For more information, contact Trisha Riggs at 202/624-7086; E-mail: priggs@uli.org
WASHINGTON (March 2, 2009)–Teams representing Columbia University, Kansas State University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Miami have been selected as the finalists for the seventh annual ULI (Urban Land Institute) Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. The finalist teams were charged with the design of a development site in the city of Denver. A $50,000 prize will be awarded to the winning team; and an additional $30,000 will be split among the remaining finalist teams.
Almost 500 students distributed among 98 teams representing 42 universities in the U.S. and Canada applied to compete in the competition. Of those 98 teams, 91 submitted completed proposals. Through the competition, interdisciplinary teams of students were challenged to create a design and development proposal for a 75-acre site, which is located a mile and a half south of Denver adjacent to two light rail stations and the historic Baker and West Washington Park neighborhoods. The competition is designed as an exercise; there is no intention that the students’ plans will be implemented as part of any development of the site.
The ULI Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition strives to encourage cooperation and teamwork–necessary talents in the planning, design and development of sustainable communities–among future land use professionals and allied professions, such as architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, historic preservation, engineering, real estate development, finance, psychology and law. The competition has been funded in perpetuity through a $3 million endowment from real estate legend Gerald D. Hines, chairman and owner of the Hines real estate organization. “Through this competition, we are raising awareness among the students of the key role high-quality urban design plays in creating sustainable living environments,” Hines commented. “Real estate development is a very exciting, imaginative field. It involves many disciplines and interaction with so many parts of our world—finance, politics, science, and psychology—it affects the lives of so many people.”
For the 2009 competition, student teams were asked to present schemes portraying them as single-entity owners of the Denver Design District (DDD), a valuable midtown parcel comprised of three properties among roughly 75 acres just 1.5 miles south of downtown. While the DDD boasts an impressive tenant roster, and is the largest to-the-trade design center in an eight-state region, its built environment resembles a typical suburban power center. Based on the assumption that the DDD parcel has ample potential for a higher and better use, the competition has charged the teams with redeveloping the entire 75-acre site and creating a landmark, transformative mixed-use community without losing the current, valuable roster of tenants.
The challenge in redeveloping the DDD site lies in accommodating the current tenant program while simultaneously redeveloping the entire site in phases. The site has more than a half mile of frontage along Broadway, a major artery (one-way south), and direct connections to, and sight lines from, I-25 along its southern border. Additionally, two light rail stations are in close proximity; Alameda Station lies within the parcel’s western border while Broadway Station is just beyond its southern edge.
An added sustainability challenge–and new to the competition this year–is a connection to ULI’s initiative, The City in 2050: Creating Blueprints for Change. This initiative posits a vision of the future replete with massive demographic, climate, and financial changes that likely will alter the built environment. While adhering to the typical challenge involving financial and urban design components, teams must also consider their redevelopment of the DDD in the context of 2050 and how their plan will allow the DDD to thrive in 2050 and beyond.
ULI selected this site because it provides an opportunity for students to illustrate innovative ways to incorporate six aspects of urban design identified by ULI as essential components of sustainable communities. These include: 1) mixed-income housing; 2) adequate infrastructure to support growth; 3) ample public space; 4) places of commerce; 5) environmental preservation, including mitigating climate change; and 6) financial feasibility.
“The innovation and creativity shown by the teams is an inspiration to those of us with long careers in land use,” said Jury Chairman Daniel C. Van Epp, owner, The Van Epp Companies, Las Vegas. “This competition provides wonderful insight into the thoughtful approach the next generation will take to create communities that are viable and sustainable.”
The development schemes from the finalist teams are:
Columbia University, School of Architecture: “Solstice 5280” seeks to leverage the existing demographic trends and natural resources of Denver while combating the negative effects of sprawl and environmental degradation by employing six design strategies: density, energy, education, reuse, lifestyle, and public spaces. Team members include Jordan Cox, Jay Gillespie, Jinwoo Heo, Kyung Jae Kim, and Alex Weis.
Kansas State University, School of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning: “touch” proposes to converge culture, enterprise, and lifestyle to create a verdant, livable, community-focused urban atmosphere. The design establishes new methods of interaction and collaboration through vertical integration, higher densities, multiple transportation options and open space to create an engaged and vibrant lifestyle. Team members include Junbin Feng, Anthony Fox, Christopher Morton, John Perry, and Bryan Zundel.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning: “Panorama Station, A Proposal for Transit-Oriented Development and Public Space at Alameda Station” incorporates five key objectives: provide view-oriented public space, support a fifteen minute car-free lifestyle, create a sense of place, anticipate future flexible uses for big box spaces, and integrate water conserving landscapes. Team members include Blair Humphreys, Jesse Hunting, Eric Komppa (University of Wisconsin), Duncan McIlvaine, and Sarah Snider.
University of Miami, School of Architecture: “Alameda-A New Sustainable Urbanism” seeks to build on the historic urban grid while achieving a sustainable density and a balance between the public and private realms. The proposal pays particular attention to the notion of a self-sustaining community that simultaneously reaches out to the adjacent neighborhoods; flexible space and sense of place anchor the strong design components. Team members include Warren Bane, Benyameen Ghareeb, Jeffrey Hall, Victor Santana, and Jared Sedam.
Six team entries were also selected for honorable mentions: Cornell University with “Urban Succession;” three from Harvard University titled “Urban Acupuncture;” “Leveraging the Wedge;” and “Symbiosis;” the University of Maryland, College Park, with “Phasing D3;” and the University of Pennsylvania with “SODO: living by design.” Two entries from the University of Pennsylvania, titled “re:newable denver” and “Conexus,” also received recognition for their unique visions for ULI’s initiative, The City in 2050: Creating Blueprints for Change.
The finalist teams were chosen by a jury of renowned real estate development, architecture, urban planning, and design experts. In addition to Jury Chairman Daniel Van Epp, other jury members are: Donald Brinkerhoff, founder and CEO, Lifescapes International, Newport Beach, Ca.; Donald K. Carter, president, Urban Design Associates, Pittsburgh; Lizanne Galbreath, managing partner, Galbreath & Company, Norwalk, Conn.; Bert Gregory, president and CEO, Mithun, Seattle; Stephen James, planning and community design manager, Kennecott Land, Salt Lake City; Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia; and Neal I. Payton, principal, Torti Gallas and Partners, Los Angeles. Financial advisers to the competition are: Bruce C. O’Donnell, vice president, George K. Baum & Company, Denver; and John M. Walsh III, president, TIG Real Estate Services, Inc., Dallas.
In the final phase of the 2009 competition, which concludes April 2, the student finalist teams will have the opportunity to expand their original schemes and respond in more detail. On March 6, a member of each finalist team will visit Denver, all expenses paid, and will have the opportunity to tour the site and refine their presentations. On April 2, finalist team members will assemble, at ULI’s expense, to present their programs to the competition jury members during a public forum in Denver, which will also be attended by guests from the public and private sector.
For more information on the ULI Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition, visit www.udcompetition.uli.org.
The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 40,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.