2013 ONE Prize Finalists Announced

[Contained] NYC. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Written by Katherine Allen
Published on November 02, 2013

The finalists of the 2013 ONE Prize, a competition exploring the social, economic, and ecological possibilities of urban transformation, have just been announced. The 2013 competition focused on severe climate dynamism, calling for innovative and thoughtful design proposals and urban interventions that intend to alleviate storm impact and answer the question: "How can cities adapt to the future challenges of extreme weather?"

The competition, now in its fourth year, has considered other issues such as unemployment and the struggling U.S. economy (2012), waterborne transportation (2011), and creating productive green space in cities (2010).

This year's theme was inspired by Superstorm Sandy, which brought to light the potentially cataclysmic effects of disasters spurred by climate change and the necessity of 'stormproofing.' But it is up to architects, engineers, urban planners and ecologists to design these new cities, and the conversation needs to start from the ground up.

The competition is international and open to anyone, including (but not limited to) architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, scientists, artists, students. It is open to both teams and individuals, proposals both real and speculative, and can be on a single site or multiple locations. Winning designs would repurpose spaces and reinvigorate infrastructure in order to serve and protect the community.

The Finalists:

Team 015: Slide, A Resilient Strategy for Stabilizing Mudslides in Los Angeles

SLIDE: A Resilient Strategy for Stabilizing Mudslides in Los Angeles. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 025: Hybrid Edge

Hybrid Edge. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 043: Peripheral Multiplicity, A Storm-Resilient, Recreational Strategy for the Raritan Bay

Peripheral Multiplicity: A Storm-Resilient, Recreational Strategy for the Raritan Bay. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 046: A Working Waterfront for NY Harbor, Using Shipping Infrastructure as Coastal Defense

A Working Waterfront for NY Harbor: Using Shipping Infrastructure as Coastal Defense. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 059: Working Tidal, Armature for Growth

Working Tidal: Armature for Growth. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 062: Kogami, Komunitas Siaga Tsunami (Tsunami Alert Community)

Kogami: Tsunami Alert Community. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 064: [Contained] NYC

Team 074: Pregnating Barrier Island

Pregnating Barrier Island. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 075: Jamaica Bay, Elemental Adaptation

Jamaica Bay: Elemental Adaptation. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 086: Canamphibia

Canamphibia. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 090: Living with Flux

Living with Flux. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 094: Barrier Staten Island

Barrier Staten Island. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 095: The Delta Blues

The Delta Blues. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 129: plas-tic Relief, Adaptable Stormproofing

plas-tic relief. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 136: Dynamic Capacities, Re-envisioning Dam Infrastructure for Water Management Strategy in Tokyo Metropolitan Region

Dynamic Capacities: Re-envisioning Dam Infrastructure for Water Management Strategy in Tokyo Metropolitan Region. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 140: Synthetic Mudscapes, Human Interventions in Deltaic Land Building

Synthetic Mudscapes: Human Interventions in Deltaic Land Building. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 141: ESP//Estuary Services Pipeline

ESP//Estuary Services Pipeline. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 143: Feed Your Delta!

Feed Your Delta!. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 162: Origami Zip, Portable Disaster Relief Shelter

Origami Zip: Portable Disaster Relief Shelter. Image Courtesy of ONE Prize

Team 168: Operation Cumulus, Stormproofing New York City by Avoiding Hurricane Landfill Instead of Protective Measures in Relation to High Winds and Storm Surge