Students and young professionals will vie for top design honors during the 2009 Natural Talent Design Competition sponsored by the Cincinnati chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Designers will submit a plan for redeveloping the Drop Inn Center homeless shelter, at the corner of 12th and Elm Streets in Over-the-Rhine, in accordance with the LEED Green Building Rating System.
“We’ve grown rapidly over the last year, getting emerging green builders. This (contest) has helped. People are attracted to design competitions, and we can draw from Cincinnati State, the University of Cincinnati and Miami University, and we’re starting to getting them interested in being in our group,” said Heather Wehby, the Cincinnati chapter’s board of directors secretary.
There are no plans for the winning design to be used at the Center, but potentially it could serve as a starting point if the Drop Inn center is redeveloped, said Wehby.
The project must include:
- Outdoor Courtyard/ Athletic Space: for gathering and recreation; must be connected to dorm space and easily accessible
- Men’s Dorm Facility (24 hour emergency shelter): 300 beds
- Women’s Dorm Facility (24 hour emergency shelter): 100 beds
- Group Restrooms (Men’s and Women’s): connected to Dorm space
- Residential Recovery Unit w/ 20 private rooms w/ individuals restrooms: Adjacent to dorm facility (recovering residents act as role model for dorm residents.)
- Parking
“The existing facility is not large enough for the center’s needs. Capacity for men’s and women’s dorm space must be expanded. An exterior courtyard is urgently needed. … The project will utilize LEED for New Construction strategies to create a unique and integrated urban design aesthetic and strive for a LEED Platinum rating,” the contest rules state.
Contestants work in teams of up to five people and must be in college or a college grad who has been in the workforce five years or less. The Cincinnati contest will be just one of more than two dozen taking place across the country from New York City to Los Angeles. There are currently 11 Cincinnati teams in the contest.
“One emphasis is on social sustainability, as well as environmental sustainability. That’s one of the reasons we host the program, to present sustainability in a broad context and the impact it has on people. It’s really resonating,” Wehby said.
The deadline for submissions is July 13, and contests can register online at
www.usgbc.org\egb. Complete contest rules are here.
Winners will receive cash prizes of $1,000 for 1st Place, $500 for 2nd place and $250 for 3rd place. Fourth and Fifth places will receive honorable mentions.
Judging will be held at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College’s main campus on July 23 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The award ceremony will follow. The finalists will compete with other designers in a national contest at USGBC’s Annual Green Building Conference and Expo in Phoenix.
The local chapter is also seeking sponsors for the contest. Funds donated will go directly to student awards.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: Jill Isaacs, O'Keeffe Communications, Inc., Heather Wehby, the Cincinnati chapter’s board of directors secretary
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