Architecture 5117 Urban Studio become finalists in 3 international competitions
Monday, January 10, 2022
Media Contact: Kristi Wheeler | Manager, CEAT Marketing and Communications | 405-744-5831 | kristi.wheeler@okstate.edu
Over the past year and a half, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology’s Architecture 5117 Urban Studio has placed in three international design competitions.
The international competitions include the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Central States Competition, Tactical Urbanism NOW! Competition, and Future Public Space.
At the AIA Central States Competition, the studio took two of the top three places. The competition, held on Sept. 21, 2020, sought proposals for a section of the riverfront in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Twelve teams representing architecture programs in the Central States Region, including two Oklahoma State University teams, participated in the annual event seeking architectural design solutions.
Both teams were expected to create a different design plan for the riverfront.
Seung Ra, associate professor for the School of Architecture, helped his team place second overall in the competition.
“We don’t know where or what the project is before the start,” Ra said. “We joined at 8 a.m., the organizer explained the project and objectives, and we had 12 hours to finish the project. It is a very intense design competition.”
The competition was held virtually because of COVID-19, however, the OSU teams were still successful.
Nathan Richardson, who is also an associate professor for the School of Architecture, helped his team place third overall in the competition.
The competition this year was held virtually at each team’s respective schools. Although this was a major change for the teams, both advisors agree that the hardest part of the competition was completing the assignment within the 12-hour time limit.
“The hardest part about it is taking a team of four students and working on a project from start to finish in 12 hours,” Richardson said. “Even though you know you are only going to have 12 hours to develop a proposal, it is very difficult to continue to move forward and develop a design that is presentable.”
The Tactical Urbanism NOW! Competition is a worldwide contest for all ages and experience levels. The idea of tactical urbanism is short-term and low-cost solutions to cities where public space goes beyond traditional aspects such as parks and town squares.
The finalist group from OSU had the opportunity to transform the city of Dharavi in India.
Students Hope Bailey, Scott Cornelius and Devin Weddle were part of the team that developed Basin, a combined sanitation and public space. Through rainwater collection, a single basin provided sanitation needs for 40,000 people and a lounge/gathering space for citizens.
“We were challenged in this competition to generate ideas for a city where the design went beyond traditional notions,” Ra said. “The goal was to explore and conduct experiments with new urban scenarios. Our design studio focused on how architecture engages the city in the course of myriad encounters: new challenges, new possibilities and new configurations. Ultimately, students were challenged to view and study public space by developing an innovative and contemporary relationship between architecture and the city.”
The research put in by the design studio explored urban scenarios, which can help promote things such as social exchange, community activities and citizen interaction through the use of multifunctional designs.
“We encourage students to study issues that are very important to them,” Richardson said. “Throughout the studio, we have a lot of students looking at a wide range of things that interest them. The finalist group of this competition was really focused on water quality.”
Future Public Space is hosted by Non Architecture, a company with a mission to reinvent spatial design by questioning the base, fundamentals and conventions of an architect’s work. With an international team and a design community of thousands of people, Non Architecture develops initiatives, mediums, and projects to explore innovative design solutions and experimental collaboration models.
The urban studio also placed finalists in this competition, which encourages participants to come up with visionary concepts for an alternative public space that embraces today’s challenges. Only two drawings are allowed to be submitted. Participants are asked to propose conceptual ideas for the public space that will populate future cities.
“I am proud of our students for taking the lead and encouraging their peers this year,” Ra said. “They have been very engaged, flexible and innovative during the circumstances this year. This is an international audience, so they get to reach way beyond OSU.Their courage and go-getter attitude made our season worth it.”
Story by: Kaitlyn Mires | IMPACT Magazine