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Subject: Viridian Note 00141: Other People's Contests
Key concepts: design competitions, website design, Attention Conservation Notice: it's nothing much to do with us Viridians, we're just watching with interest and nodding approvingly. (((A couple of new contests have crossed our ken recently and they look intriguing.)))
Link: http://www.e-architect.com/media/releases/2000/02-28-00.htm "Energy Department and The American Institute of Architects Announce 'Sun Wall' National Design Competition for DOE Headquarters Building
"$20,000 Prize for Design of Largest FederalGovernment Building Solar Energy Installation in the World "Contact: Phil Simon, (202) 626-7463, psimon@aia.org John B. Townsend II, Department of Energy, (202) 586-5806 "For Immediate Release "WASHINGTON, D.C., February 28, 2000 == Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson and The American Institute of Architects President Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, today announced a national design competition for the largest federal government building solar energy system in the world. In the process, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Forrestal Building headquarters will become the home of the world's largest 'Sun Wall.' "'By demonstrating on our own headquarters building that solar energy systems can be attractive as well as practical, we will show the real benefits of clean energy technologies available today,' said Secretary Richardson. 'Once completed, the solar energy project will join other landmarks in our nation's capital.'
"Secretary Richardson added that architects,engineers and other design professionals who enter the competition are ideally positioned == because of their training and expertise == to successfully blend aesthetics with complex, technological systems.
"'Architects understand that the best designsolutions are those that are not only practical, inviting, and visually pleasing, but respectful of the environment as well,' said AIA President Skaggs. 'This design competition will offer a perfect example of how beauty and grandeur can go hand-in-hand with environmental sensitivity. We're pleased to play a role in a project that will likely culminate in a beautifully designed and environmentally sound facility that adds significantly to the architectural landscape in the District.' (((See, folks, that's DC-centric "patrician-Viridian" rhetoric there.)))
"Architects, building design professionals, engineersand energy technology companies are invited to design a technologically advanced and visually exciting solar system for the south-facing wall of the department's headquarters building in Washington, D.C. (((I'm especially liking this 'visually exciting' part.)))
"The wall, which is currently blank, spans a spacenearly two-thirds of an acre. The system could generate as much as 200 kilowatts of electric power, enough energy for more than 60 homes.
"Once completed, the 'sun wall' will be the largestsuch solar energy system on any government building in the United States and one of the largest such systems on any building in the world. (((Okay, who's got the BIGGEST ONE? Danes? Germans? Israelis? 'Fess up!))) (...) "The 'Sun Wall' Design Competition officially opens on March 1. The winning design will be selected by an eminent jury of architects, design professionals and solar energy experts. The contest will close on August 1, 2000, with the winning design scheduled to be announced during Energy Awareness Month 2000 in October. The winning design team will be awarded a $20,000 cash prize.
"DOE and the AIA jointly established the rules forthe competition and determined the award categories. Criteria for the contest, design specifications, rules of entry and registration materials will be available on March 1 on the Sun Wall Design competition website at www.doe-sunwall.org or by contacting Dr. E. Jackson, Jr., The American Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006-5292, (202) 626-7446."
(((And while we're at it, why not a green CIA
headquarters, too?)))
(((With its blatant amateurism, prestige economics and
lavish 50-buck award, this latter contest is really
Viridian.)))
The "5K" contest
"D E A D L I N E
"R U L E S All HTML, script, image, style, and any otherassociated files must collectively total less than 5 kilobytes in size and be entirely self-contained (employing no server-side processing).
"P U R P O S E "The idea behind the contest is that the rigidconstraints of designing for the web are what force us to get truly creative. Between servers and bandwidth, clients and users, HTML and the DOM, browsers and platforms, our conscience and our ego, we're left in a very small space to find highly optimal solutions. Since the space we have to explore is so small, we have to look harder, get more creative; and that's what makes it all interesting. Just celebrating that is all.
"J U D G I N G "Entries will be judged according to four criteria:(i) size, (ii) aesthetic appeal, (iii) function, (iv) overall concept & originality.
"Judges will be drawn from across the web designindustry, and will use their own platform, their own browser with their own plug-ins and none of these will be revealed.
"P R I Z E
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