26 replies to this topic

[Austin55]

So, this is a thing?

Website

 

 

EcoPlex, will be home to a community of leaders made up of scientists, researchers, established businesses and entrepreneurs. Together they will connect to the global sustainability community and set a new standard for solving these life-threatening planetary problems. Committed to a culture of collaboration, the entire complex will be designed and built so that it can easily connect in real time with the global sustainable community.

 

EcoPlex will have world-class research labs, collaborative workspaces where science and industry can meet and develop ecologically safe products, and meeting spaces where global leaders can meet. The showpiece of the facility will be the National Environmental Museum™, America’s first-ever museum dedicated exclusively to the environment. The museum will house dynamic exhibits designed to help visitors learn about environmental challenges and, more importantly, what we can all do to solve them.

 

According to an article in GreenSource DFW, the vision is to build this at the Farrington Field site.

[Jeriat]

. . . what?

[Stadtplan]

Sounds exciting.  I wonder if they would go for LEED Platinum?  

 

 

 

“What makes this museum so important is that it will act as a living laboratory and accelerator showcasing innovation and technology,” Horn says.

 

Any guesses on who these thought leaders are / include?  I have a couple ideas.

 

 

A group of thought leaders in Fort Worth, Texas have begun developing a complex where mankind can systematically and collaboratively tackle these challenges. These business and community leaders all share a common concern for our home – Earth.

 

This museum should have been built 20 years ago.  I remember back in the 80's outside of Des Moines I visited the Iowa Living History Farm and they had a full "House of the Future" onsite which if I recall featured some of today's technology probably 20-30 years looking forward.  This was a very exciting place to visit because it showed real living history but also look ahead toward what the future may hold as far as building technology.  Hopefully the timeline for fundraising and design does not push the EcoPlex project too far out as there's no telling in 5 or 10 years how bad our environmental crisis will look.  

[Stadtplan]

Im not sure I like the star shaped building. Dont get me wrong it looks cool maybe for Dallas Cowboys but it seems inefficient as far as flow of people, exhibits and space utilization for a research center / museum. If you have visited the Perot museum you know that one of the intended designs was to go up to the top exhibit level and work your way down through the museum.

[Jeriat]

I don't hate this... but if they're talking the Farrington Field site, I'm a little worried. 

[John T Roberts]

If you dig through the websites that were posted, they state that they plan to keep Farrington Field in place.  I was very worried about the location at first, but if these developers will preserve the stadium, then that would be wonderful.

[JBB]

I'm a bit skeptical.  Don't get me wrong.  It sounds like a great idea, but this sounds a little vague and pie in the sky to me.  Does anyone know if there's real money behind it?

[elpingüino]

From the article in the original post:

"The Ecoplex has moved past its initial concept development stage, and now seed funding is being sought. Horn says ideally, the project will be supported by small donors so that more people would be engaged than if a sole benefactor contributed."

[txbornviking]

smells of DreamVision

[rriojas71]

This would be a great venture in regards to global sustainability community however I am not a huge fan of the design of the building.  There are some cool facets about it but overall the star shape is too contrived for me.  Redo the design and keep Farrington Field in place and I'm sold.

[Stadtplan]

This would be a great venture in regards to global sustainability community however I am not a huge fan of the design of the building.  There are some cool facets about it but overall the star shape is too contrived for me.  Redo the design and keep Farrington Field in place and I'm sold.

 

I would rather see a site that lends itself to more indoor and outdoor exploration including farming, energy, manufacturing and building technology.  It's contrary to build a museum about environmental education and then have all these visitors hanging out in air conditioned space all day.  How about some sustainable living exhibits, animals, plants, rivers, wildlife, farming...exhibits that interact with the land.  Also, the star = texas symbolism seems way too tongue-in-cheek for me.

[JBB]

From the article in the original post:

"The Ecoplex has moved past its initial concept development stage, and now seed funding is being sought. Horn says ideally, the project will be supported by small donors so that more people would be engaged than if a sole benefactor contributed."

 

That doesn't lessen my skepticism.  I've worked for a non-profit for a long time.  Big projects like this don't happen with small donations, even from a lot of people.  Even with some recognizable names on the board, I'm not sure this one happens.  I don't think it's a scam like Dreamvision because this at least has a lot of local connection and legitimacy.

[Jeriat]

I'm a bit skeptical.  Don't get me wrong.  It sounds like a great idea, but this sounds a little vague and pie in the sky to me.  Does anyone know if there's real money behind it?

 

 

smells of DreamVision

I don't totally disagree with this sentiment, either... 

[JBB]

You guys have a real short memory about Dreamvision.  Did you ever see anything with Dreamvision with this concrete of a plan?  Or local leadership?  Or legitimate board member like Michael Bennett or Ann Zedah?  I'll take the blame for taking it down the skepticism road, but I was questioning the ability to pull it off, not the earnestness of their intentions.  This is nothing like Dreamvision.  Not every pie in the sky idea is a scam.

[Jeriat]

You guys have a real short memory about Dreamvision.  Did you ever see anything with Dreamvision with this concrete of a plan?  Or local leadership?  Or legitimate board member like Michael Bennett or Ann Zedah?  I'll take the blame for taking it down the skepticism road, but I was questioning the ability to pull it off, not the earnestness of their intentions.  This is nothing like Dreamvision.  Not every pie in the sky idea is a scam.

I don't see this as "pie in the sky", I see it as just... random. Like it came out of nowhere. 

I said I wouldn't mind this happening (so long as Farrington itself was untouched) but any skepticism on my part is just because of the history of this city and big time development going nowhere. 

[roverone]

For me the architecture of this project does not seem to be sending the message of sustainability.  It is hard for me to look at the renderings and see in them design features (beyond maybe the earth berm-ing which is difficult to follow around to the back) that inform me about the kind of message they are trying to make.

 

But even if I could imagine a way to make this technically efficient and a great building, the architecture is very complex to build and without a lot of compromises from the look of the rendering to an as-built will require a large investment.  I don't know that "more" "small donors" will be putting their money to the best use for the mission / message if so much of it goes to eccentric architecture.  Such architecture seems more in line with statement designs that few very large donors might want to look at.

 

Above I said that the build qualities don't seem to express they message, but I think I'd also say that just the "look" of the building doesn't make me think of the message they are trying to send.  In fact, if you turned the presumably "earth" sphere into a football shape, this would fit in perfectly in Arlington as a Dallas Cowboys museum.

[Austin55]

This project was featured a few months back on the UNTHSC podcast. The renderings were done by Micheal Bennet and a BBPTX employee.

https://m.youtube.co...eature=youtu.be

[GenX]

I like the design. But unless you have some sort of venue ( Ideally public ) that overlooks this building. What is the point in it being star shape ? Just to impress air traffic  ?  This "ball" would be a head turner at ground level I will give them that. 

[RD Milhollin]

This museum should have been built 20 years ago.  I remember back in the 80's outside of Des Moines I visited the Iowa Living History Farm and they had a full "House of the Future" onsite which if I recall featured some of today's technology probably 20-30 years looking forward.  This was a very exciting place to visit because it showed real living history but also look ahead toward what the future may hold as far as building technology.  Hopefully the timeline for fundraising and design does not push the EcoPlex project too far out as there's no telling in 5 or 10 years how bad our environmental crisis will look.  

Des Moines has an annual head-turner in the World Food Prize, awarded once a year for innovations in feeding the world's population. It is probably as important to sustainable agricultural science as the Van Cliburn Competition is to performance classical piano.

[elpingüino]

Fort Worth Report: https://fortworthrep...o-fight-for-it/ "The building site is not yet set, and Farrington Field is not the only place being considered."

[Stadtplan]

** Without the financial backing of Fort Worth, the city could lose the project **

Sounds to me like some of arm-twisting. Reminds me of the film The Music Man. Sell us something we did not necessarily know we wanted or needed and, oh by the way, if we do not cough up the money, they will take it to another city?

[Doohickie]

** Without the financial backing of Fort Worth, the city could lose the project **

Sounds to me like some of arm-twisting. Reminds me of the film The Music Man. Sell us something we did not necessarily know we wanted or needed and, oh by the way, if we do not cough up the money, they will take it to another city?

[txbornviking]

** Without the financial backing of Fort Worth, the city could lose the project **

Sounds to me like some of arm-twisting. Reminds me of the film The Music Man. Sell us something we did not necessarily know we wanted or needed and, oh by the way, if we do not cough up the money, they will take it to another city?

 

sounds like more of a Shelbyville idea

[Jeriat]

** Without the financial backing of Fort Worth, the city could lose the project **

 

[elpingüino]

Star-Telegram adds its own coverage. No funding sources yet. https://www.star-tel...l#storylink=cpy

[elpingüino]

I've been slowly adding a few things to the map here and there. You can see it here: https://www.now.town/map

Just throwing it out there...

I think you can go ahead and delete that "EcoPlex". 

Who knows if this project is still viable (or if it ever was to begin with) but I was surprised to see that the EcoPlex organization has stayed active on social media as recently as this summer: https://www.instagra...zRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Crestline]

. . . what?