Alcoa Kawneer and AIAS Challenge Students of Architecture and Design to Create a Stadium, Arena or Civic Center

August 18, 2011

Participants in the 2011 Student Design Competition Will Learn
About Building Materials, Sustainable Design and Hurricane Resistance

NEW YORK–For the sixth consecutive year, The American Institute of Architecture
Students (AIAS) and Alcoa’s (NYSE:AA) Kawneer Company, Inc. invite
students of architecture and design to submit projects for the annual
Student Design Competition.

Sponsored by Kawneer and administered by AIAS, the 2011 competition will
challenge students to design a stadium, civic center or arena while
learning about building materials, specifically architectural aluminum
building products and systems.

“Stadiums and arenas often serve as cornerstone of our community –
places where we can come together to celebrate or rally in a time of
need,” said Joshua Caulfield, Executive Director for the AIAS. “Each
year, this competition provides architecture and design students with an
invaluable opportunity to not only expand their experience, but also
learn about new techniques and products as well as have their work
viewed by several industry influencers. We are pleased to work with
Kawneer again on such a beneficial competition.”

Competition Criteria

This year’s competition requires participants to select a city and
outdoor sport of their choosing and create an environmentally friendly
facility that will serve the community as well as serve alternative
venues to make full use of the structure. Additionally, students will be
tasked to design a space that is resilient in all forms of weather,
including hurricanes and tropical storms of the Gulf, while seating a
minimum of 25,000 patrons. Competition objectives also include building
knowledge about materials, products and techniques that can help earn
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®)
certification points while creating a fun and exciting atmosphere for
sports viewing. Submissions will be evaluated based on ingenuity and
originality, as well as appropriate use of sustainable products and
overall design clarity.

The competition receives several hundred submissions from dozens of
schools and universities throughout the United States, with many
universities adopting the competition as a class project. Three winning
designs and three honorable mentions will be selected by the
competition’s jury, comprised of industry professionals with experience
relevant to the year’s topic. The total amount of prize money for
winning entries will be $7,225. In previous years students were
challenged to design a hurricane resistant campus-based recreation
center, a library for the 21st Century, a municipal
courthouse and a school.

Deadlines

Students interested in participating in the competition must register no
later than October 1, 2011. Submissions must be made digitally via the
competition website on or before November 1, 2011. Winners for the 2011
competition will be announced no later than December 1, 2011 via the
competition and AIAS websites. The winning projects will be displayed at
the 2011 AIAS FORUM in Phoenix, AZ, December 29, 2011 – January 1, 2011
and at the 2012 AIA National Convention in Washington, D.C., in June
issue of Crit, the Journal of the AIAS.

“Each year Kawneer looks forward to this competition and seeing the
creative and unique design ideas brought forth by students from across
the nation,” said Kimberly Ferro, Vice President, Marketing and Product
Development for Kawneer North America. “We are committed to providing
educational opportunities and offering products, solutions and tools
that help architects of all ages make their visions a reality.”

Visit http://kawneer.aias.org/
for more information about the 2011 Student Design Competition. To learn
more about AIAS, please visit www.aias.org.
For more information on Kawneer, please visit www.kawneer.com.

About the AIAS:
Headquartered in Washington, DC, the
American Institute of Architecture Students was established in 1956 and
is an independent, nonprofit, student-run organization dedicated to
providing unmatched programs, information, and resources on issues
critical to architectural education. The mission of the AIAS is to
promote excellence in architectural education, training and practice;
foster an appreciation of architecture and related disciplines; enrich
communities in a spirit of collaboration; and to organize students and
combine their efforts to advance the art and science of architecture.
The AIAS is comprised of more than 6,500 members at nearly 150 chapters
around the world.

About Kawneer:
With more than 100 years of innovation and
experience, Kawneer North America is headquartered in Norcross, GA, and
is the leading manufacturer of architectural aluminum products and
systems for the commercial construction industry. Kawneer is part of
Alcoa’s global Building and Construction Systems (BCS) business unit.
Alcoa BCS manufactures and markets architectural systems and products in
North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Alcoa is the world’s
leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum,
and alumina facilities, and is active in all major aspects of the
industry. For more information on Kawneer or its products, please visit www.kawneer.com.