Twenty-four architecture students from universities around North America were honored in the 2012-2013 Steel Design Student Competition. Administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the program challenges architecture students, working individually or in teams, to explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. A total of $14,000 in cash prizes was awarded to the winning students and their faculty sponsors.
Students submitted designs in two categories that required steel to be used as the primary structural material and with special emphasis placed on innovation in steel design. The Bridge to Building category challenged students to design a pedestrian bridge that would enrich its location and provide a vital spatial connection, as well as include an ancillary function – a small pavilion – that supports the cause for the crossing. In the Open Category, students were given the opportunity to select a site and building program that included at least one long-span steel structure.
The award winners in each category are:
Category I – Building to Bridge
First Place: “Stream_Line”
Students: Christopher Garrow, Heather Martin and Kaitlin Shenk
Faculty Sponsors: Donald Dunham, Brian Johnston, Thomas Kirchner, Lisa Phillips and Barbara Macaulay
School: Philadelphia University
“Real-world issues require more inclusive and interdisciplinary strategies – strategies that can help craft sustainable real-world solutions,” commented Dunham. “Giving our students real-world frameworks through international and national competition forums allows them to test new knowledge patterns in the most competitive, creative and intellectual environments.”
Second Place: “Adaptive Connections”
Students: Vahe Markosian, Andrew Maier III, Mark Pothier and James P Stoddart
Faculty Sponsors: John C Cerone and Adam Modesitt
School: Columbia University
Third Place: “Building [Equilibrium] Bridge”
Student: Javier Bidot-Betancourt
Faculty Sponsor: Jose Lorenzo-Torres
School: Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
- [PORT]al Memorium
Students: Kamilah Acebal and Sophie Juneau
Faculty Sponsor: Edgar Sarli
School: University of Miami - The Introduction of Force to Minimalize Material
Students: Jason Baiocchi and Jeremy Riback
Faculty Sponsor: Christopher D. Trumble
School: University of Arizona - Bridge Over | Pass Under
Student: Chad Guempel
Faculty Sponsor: Genevieve Baudoin
School: University of Kansas - Berkeley Bridge
Students: Jonathan Chiang and Jarvis Gene Lee
Faculty Sponsor: Gary Black
School: University of California, Berkeley
Category II – Open
Prize Winner: “Injection”
Students: Trevor Larsen and Ben Pennell
Faculty Sponsor: Thomas Fowler IV
School: California Polytechnic State University
Prize Winner: “Inverted Landscape”
Students: Byron Marroquin and Sal Vargas
Faculty Sponsor: Joshua G. Stein
School: Woodbury University
- Synchronous Paths – Toward a Center for Autism
Students: Sarah Limbocker, Marcia Trein, Lina Burnett and Sunyoung Kim
Faculty Sponsor: Bruce Johnson
School: University of Kansas - Quilt of enLIGHTenment
Student: Danielle Aspitz
Faculty Sponsor: Thomas Fowler IV
School: California Polytechnic State University - Inflate: An Expression of Information Use in Bayview, San Francisco
Student: Max Wisotsky
Faculty Sponsor: Thomas Fowler IV
School: California Polytechnic State University
About 250 project submissions from more than 1,000 students were received during this year’s steel design competition, and nearly 100 faculty members served as student advisers for the competition. In total, 48 universities from across North America took part.