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Green Necessity
San Diego is a place of sunny days and refreshing nights, where people come by the thousands, with countless dreams and aspirations. Here, there is space for everyone: Taco shops and fine restaurants, cafes and hip-hop clubs, parks and beaches… Imagine that less than 250 years
ago there was nothing here but a handful of mission houses. Not too far from now, only one thing will matter: How well we grow together with our city.
But what kind of city will that be? Today, we are slowly alienating ourselves from what truly makes us grow. We are constructing
structures that oppose nature rather than working in harmony with it;
we are consuming more resources than we can replace; we are growing faster and farther apart – we are becoming disconnected. How can we assume that our current ways of thinking about architecture will sustain
us in the future? In our current direction – it will not.
However, this does not need to be the case. By reminding ourselves
why we became architects in the first place and the responsibility that
we freely accept, we need to change the status quo – let’s give back!
We propose to start by rethinking the notion of an award: the act of receiving a token of accomplishment. Instead of receiving the honor,
let’s honor that which truly deserve it – Nature. By giving back to
Nature, we are actually giving back to ourselves.
It is a simple yet special award: an award that beautifies the city, gives oxygen, bears fruit for food, a shelter and home. It has a history older than our own, it is a reflection of growth, a physical symbol of the long
a close connection between the earth and ourselves. We dedicate a tree as an award to those worthy of merit. Then in the same gesture, the recipient dedicates the tree back to Nature – thereby closing the circle, celebrating our unity and solidifying our legacy. |
