Sep 16, 2011

The 2012 SSEF Architectural Student Design Competition was announced on September 16, 2011.

Since its inception in 2002, the SSEF Architectural Student Design Competition has been challenging students to develop a deeper understanding of steel structures – from structural design to detailing requirements - and applying this knowledge into a realm of a supposed application.
 
The challenge for the 2012 Competition is for students to include the theme of "recycle" in their designs. 

As described by Dr. Sylvie Boulanger in a recent Canadian Architect article:

“Recovery implies reuse of an existing structure or recycling of steel products, extending the sustainable life of a structure and the material through multiple recovery cycles, thereby honouring the “from cradle to cradle” concept. Reusing steel involves both reusing steel in situ, dismantling a structure so it can be rebuilt elsewhere or reusing steel members and elements from a demolition site for a new building. Recycling means taking the steel members from an old structure or steel from defunct automobiles, appliances and industrial wastes, and making new steel from it, by re-melting in a furnace. Recovery strategies should be considered not only at the end of a structure’s life, as it is commonly done, but they should be integrated from the onset during the conceptual phase i.e.: What will the second life of the structure be? What will be recovered? Will it have a third and fourth life? What must be integrated at the design stage to facilitate recovery? And where would one start if one wanted to bring in reused steel in a project?”

Students are encouraged to explore "recycle" as it may be expressed in form, surfaces, members and connections, they are also invited to engage in the exploration of "recycle" through structural and architectural design.

Please visit our competitions page for detailed information.