The winner of the 2019 City of Dreams competition is now open to the public on Roosevelt Island. Salvage Swings is a cross-laminated timber pavilion built by the Arkansas based architecture practice Somewhere Studio led by Jessica Colangelo and Charles Sharpless, AIA. The pavilion served as the centerpiece of the June 1-2 FigmentNYC arts festival and will remain in Lighthouse Park through August 2019.

The pavilion consists of 12 repetitive modules that frame individual swings and views of the park and surrounding city. The swings are organized collectively in a triangular form to create a new communal space within the park. The open framework of the pavilion can host a variety of activities including community swinging, picnicking, outdoor concerts, and hide-and-seek games. The swing seats come from the window cut-outs between modules and activate a large-scale peg game for kids. Integrated LED lighting, designed by TM Light, in the swing windows transforms the pavilion at night into a beacon from the banks of the East River in Manhattan and Queens.

The pavilion is constructed from cross-laminated timber that was salvaged from the shipping palettes of the Stadium Drive Residence Hall construction project on the University of Arkansas Fayetteville campus. The 7’ by 30’ three-ply spruce palettes were processed and machined at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, where Colangelo and Sharpless are faculty members.

The project asks how a temporary pavilion design can utilize construction waste and also avoid ending up in the landfill after its initial period of use.  The swings are designed to be easily assembled and disassembled with a small group of volunteers. Prefabricated finger joint connections and manageable piece sizes allows for the project to be flat-packed, shipped, and site assembled in a matter of days. The modular design intends to extend the pavilion’s life beyond the summer activities in new places and configurations.

Somewhere Studio worked with FIGMENT, ENYA, SEAoNY, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation to select the exact site for Salvage Swings, refine the design, obtain necessary approvals, and fabricate and install the pavilion on the island. Somewhere Studio collaborated with Guy Nordenson and Associates for structural engineering and TM Light for lighting design.

The annual competition is hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). The City of Dreams Pavilion, so named for its focus on the future of a world that faces strains on both economic and natural resources, aims to promote sustainability-oriented thinking amidst the architecture and design communities, requiring designers to consider the environmental impact of their designs from materials sourcing to disposal (or ideally reuse) of waste at the end of the season.