NEW VISIONS-A DESIGN COMPETITION FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Mission of Urban Reserve: Urban Reserve establishes a new vision for the development of single-family neighborhoods-one of sustainably designed, modernist houses, gently sited in a rolling, wooded landscape with close access to urban amenities. We envision houses that are of their time and place: cutting edge in design but low impact and co-existing harmoniously in the streetscape and landscape.

Goal of Competition: The purpose of this competition is to facilitate the involvement of younger architects, architectural interns and students in the design of one or more of the houses at Urban Reserve. In addition to monetary prizes, one or more of the winning entrants may be awarded a commission to further develop their design for eventual construction.

Questions and Answers: Download this PDF with updated questions and answers.

Who Should Enter: Members and Associates of the American Institute of Architects within 10 years of having completed their degree and currently enrolled students. Team as well as individual submittals are welcome.

Winning Entries: Entries will be chosen from the field and awarded as follows:

Professional
First Place $1,500
Second Place $1,000
Third Place $500		 Student
First Place $750
Second Place $500
Third Place $250

Winning designs and select other designs will be exhibited on the Urban Reserve website and may be exhibited publicly. Should any of the designs be chosen for construction, Urban Edge Developers will negotiate a fee for additional design development. Entrants agree that their designs may be used in Urban Reserve media and/or placed on public exhibit at the discretion of Urban Edge Developers.

The Process and Schedule: Registration period: through June 1, 2005. Participants should register online and mail the entry fee of $35, prior to the end of the registration period, to Urban Edge Developers Ltd., P.O. Box 191166, Dallas TX 75219. Questions of general interest submitted by June 1 will be answered on the Urban Reserve website.

Deadline for submittal: June 15, 2005
Awards will be announced June 20, 2005

The Site: The lot for which designs are to be submitted is 35 Vanguard Way (Lot #35) at Urban Reserve, Dallas, Texas. The lot measures 40' by 125' for a total of 5,000 square feet. It slopes generally to the southwest but features a 20' drop-off at the rear of the lot. The 100-year floodplain crosses the lot at about the 500 foot elevation; no part of the structure may extend into the floodplain. There are no trees currently on the lot. Additional details are posted on the Urban Reserve website; entrants are encouraged to visit both the web site and the physical site.

The Program: This is a speculative house with the following typical space requirements: 2,000 square feet, two bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths, study or third bedroom, utility, two-car garage or carport. However, we encourage alternative interpretations of this program.

Guidelines: All designs should follow the design criteria manual for Urban Reserve, posted here. Designs will be judged based on the quality of the design, its relationship to the physical context of Urban Reserve, and its relevance to the spirit and mission of Urban Reserve. Awards will be made in the professional category and in the student category.

The Jury:

  • Rand Elliott FAIA, Elliott + Associates, Oklahoma City
  • Eurico Francisco AIA, RTKL Associates, Inc., Dallas
  • Dan Shipley FAIA, Shipley Architects, Dallas
Submittals: Drawings and renderings, and a written project statement of no more than 250 words should be sent on a compact disc (cd) clearly labeled with the full name of the submitter. Drawings should consist of a site plan, floor plans, exterior elevations, exterior perspective or model photograph and others as needed. To avoid having to deal with a variety of file types we ask that submittals be in the form of a Powerpoint (PPT) file with no animation, video, or hyperlinks. This is a blind competition and the cd will be logged and the name obscured. There should be no names, logos or other identification on the digital files themselves.  Submitters whose designs are chosen for exhibit may be asked to submit hard copies of drawings for the exhibit.

All submittals should be the original work of the submitter and should not have been submitted elsewhere. No submittal should include all or part of a copyrighted work.