Governors Island Pavilion Made of Umbrellas to Be Recycled

Visitors to New York’s Governors Island this summer can take refuge from the blazing sun under a vibrant canopy resembling bouquets of flowers and made of unexpected materials such as broken umbrellas, damaged bicycle wheels, and old stools.

The pavilion, called Organic Growth, was designed by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects of Madrid and London for the not-for-profit arts forum Figment NYC’s fifth annual City of Dreams competition. For inspiration, the architects looked to mophead hydrangeas, for which the number of blooms per plant depends on factors such as age, light, and soil quality. “The plant grows keeping a good balance with the environment,” the firm states. “Shouldn’t the City of Dreams do the same? Architecture has to learn to adapt to uncertain budgets, social changing requirements, and ecological dynamics.”

This year, the jury awarded the top prize to two designs—a first for the competition. The other project, called the Billion Oyster Pavilion, consists of materials such as nylon rope and concrete blocks, and can later be used to create oyster beds off Governors Island. Fittingly, the construction of both designs was funded by Kickstarter campaigns, in which the Organic Growth team raised slightly more than its $20,000 goal.

After the summer season ends on September 27, smaller parts of the structure can be reused as sun, wind, and rain protectors in windows and outdoor spaces, while larger elements composed of several umbrellas and tripods can be repurposed as indoor chandeliers. According to Izaskun Chinchilla Architects, “We think reusing isolated elements is much more viable than reusing the pavilion as a whole, and that’s also why our design is formed by self-supported smaller units.”

Through September 27; govislandom

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