Architecture Students Feature Vinyl in Award-Winning Design
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 21, 2007 (VNS) – Two Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design students won first place for their innovative use of vinyl in an architectural competition to design a transit stop for the Milwaukee County Transit System.
The competition was the second in two years sponsored by the Vinyl Institute (VI) and administered by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). The entrants were required to design a usable bus stop including seating, shelter and display space for transit information. At least 60 percent of the visible structure had to be made of vinyl products and showcased in a unique and creative way.
Reflecting the AIAS Forum 2007 convention theme, “Architecture in Motion,” first place winners Danielle Jones and Annabelle Luedtke featured rows of lighted vinyl cubes and a shelter enclosed in translucent vinyl and built around a tree.
Explaining why they awarded this design the top honor, the jury of five architects and a Milwaukee Transit System official said, “This graceful and completely usable simple bus shelter provides an iconic landmark in the fabric of downtown Milwaukee.”
One judge, George Middleton, AIA, LEED AP, called the design “a unique piece of urban art” and agreed with other jury members on the designers' success in integrating the practices and professions of architecture and city planning in their solution.
Jones and Luedtke will be honored and accept their $2,500 cash prize at the AIAS Forum 2007, being held Dec. 29 – Jan. 1 in Milwaukee. Second and third place winners, as well as honorable mentions and merit award winners, will also be recognized and receive cash awards. Presentation boards and sample models of the six winning entries will be on display at the AIAS Forum and will also be exhibited in the AIAS Student Lounge and Gallery at the 2008 American Institute of Architects National Convention and Design Exposition in Boston May 15-18, 2008.
Tim Burns, VI president, said, “We are honored to be able to sponsor this competition and are delighted with the creativity with which these students are using vinyl in their concepts. As architects and designers of the future, they are learning that vinyl’s durability, energy efficiency and adaptability are qualities valued in a sustainable building material.”
The winning projects can be viewed on the AIAS Web site at www.aias.org/vinyl.