SKOKIE, Ill. – Registration is now open for the 2009 “Concrete Thinking for A Sustainable World” international student design competition.

Sponsored by the Portland Cement Association (PCA), the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) and administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the contest challenges students to investigate innovative applications of portland cement-based materials to achieve sustainable design objectives.  The competition is open to all ACSA-affiliated schools.

Students are required to use design idea(s) from their studio work to illustrate enhanced building performance resulting from the use of portland cement-based material as a key element.  The competition offers two separate entry categories, each without site restrictions, for maximum flexibility:

> Transit Hub: Design an environmentally responsible Public Transportation Center focusing on architectural innovations to preserve tomorrow’s resources.
> Building Element: Design a single element of a building that provides a sustainable solution to real-world environmental challenges.

Design concepts can focus on, but are not limited to, such sustainable design objectives as:

> durability,
> recyclability,
> reduced site disturbance,
> storm water management,
> heat island effect,
> optimized energy performance,
> indoor air quality,
> material use reductions, and
> recycled content use.

Winning students, their faculty sponsors, and schools will receive cash prizes and software totaling nearly $50,000. Each winning school will receive a complete package of StructurePoint software, a retail value of nearly $10,000. The design jury will convene in June 2009 to select winning projects and honorable mentions.

The deadline to register for the competition is February 9, 2009, and the deadline to submit final entries is June 3. 

For a complete competition program guide, please visit  www.acsa-arch.org/competitions/09Concrete.aspx.