PACIFIC RIM: Eco Research Lab Costa Rica

Kumpei Nkatake, Kairi Nishimura, Alynn Tergovorkian

To be built in an area recovering from deforestation, this sustainable ecological lodge welcomes visitors of all ages and families to stay overnight and enjoy the natural beauty as they work hand-in-hand with resident biologists to learn about the native plant and animal life. Guests can go on excursions, take workshops and meet locals who will set up farmer’s markets and sell handcrafted goods onsite. The lodge’s lobby and cabinas are built using an earth bag technology that employs cocoa mulch and soil filled inside used burlap coffee bags shaped into interlocking ‘bricks.’ Created to decay back into the ground, the structures – sans supporting roofs, eco-filtration systems and solar paneling – will slowly decompose at the same rate the surrounding landscape will regain its active plant and animal life. As nature reclaims the area, the lobby and cabinas will move to other nearby deforested areas.

Adriana Avendano, Osamu Hataoka, Alejandro Jimenez, Mikako Shirai

A communal living complex, this modular system of honeycombed-shaped pods surround open natural green spaces and are located above public retail shops, conceptualized to be constructed in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. Designed for maximum efficiency and to minimize materiality, these pre-fabricated private residences – single, double or family-sized – are customizable, environmentally-friendly, affordable and sustainable. Each resident must agree to contribute to the communal living arrangement through various activities and events. Carpooling, bike riding and public transportation will be promoted. The complex features a children’s play area, art galleries and gardens with lush, non-invasive plants, trees and shrubs. Gray water is collected from the units and used to water the garden plants. The public ground level of the complex will house retail shops and services such as eco-friendly boutiques, cruelty-free restaurants, yoga classes and other sustainable services.

Bren Carillo, Naz Mohseni, Kyo Suzuki

This sensorial experimental pop-up will be placed in crowded urban areas, targeted at the Shibuya intersection in Tokyo known as the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Visitors will enter the structure – an exploded axon shape – and ascend rounded staircases to be immersed in four sensory experiences for a brief connection to nature. Sound tiles in the first location will absorb and quiet the outside noise; a sunset simulation will relax with warm colors; touching leaves will change their colors; and tiles infused with natural earth smells will scent the final experience. Before leaving the structure, visitors will enter a retail space which will sell products reminiscent of their sensorial interactions: fair trade coffee scrubs, oil diffusers, organic chocolate, etc. In addition to solar lighting, the pop-up is built out of biodegradable materials, such as cellulose and paper tubing, which will ultimately decompose.

Zack Eisenberg, Max Galassi, Motoko Sato, Fumi Takata

This ecological research center, highlighting the role of butterflies and honeybees, will welcome guests, especially families to connect, educate and be a catalyst for change for two of nature’s more important pollinators. To be constructed in the hills outside of Southern California’s Ojai community, this center will be designed low to the ground to give the impression that it is part of the surrounding green landscape. The building will be divided into two themed interaction areas that will feature the importance of bees and butterflies through hands-on exhibits, family-friendly experiences and actual pollinator displays. Children will enjoy jumping on the hexagonal-shaped floor, climbing on flower chairs, playing with hexagonal wooden toys and looking through kaleidoscopes. An outside deck leads guests to an observation point overlooking a butterfly garden and eucalyptus trees where migrating monarchs could overwinter.

Yoshikura Fumika, Charlie Hodges, Margaux Mayer

This series of five self-guided installations in a crowded metropolitan locations offer sensorial experiences to facilitate a harmonious state for visitors seeking to escape the urban ‘jungle.’ The installations, designed for downtown Los Angeles, will first appear at the popular L.A. Art Week. Appealing to all ages, the experiences can be accessed at any time. Old newspaper vending machines will contain instructions and artifacts connected to each experience. By collecting all five puzzle pieces, visitors can create a keepsake 3-D Mobius strip infinity symbol. The installations include: (Smell) climbing an abandoned fire escape lined with plants where the top level, filled with plants, contains clean air; (Taste) standing on a sidewalk grate where a vaporized berry scent envelopes guests; (Feel) jumping into a dumpster filled with large bubble toys, (See) from a hydraulic crane, manipulating oval iridescent sequins on a large parking lot exterior wall, and (Hear) walking near a construction zone under a covered sidewalk, the sounds of the jungle – water drops, bird sounds, etc. – will replace the outside urban cacophony

Jilian Bak, Teru Kinoshita, Su Kyung, Kumpei Nkatake

Inspired by Los Angeles’ parklet system of using a small portion of a traffic lane for a mini-experience, this small park will actually filter urban rainfall into clean water, demonstrating how humans can counter the effects of pollution. Conceived to be constructed in L.A.’s Financial District, this parklet will add green to the concrete environment and encourage active participation in the filtration process. Moving the collected water through the system, pedestrians will actively engage with an Archimedes Screw, step onto a hydraulic floor and observe the filtration process that uses soil, fungi, plant roots and moss filter to create clean drinking water. Filtered water here will be returned to restore the local ground water tables.