The ASCE The Architectural Engineering Institute announced the winners of the 2018 AEI Student Design Competition, April 6, at the AEI Forum, hosted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction.
The Pennsylvania State University earned the top award for building integration, and Lawrence Technological University received second place honors.
“These teams represent the future of the architectural engineering profession,” said Jonathan U. Dougherty, Ph.D., chair of the AEI Student Design Competition.
“Their understanding and execution of building design and construction within the context of the competition project, and their ability to overcome the unique challenges of this year’s competition – enclosure, smart building integration and disaster response – demonstrates that these students are well prepared for the realities of the architectural engineering industry.”
Each year, the AEI Student Design Competition attracts the top architectural engineering undergraduate and graduate students from the country’s leading academic institutions that offer architectural engineering degrees. It offers a unique venue for students to showcase their architectural engineering knowledge and skills, encouraging collaboration, research, innovation and peer review.
This year, students were challenged to address the design, integration, and construction issues associated with the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center of Omaha. The students collaborated in multidisciplinary teams and used architectural engineering knowledge and experiences to create innovative solutions. Teams considered how engineered systems integrate with building architecture while emphasizing smart building technology integration, as well as disaster and emergency response planning. Each team had university professors with strong professional and academic backgrounds to provide mentorship.
Projects were judged in five categories – building integration, structural systems design, mechanical systems design, electrical systems design, and construction management and development. Projects also were eligible for awards for innovation in enclosure design, smart building technology, and disaster response planning.
In the 2018 competition, 18 teams – a total of 163 students – participated. Eight architectural engineering programs participated in the submittal portion of the competition, including the competition’s first international submission. Five teams from five universities were invited to present at the finals for the competition before a volunteer panel of practitioner jurors.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Building Integration
1st Place: Pennsylvania State University
2nd Place: Lawrence Technological University
Construction Management and Development
1st Place: Kansas State University
2nd Place: Penn State
Electrical Systems Design
1st Place: Milwaukee School of Engineering
2nd Place: Lawrence Tech
Mechanical Systems Design
1st Place: Penn State
2nd Place: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Structural Systems Design
1st Place: Penn State
2nd Place: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Special Award: Outstanding Achievement in Innovation – Enclosure: Lawrence Tech
Special Award: Outstanding Achievement in Innovation – Disaster Response Planning: Penn State
