TCA has announced their 2009 international student design competition: The Sustainable Coffee Shop 2009. Graduate and undergraduate students in the field of architecture are invited to present conceptual designs for a new coffee shop in an urban market, specifically designed with emphasis on practical sustainability using site-cast concrete Tilt-Up panels. The competition is an international, open, single-stage ideas contest that seeks to challenge entrants to creatively develop a new business model that will respond to changing market conditions and become a new standard for coffee shops. The owner sees this new project as a potential prototype, which may be utilized across the country. He wants the coffee shop to be sustainable (LEED Certified) and built with Tilt-Up concrete. The building will be used, itself, as an educational tool, where individuals, groups and perhaps even a group of students can take a brief tour to learn about sustainability.

“The ability to inspire new generations of designers to understand the incredible flexibility of Tilt-Up is the primary goal of this program,” states Jim Baty, TCA Technical Director. “Since its inception, we have seen nothing short of exceptional creativity from the body of submissions as a whole demonstrating the free-thinkin that the student design community maintains. This will only continue to serve our industry well as these bright and talented individuals make their way into the design profession.”

A panel of judges will review entries for the following criteria:

• Creative/aesthetic use of Tilt-Up concrete in the design solution
• Tilt-Up concrete design — contribution to sustainable solution
• Quality of overall concept, design, layout
• Overall sustainable solution

The registration deadline for entries is August 28, 2009. The question response deadline is September 4 and the final submissions are due by September 14, 2009. Winners will be announced at the TCA Annual Convention, to be held at The Plantation, Amelia Island, Florida on October 1.

Prizes will be awarded for award winning designs. The awards for the competition are:

• First Prize:  $2,750 (USD)*
• Second Prize:  $2,250 (USD)*
• Third Prize: $1,750 (USD)*

Honorable mentions are at the judges’ discretion.

*The prize package includes cash to students and sponsoring departments (if applicable) as well as one free registration ($750 value) to the 2009 TCA Convention (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2) and a $500 travel allowance. Student cash awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place equal $1,500, $1,000, and $500 respectively. Prize winners, Honorable Mentions, and any additional projects deemed deserving of recognition by the hurry will be published in an issue of Tilt-Up TODAY after the conclusion of the competition. Sponsoring departments will receive recognition for their promotion and involvement as well as a complimentary copy of the TCA resource library consisting of one copy of The Architecture of Tilt-Up and one copy of the 6th Edition Tilt-Up Construction and Engineering Manual.

For more information and to obtain registration materials, visit www.tilt-up.org/students or call 319-895-6911.