Lateral Office (Professor Mason White and Lola Sheppard) has been selected as a finalist in the two-stage Vatnsmyri International Competition in Reykjavik, Iceland. Their proposal, titled "From Runways to Greenways," envisions three parks replacing the military runways in the downtown airport. Each greenway axis is intensified into either a production farm, civic green, or a recreation zone. The competition drew entries from around the world reviewed by an international jury including Joan Busquets (Urban Planner, Barcelona / Boston), Kees Kaan (Architect, Rotterdam), Hildebrand Machleidt (Urban Planner, Berlin), Steve Christer (Architect, Reykjavik), and various Reykjavik City Councilors.

Lateral Office’s design team for phase II included Imola Berczi (MArch '06), Neeraj Bhatia, Antoine Morris (March II), Daniel Rabin (MArch III), and Valerie Tam (MArch II). Phase I team was with Joshua Cohen (MArch ’07) and Maya Przybylski (MArch ’07). The team’s entry was one of only two finalists from North America to be recognized by the competition jury.

For more information and online exhibition see: http://www.vatnsmyri.is/