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25th Sept 2017

Supertrees feature in global expo about urban nature

Grant Associates’ designs for the Supertree Grove of Singapore’s internationally acclaimed Gardens by the Bay are to feature at the Expo for Design, Innovation & Technology (EDIT) in Toronto, Canada.

The Supertrees will appear in ‘The Green and the Gray’, an interactive exhibition curated by international design studio Carlo Ratti Associati that runs from 28 September to 8 October 2017.

Part of the wider EDIT Expo, the exhibition investigates the evolving relationship between nature and cities. Grant Associates’ founder Andrew Grant will also present a talk about the Supertree Grove at the event on 2 October 2017 to tie in with World Architecture Day.

Organised by Canada’s national design museum Design Exchange (DX), the over-arching theme of the main exhibition is ‘Prosperity for all’. EDIT will coincide with celebrations of Canada’s 150th anniversary, and mark the 50th anniversary of Expo 67 - Montreal's much lauded 1967 International and Universal Exhibition.

The aim of “The Green and The Gray” is to showcase progressive projects in fields such as urban development, housing and product design. From hydroponics to sensors for climate engineering, to vertical gardens and sensitive lighting systems, the exhibition will explore how new technologies can bridge the rift between city and nature – or urban and rural - in unprecedented ways.

EDIT will take place within a former Unilever Soap factory in Toronto’s Port Lands - a five-floor building that will host all of the expo events and exhibition. ‘The Green and the Gray’ will occupy a 2000 sq ft (200 sq m) immersive environment in which living elements such as plants are seamlessly juxtaposed with built ones. Visitors can explore ‘The Green and The Gray’ while moving over a water floor – a special surface in which a thin transparent layer gives the impression of walking over water.

Other exhibitions at EDIT include work by the distinguished architect and designer Bruce Mau, chef Jamie Oliver, computer scientist Kentaro Toyama, and the physician and innovator Julielynn Wong.

Andrew Grant, founder and Director at Grant Associates, comments: “EDIT is an ambitious exhibition that deals with some of the most pressing challenges facing our world, including global urbanisation.

“EDIT and ‘The Green and the Gray’ provide vehicles through which the international design community can explore how to respond to these urgent issues, and help create a sustainable future. It’s a privilege for Grant Associates to be involved with the event and take part in these important discussions.”