Originally published at: https://www.ronenbekerman.com/the-challenge-of-tomorrow-2020-winner-announced/
Today I’m proud and happy to announce the winners of The challenge of Tomorrow 2020 edition (#TMRW2020). We’ve had a fantastic set of entries, and it took us some time to review, but the wait is over!
Thank you, we were extremely impressed to see all the hard work, the talent, and dedication that you put into this challenge.
And without further ado…
Duy Phan – “In Between The Gap”
TMRW2020 Challenge Winner
Duy :
We might not be sure about how the far future could look like, but I believe that in the next 20 years or so, what humanity needs are connections, both physically and mentally.
I the meantime, we are being separated from each other due to a global health crisis. Unintentionally, we have to widen the distance between our loved ones and us. And when I say loved ones it covers not only the persons you want to meet but also the things you enjoy doing.
So I guess soon we will get through this and rising again, but the question is, How do we fill in the gap that we will be facing? Do we need to push our buildings higher or bigger in the coming years? What could become a linking factor that fills the void between towers and towers, windows and windows, eyes and eyes?
The proposal for my entry is “the ARM.”
If we take Hudson Yards as a frontline in terms of recovering post-crisis problems, we could see the Edge (10 & 30 Hudson Yards), the Equinox (15 Hudson Yards), the 35, the 55 and the 50 Hudson Yards proudly stand beside each other, but without a connection between their massive structure.
On the city skyline, “the ARM” will visually unite all these giants as they are hugging each other and physically mirroring the city’s famous “High-line” from the bottom to the top of those towers. Thus, closing the loop of urban connection network where it usually ends when we reach to the roof level.
The Jury :
Duy showcased knowledge in how to explore a project with various ways of approach with what we consider the best composition and lighting skills in doing so.
With his entry, Duy addresses present-day societal concerns and draws from contextual architectural references around the Hudson Yards site.
There is a strong design concept, cohesive narrative, and beautiful progression of spatial and image development. Duy represents the project using different scales, varied spaces, and levels of detail to draw the viewer into his “Future New York.”
Mohamed Mahfouz – “The Dilemma”
TMRW2020 1st Runner Up
Mohamed :
Imagining Architecture as a movie or a memory flashback, we see how the human urban development has reformed from horizontal expansion to vertical expansion pattern as a methodology to maximize profits and make the best use of our limited resources.
This is how I imagine New York in 20 years! Not to say it is terrible, but maybe not so bright. Life within 20 years will not change that much. Humans will keep trying to overcome the feeling of horizontal expansion as cities expand vertically into ever taller, agile, glossy interconnected towers that are responsive to the growing density.
On the other hand, humanity will keep using our old infrastructure. Because these things take time, and so we’ll still have less light and less attention to those old streets: less clean and unfinished works everywhere, a real contrast of old vs. new life forms. Different technologies but still seems familiar, like seeing electric car today.
With this observation, I tried to imitate the attempt to contrast a soft new modern structure that penetrates the existing gap. The gap between the towers is our way as humans to breathe, break the habits, and make an impact.
Finally, this vision may not be real. It may not be positive, but I find it best to speculate about it, hoping we can learn and do better.
The Jury :
Mohamed succeeds in creating a holistic, immersive world. He presents a complex future that incorporates the old and new, visible down to the smallest detail.
It is enjoyable to see Mohamed’s architectural process, and the amount of thought and consideration put into developing the design and visuals.
Thank you all once more and see you in the next one!
RB + TMRW
More on The challenge of Tomorrow website!