Net+Work+Camp+Us Wins Jury Prize
at 21st Century Project Design Showcase
Innovative design ideas earn firm $25,000 grand prize
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 04, 2008
Powered by the belief that, when considering the future of collegiate housing, every space is a potential learning space and that open structures promote interaction and connections, the net+work+camp+us team was the winner of this year’s 21st Century Project Design Showcase competition, presented by the Association of College & University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I).
Student Services Entry by 21st Century Project Residence Hall Unit by 21st Century Project Residence Hall Courtyard by 21st Century Project Central Plaza by 21st Century Project aerial still-05b by 21st Century Project aerial still-05b by 21st Century Project
Yang Tian, Suping Li, Yuzhu Zheng, and Nathan Herold comprised the award-winning team. The young professionals were advised by Rob Reis, AIA, LEED AP, a design principal with Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company in Norfolk, Virginia. The four team members are also employees of Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company, as well as recent graduates from institutions such as the National University of Singapore, Southeast University in China, University of Virginia, SUNY Buffalo, Guilin Institute of Technology in China, and Clemson University in South Carolina. The team received a $25,000 prize for their work. The competition was held February 1, 2008 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The team explained that their proposal “conveys an essential message about what can be, about student's new way of living and learning, about the impact of new technologies, about new methods of exchange, and new social relationships in an ever-changing information age.”
“ACUHO-I's competition rules emphasized flexibility and sustainability. Our solution was about the architecture, but also in thinking about how the architecture could participate in and foster community in a reality that is evolving in terms of technology, teaching, and learning. New technology should facilitate connections among people instead of becoming a barrier in the real world. As a built environment, net+work+camp+us becomes an interface between individual students and the community, between real and virtual world, between local and global. It promotes the connections among people. The identity of the community materializes in the ongoing dialogue between students’ campus life and net+work+camp+us.”
“Congratulations to the net+work+camp+us team,” said ACUHO-I Executive Director Sallie Traxler. “Their presentation showed a fresh and creative approach and was obviously the result of a great deal of work, thought, and talent. It is wonderful to see that amount of effort being put into creating collegiate housing for the students of tomorrow.” Executive Director Sallie Traxler. “Their presentation showed a fresh and creative approach and was obviously the result of a great deal of work, thought, and talent. It is wonderful to see that amount of effort being put into creating collegiate housing for the students of tomorrow.”
Other showcase competitors included MGA Partners of Philadelphia, Ayers/Saint/Gross of Baltimore, Little Diversified Architectural Consulting of Charlotte, North Carolina, and the team of Mackey Mitchell Architects of St. Louis and the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
Mackey Mitchell and SIUE won the people’s choice award, voted on by nearly 200 event attendees. Their plan featured a building design structured around European-style piazzas, as well as sliding doors that would be rearranged easily to expand and contract communal areas within suites.
“For the second straight year, event attendees were fortunate to see a host of fascinating ideas,” said 21st Century Project coordinator Michael Coakley, who is also the associate dean of student affairs and executive director of university housing at Arizona State University. “Elements from each of the designs were inspiring and point to a bright future for collegiate housing.”
Results from this competition will be shared at the ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition to be held this June in Orlando, Florida, as well as in ACUHO-I publications and online at www.21stCenturyProject.com.
The 21st Century Project is a multi-phased initiative leading to the construction of a new, state-of-the-art residential facility for colleges and universities. In addition to creating one or more prototype residential facilities on several campuses, the project will assist colleges and universities in designing new residential facilities that reflect the ever-changing roles that residences play in the collegiate experience.
For more information contact:
James Baumann
ACUHO-I Director of Communications & Marketing
614.292.0099
james@acuho-i.org