The winners of the Architecture at Zero 2015 design competition have been announced.
Teams of both students and professionals contributed entries to the contest, which is dedicated to the advancement of California Zero Net Energy (ZNE) building.
This year was the fifth edition of the event, and the task was to submit project plans that would develop the 113,300-sf Block 15 of the University of California, San Francisco Mission Bay campus into family-style student residential units over a ground floor of retail and community and support spaces.
Among the requirements, each project had to have 398,700 gsf of housing, 19,500 gsf of support services, and 774 beds in 523 units. Above all, each submission had to be as close to net-zero as possible, meaning it produces as much energy as it uses over the course of one year. A five-member jury evaluated the plans.
Student teams from the University of Cincinnati and Cornell University and a pro team from San Francisco’s EBS Consultants and AXIS Architecture + Design all won citation awards for their designs. San Francisco’s Mithun firm and Seattle’s Weber Thompson group each won honor awards. San Francisco’s BAR Architects earned a special recognition award.
Winners received up to $25,000 in prize money.
The University of Cincinnati's Transformer, a citation award winner. Redering courtesy University of Cincinnati and UCSF
Breeze Block, from Cornell University, was a citation award winner. Rendering courtesy Cornell University and UCSF
EBS Consultants and AXIS Architecture + Design won a citation award with Alveo. Rendering courtesy EBS Consultants and AXIS Architecture + Design and UCSF
Mithun won an honor award with Estuary. Rendering courtesy Mihtun and UCSF
BAR Architects' Mission Zero earned a special recognition award. Rendering courtesy BAR Architects and UCSF
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Nov 2, 2023
Amazon’s second headquarters completes its first buildings: a pair of 22-story towers
Amazon has completed construction of the first two buildings of its second headquarters, located in Arlington, Va. The all-electric structures, featuring low carbon concrete and mass timber, help further the company’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 and 100% renewable energy consumption by 2030. Designed by ZGF Architects, the two 22-story buildings are on track to become the largest LEED v4 Platinum buildings in the U.S.
Sustainability | Nov 1, 2023
Researchers create building air leakage detection system using a camera in real time
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a system that uses a camera to detect air leakage from buildings in real time.
Adaptive Reuse | Nov 1, 2023
Biden Administration reveals plan to spur more office-to-residential conversions
The Biden Administration recently announced plans to encourage more office buildings to be converted to residential use. The plan includes using federal money to lend to developers for conversion projects and selling government property that is suitable for conversions.
Sustainability | Nov 1, 2023
Tool identifies financial incentives for decarbonizing heavy industry, transportation projects
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has released a tool to identify financial incentives to help developers, industrial companies, and investors find financial incentives for heavy industry and transport projects.
Contractors | Nov 1, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending increases for the 16th straight month, in September 2023
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.3% in September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.1 trillion.
Sponsored | MFPRO+ Course | Oct 30, 2023
For the Multifamily Sector, Product Innovations Boost Design and Construction Success
This course covers emerging trends in exterior design and products/systems selection in the low- and mid-rise market-rate and luxury multifamily rental market. Topics include facade design, cladding material trends, fenestration trends/innovations, indoor/outdoor connection, and rooftop spaces.
Office Buildings | Oct 30, 2023
Find Your 30: Creating a unique sense of place in the workplace while emphasizing brand identity
Finding Your 30 gives each office a sense of autonomy, and it allows for bigger and broader concepts that emphasize distinctive cultural, historic or other similar attributes.
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2023
Top 170 K-12 School Architecture Firms for 2023
PBK Architects, Huckabee, DLR Group, VLK Architects, and Stantec top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school building architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2023
Top 100 K-12 School Construction Firms for 2023
CORE Construction, Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, Skanska USA, and Adolfson & Peterson top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school building contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2023
Top 80 K-12 School Engineering Firms for 2023
AECOM, CMTA, Jacobs, WSP, and IMEG head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school building engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
