fall 2019 issue of LA+ Journal. The issue will also feature juror interviews, essays, and a selection of notable entries making up a compelling and diverse salon des refusés.
LA+ ICONOCLAST’s jury was comprised of Lola Sheppard (Partner, Lateral Office), Charles Waldheim (Professor and Director of the Office of Urbanism, Harvard GSD), Jenny Osuldsen (Partner and Director, Snøhetta), Geoff Manaugh (Author, BLDGBLOG), Beatrice Galilee (Associate Curator of Architecture and Design, The Metropolitan Museum of Art), and Richard Weller (Meyerson Chair of Urbanism and Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture, PennDesign).
LA+ Journal from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design explores landscape architecture's interdisciplinary potential, bringing readers a rich collection of contemporary thinkers and designers in two lavishly illustrated issues annually. Its aim is to reveal connections and build collaborations between landscape architecture and other disciplines by exploring each issue’s theme from multiple perspectives.
Jury Chair and LA+ Journal Creative Director Richard Weller is available for interview or comment.
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