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.