Ecosistema Urbano envisions bioclimatic domes for Florida’s West Palm waterfront

This green masterplan for the West Palm Beach in Florida will include the first public bioclimatic domes in the U.S. adorned with hanging gardens.

Architecture film Ecosistema Urbano submitted this proposal to the Shore to Core competition, which invited international designers, planners and architects to envision the future of the West Palm Beach waterfront. Van Alen Institute and the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (WPB CRA) awarded their Open Shore project first prize, out of a pool of over 40 international teams.The proposal envisions new amenities that reflect the city’s social and ethnic complexity. The design also shows how the city’s Banyan Garage can be upcycled into a mixed-use building that includes a farmers market, co-working spaces and skyline viewing platforms. Thematic alleyways feature rock climbing walls, interactive exhibition spaces and lots of foliage. Bioclimatic domes, the first public ones in the U.S., will be adorned with handing gardens, creating climatically comfortable spaces year round.

“Ecosistema Urbano’s proposal addresses social cohesion in a compelling way by integrating locally responsive systems with a welcoming public space that will further diversify the city,” said David van der Leer, Executive Director of Van Alen Institute. “We’re thrilled that West Palm Beach is looking to the future and rethinking how to create a downtown that is uniquely theirs— a downtown that enhances the wellbeing of residents and visitors alike.”