Architects team with HUD to promote 'Rebuild By Design' competition for Hurricane Sandy recovery effort

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced a communications campaign urging its membership to enter the “Rebuild by Design” multi-stage regional design competition announced by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan on June 20.

Rebuild by Design, which has an entry deadline of July 19, hopes to promote resiliency in the small coastal towns of New Jersey to lower Manhattan that were hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy late last year. The goal of the competition is to attract world-class talent, promote innovation and develop projects that will actually be built.

According to HUD, proposals will be analyzed in the fall and then developed between November and February. The winning designs and projects will be implemented in March with a combination of private and public funds, including allocations from the $16 billion pot of HUD Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery dollars appropriated earlier this year by Congress.

“We enthusiastically encourage AIA members and the entire architectural profession to participate in this design competition, said AIA President Mickey Jacob, FAIA. “It is a unique opportunity to be considered to play a significant role in the design and implementation of this massive, decades-long redevelopment and planning effort.

“This collaboration of design professionals, community and political leaders has the potential to not only address the livability, reconstruction and resiliency of the region devastated by Hurricane Sandy, but to act as a model for how we must treat the future sustainable development of coastal areas prone to the ever increasing incidents of natural disasters,” Jacob said.

“We appreciate the willingness of the AIA to encourage its members to help shape the future of the Sandy-affected region by participating in the Rebuild By Design competition,” said Secretary Donovan. “We are calling on the brightest minds across various fields to help develop resilient design solutions -- from infrastructure engineers, to landscape designers and, of course, architects. Rebuild By Design will develop projects that will actually be built and can serve as models for communities worldwide.”

Examples of design solutions are expected to range in scope and scale – from large-scale green infrastructure to small-scale residential resiliency retrofits.

The competition will have a region-wide focus to help provide solutions to problems that are larger or more complex than individual towns have the capacity to solve themselves. The regional focus will also help provide a better understanding of the many interconnected systems (infrastructure, ecological, climate, economic and others) in the Sandy-affected region. Design teams will start with regional analyses to understand major vulnerabilities and then, through the collaborative design process begin to focus on local implementation and key projects for improving the region’s resilience.

Rebuild By Design will have four stages:

Stage 1: Call for concept proposals and selection of 5-10 teams

June 2013 – July 2013

Attract and form teams 5-10 with world-class expertise in infrastructure engineering, landscape design, urban design, architecture, land use planning, industrial design, communication, and other fields.

Stage 2: Analysis of the region through collaborative process

August 2013 – October 2013

The teams will interact with a wide-range of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive understanding of the region, its interdependencies, key players, and areas that warrant integrated design thinking and solutions.

Stage 3: Development of design solutions and selection of key projects

November 2013 – February 2014

Teams will submit their designs in the beginning of February. A jury will select the winners.

Stage 4: Implementation of winning designs and projects

Will commence March 2014

Winning design solutions, having been developed in close collaboration with government and stakeholders, will be implemented using public and private funds.

For more information on how to enter, please click here:

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/sandyrebuilding/rebuildbydesign

About the American Institute of Architects

For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct to ensure the highest standards in professional practice. Embracing their responsibility to serve society, AIA members engage civic and government leaders and the public in helping find needed solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.

Shortly before Mental Health Awareness Month in May, development and construction firm Skanska announced the topping out of California’s first behavioral health facility—and the largest in the nation—to target net zero energy. Located in Redwood City, San Mateo County, Calif., the 77,610-sf Cordilleras Health System Replacement Project is slated for completion in late 2024.

Government Buildings | May 18, 2023

GSA launches first biennial construction award program

Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the new biennial GSA Construction Award program, which is seeking submissions this summer. The program was created to honor outstanding achievements in construction, with a focus on quality and craftsmanship, collaboration and team dynamics, sustainability, innovation, and technology. The first Construction Awards ceremony will take place in 2024.

K-12 Schools | May 17, 2023

Designing K-12 schools for students and safety

While bullying, mental health, and other acts of violence are all too common in schools today, designers have shown that smart and subtle preventive steps can make a big difference. Clark Nexsen’s Becky Brady shares how prevention and taking action at the design level can create safe and engaging learning environments.

Affordable Housing | May 17, 2023

Affordable housing advocates push for community-owned homes over investment properties

Panelists participating in a recent webinar hosted by the Urban Institute discussed various actions that could help alleviate the nation’s affordable housing crisis. Among the possible remedies: inclusionary zoning policies, various reforms to increase local affordable housing stock, and fees on new development to offset the impact on public infrastructure.

University Buildings | May 17, 2023

New UC Irvine health sciences building supports aim to become national model for integrative health

The new College of Health Sciences Building and Nursing & Health Sciences Hall at the University of California Irvine supports the institution’s goal of becoming a national model for integrative health. The new 211,660-sf facility houses nursing, medical doctorate, pharmacy, philosophy, and public health programs in a single building.

More than the sum of its parts, the building enclosure is a collection of integrated assemblies that work in concert to shield the interior from the elements.

4 steps to a better building enclosure

Dividing the outside environment from the interior, the building enclosure is one of the most important parts of the structure. The enclosure not only defines the building’s aesthetic, but also protects occupants from the elements and facilitates a comfortable, controlled climate. With dozens of components comprising the exterior assemblies, from foundation to cladding to roof, figuring out which concerns to address first can be daunting.

Multifamily Housing | May 16, 2023

Legislators aim to make office-to-housing conversions easier

Lawmakers around the country are looking for ways to spur conversions of office space to residential use.cSuch projects come with challenges such as inadequate plumbing, not enough exterior-facing windows, and footprints that don’t easily lend themselves to residential use. These conditions raise the cost for developers.

Currently Reading

Architects team with HUD to promote 'Rebuild By Design' competition for Hurricane Sandy recovery effort

Tags

Architects | May 23, 2023

K-12 Schools | May 22, 2023

Architects | May 19, 2023

Healthcare Facilities | May 19, 2023

Government Buildings | May 18, 2023

K-12 Schools | May 17, 2023

Affordable Housing | May 17, 2023

University Buildings | May 17, 2023

Sponsored | Building Enclosure Systems | May 16, 2023

Multifamily Housing | May 16, 2023

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: