ArchSociety

Urban SOS is AECOM’s annual student competition. It was created to engage students in urban planning and design, architecture, landscape architecture, environmental restoration, and engineering with the issues confronting modern cities and to allow them to propose solutions that, if worthy, will be seen by established professionals in their field.
This year AECOM is seeking submissions for the 4^th Annual Urban SOS competition. The theme of this year’s competition is Frontiers. Proposals should be on urban sites currently facing chronic livability challenges that are largely the result of a city’s location on a natural, political, cultural or economic border. Proposals should be implementable in the short term, as we will engage a local organization to help advance the proposed project.

The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students at all levels of higher education in all countries of the world. Entrants must be enrolled in a certified program during the 2012 fall term. Bachelors, Masters, Ph.D. students in the field of studies like Urban and Regional Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Planning, Natural Resource Sciences, Engineering, and related disciplines are eligible for the competition.

Submissions may be from individuals or teams of up to four members. Teams will benefit from having members of multiple disciplines. This year, we are encouraging entries from students enrolling in departments such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, international development, sustainable economics and the broader social sciences.    

Deadlines:  
   
By August 31, 2012 - Pre-registration of interest deadline  
By August 31, 2012 - Final submission deadline
September - Judging process  
October 1, 2012 - Announcement of semi-finalists  
Week of November 12, 2012 - Presentation and critique of semi-finalists’ submissions in Shanghai                

Prizes:  

Each of the three finalist teams will receive an honorarium to contribute to travel expenses related to visiting Shanghai to present the team’s submission. The finalist honoraria are to contribute to expenses related to attendance and presentation in Shanghai only and cannot be exchanged for other prizes. In addition, each team will receive US$500 to contribute to additional costs. No other costs or fees will be covered by AECOM or the sponsors.  

The winning team (or teams) will receive a cash prize. The total prize money is valued at US$15,000, which may be divided amongst one or more winning teams.   

A further US$25,000 in cash and in kind staff hours will be donated by AECOM to a charitable or humanitarian organization or related agency to help further develop the winning proposal.   

Visit the Competition Site for further details.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has announced its 2nd Annual International Student Tall Building Design Competition in January, 2012. It will be held in conjunction with the CTBUH 9^th World Congress Shanghai 2012, organized by several organizations and universities like Architectural Society of China, The American Institute of Architects, Illinois Institute of technology etc.

The goal of the competition is to shed new light on the meaning and value of tall buildings in modern society. In light of global climate change, public awareness of urban sustainability has forced designers to rethink and reinvent the role of the high-rise building type. They must contribute to the protection of endangered environments and offer sustainable alternatives to how cities operate, as they meet the growing demands of urban dwelling and reshaping the landscape of modern cities. It is increasingly important that tall buildings connect with the urban fabric, integrating with the existing city/street life, and reflect the nature of the city in which they are built.

Participants are free to site their projects anywhere in the world. This is not to undervalue the importance of site, and thus participants should carefully consider their site (which must be a “real” site, in a real location) as the site context should inherently have significant influence over the project’s design. Participants are also free to determine the size, height, function, accommodation and responsibilities of the building. The intention is these freedoms on site and program will maximize the diversity and creativity of the responses. It is also intended to allow students from specific high-rise educational studies around the world during the 2011–12 academic year to submit their projects for consideration. The competition is open to all students who are registered at a University level. For graduating or recently graduated students: you must have been a registered student at least during the Fall 2011 term, i.e., August–December 2011.  

Deadlines: 
-       Friday, June 22nd – Registration Deadline  
-       Friday, July 6th – Submission Deadline  
-       Monday, July 16th – Short-listed “Semi-finalists” Announced  
-       Monday, July 30th – Top-five “Finalists” announced 
-       Wednesday, September 19th-21st – CTBUH Shanghai Congress  
-       Thursday, September 20th (afternoon) – Top-five “Finalists” present to jury in Shanghai  
-       Thursday, September 20th (evening) – Winners announced and prizes conferred during Congress Dinner  

Prizes:  
-       First Place: US$8,500 – US$5,000 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress (up to US$3,500 value*)  
-       Second Place: US$6,500 – US$3,000 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress (up to US$3,500 value*)  
-       Third Place: US$4,500 – US$1,000 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress(up to US$3,500 value*)  
-       Fourth Place: US$4,000 – US$500 cash + stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress(up to US$3,500 value*)  
-       Fifth Place: US$3,500 – Stipend to attend 2012 Shanghai Congress (up to US$3,500 value*)  
-       Honorable Mentions – A select number of entries will be recognized as Honorable Mentions and awarded with a certificate  
-       Exhibition: A poster exhibition of up to 30 selected “Semi-finalist” entries will be exhibited during the CTBUH 2012 Shanghai Congress.    

*A stipend will be provided to send one representative from each of the five “Finalist” teams to the 2012 Shanghai Congress to present their project to the jury in order to determine the 1st through 5th place prizes.Complimentary Congress registration (value US$1,000) + travel/accommodation costs (up to US$2,500).    

Visit the competition website to know more:  Competition Site