ACSA/AISC Student Design Competition

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2012-2013 ACSA/AISC Steel Design Student Competition


INTRODUCTION
AISC and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce the thirteenth annual steel design student competition for the 2012-2013 academic year. Administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the program is intended to challenge students, working individually or in teams, to explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. Steel must be used as the primary structural material and contain at least one space that requires long-span steel structure, with special emphasis placed on innovation in steel design.


THE OPPORTUNITY
The 2012-2013 Steel Design Student Competition will offer architecture students the opportunity to compete in two separate categories.

    • Category I BUILDING TO BRIDGE challenges architecture students to design a pedestrian bridge that will enrich its location and provide a vital spatial connection. The bridge in this instance must also include an ancillary function – small pavilion – that supports the cause for the crossing. Steel offers great benefits in this endeavor, as it allows for longer spans and more creativity.

    • Category II OPEN submission design option will permit the greatest amount of flexibility for any building type.


CRITERIA FOR JUDGING
Criteria for the judging of submissions will include: steel as the primary structural material, long-span steel structure, creative and innovative use of structural steel in the design solution, successful response of the design to its surrounding context, and successful response to basic architectural concepts such as human activity needs, structural integrity, and coherence of architectural vocabular.


STRUCTURAL STEEL
Steel should be used as the primary structural material with special emphasis placed on innovation in steel design. Structural steel offers a number of strengths in building design including high resiliency and performance under harsh and difficult conditions, (e.g., earthquakes and hurricanes) and offers the ability to span great distances with slenderness and grace. Steel can be shaped to achieve curved forms and can be erected quickly to meet tough construction schedules under almost any weather condition. Steel can be easily modified to satisfy the life cycle of a building including changing occupant requirements. Steel is the most recycled material in the world. Today structural steel is 97% recycled with the primary source of material being automobiles. It is the environmentally sound choice for a building material. Architects have praised the natural beauty of steel and are excited about exposing it in the design of their structures to emphasize grace, slenderness, strength and transparency of frame.


Administrative Organization:
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is a nonprofit, membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education. The school membership in ACSA has grown from 10 charter members to over 250 schools in several membership categories. These include full membership for all accredited programs in the United States and government-sanctioned schools in Canada, candidate membership for schools seeking accreditation, and affiliate membership for schools for two-year and international programs. Through these schools, over 5,000 architecture faculty members are represented. In addition, over 500 supporting members composed of architecture firms, product associations and individuals add to the breadth of interest and support of ACSA goals. ACSA provides a major forum for ideas on the leading edge of architectural thought. Issues that will affect the architectural profession in the future are being examined today in ACSA member schools.


COMPETITION PROGRAM (PDF)