PennDesign student Daniel Lau (MArch '16 candidate) and alumni Joseph Rosenberg (MLA'15) and Lindsay Rule (MLA'/MArch'15) have won AECOM’s sixth annual Urban SOS competition. Their entry, The THIRD Reserve, proposed to create an ambitious new urban landscape to enable the island city-state of Singapore to become self-sufficient in its food production.
The Urban SOS program fosters cross-disciplinary thinking in urban problem-solving and design education while helping to make a real difference for communities in need. The 2015 student competition was co-sponsored by AECOM, Van Alen Institute and 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation (100RC). This year’s “All Systems Go” theme asked student teams to submit site-specific proposals that solved an urban food or water system challenge in one of the 100 Resilient Cities locations.
After AECOM juries in 20 offices worldwide selected three finalist teams, a master jury of design leaders from AECOM, Van Alen Institute, 100 RC and The Architect's Newspaper selected the winning entry following a public charrette hosted by the A+D Museum in Los Angeles on Oct. 15.
The winning team received a $7,500 prize and up to $25,000 of in-kind staff time to support advancing the project. Awards were presented to the students by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Michael S. Burke, AECOM chairman and chief executive officer.
“Making cities more resilient to change is core to what we do at AECOM,’’ Burke said. “We believe that tomorrow’s cities will require holistic, integrated thinking—like that advanced by UrbanSOS participants in this competition—to prepare for the challenges ahead and to prioritize for the long-term what projects they pursue, develop and fund.’’
“Los Angeles thinks ahead of the curve—whether we are designing revolutionary technology, creating iconic art and architecture, or pioneering policies designed to keep this city resilient,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "In the face of climate change, we developed the nation's most comprehensive Sustainable City plan. To prepare for natural disasters, we created "Resilience by Design," a plan that represents a tectonic shift in earthquake policy. I am pleased to see UrbanSOS and AECOM challenging the next-generation of designers, engineers and planners to similarly advance creative, cross-disciplinary projects that will help address some of the world's most pressing economic and social challenges."
“This year’s entries were particularly strong and deep, coming from universities around the world,” noted Bill Hanway, competition chair and AECOM’s global practice leader, architecture. “We commend all of the finalists and all of the entrants for their efforts and innovative thoughts on improving urban communities and their commitment to practice cross-disciplinary design.”
"Van Alen's student competitions allow emerging designers to take on challenges that cut across disciplines and have tangible implications for cities and regions of the future," says David van der Leer, executive director of Van Alen Institute. "We're excited to collaborate with AECOM and 100 Resilient Cities to provide an opportunity for students to see elements of their ideas realized in an urban context facing pressing systemic challenges."
The master jury included: Jerome Chou, Van Alen Institute, director of competitions; Nate Cormier, AECOM, Los Angeles metro director of landscape architecture; Stephen Engblom, AECOM, global director, AECOM Cities; Bill Hanway, AECOM, global architecture leader, global sports leader; Bryna Lipper, 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, vice president for relationships; and Mimi Zeiger, critic, editor, and curator.
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