Destination Food, an open-source technology platform that connects food supply with demand on a local level, was voted the $3,000 Grand Prize winner in Building Design+Construction's first annual Vision U40 Competition. The competition took place last week at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco.
The goal of the competition was to develop and present innovative solutions for today's pressing social, economic, technical, and cultural problems related to the built environment. Fifteen teams participated in the Vision U40 competition. Each team had just 90 seconds to pitch their concept to the entire group, who voted for their top five.
Here are the five winning teams (click here to see all 15 concepts):
1. Destination Food ($3,000 grand prize winner)
Problem: More than 23 million Americans live without access to affordable, nutritious food. Making things worse, 40% of the food in the U.S. goes to waste.
Solution: Destination Food is an open-source technology platform that connects food supply with demand in a simple, convenient, and affordable way. The app includes a database of profiles and ratings for growers, GPS mapping for connecting consumers to the closest food suppliers, and a scheduling tool for setting up deliveries.
Team:
Cynthia Dubberley, Architect, Eskew + Dumez + Ripple, New Orleans
Christina Weber, Business & Community Development, DIRTT Environmental Solutions, San Francisco
Tyler Krehlik, Architect, SmithGroupJJR, San Francisco
Kelly Dubisar, Architect, Gensler, San Francisco
2. The Kids Are Alright ($500)
Problem: The younger generation prefers to stay inside, whether in the classroom or on the couch. Additionally, parents are missing out on sharing the same learning opportunities their children have.
Solution: Create a Foursquare-type mobile app that, instead of pulling up nearby restaurants, provides educational information based on your current location—from details on the oak tree in your backyard to the history of the landmark building in the center of town. The app encourages kids and their parents to interact with and learn about their surrounding environment.
Team:
Beatrice Tang, Associate Principal, Callison, Seattle
David Monroe, Assistant Project Manager, Balfour Beatty, Dallas
Lauren Smith, BIM Manager, S.M. Wilson & Co., St. Louis, Mo.
3. F.A.B.R.I.C. ($500)
Problem: "Unsocial" media has unraveled the fabric of our neighborhoods. How do we encourage people to get outside and interact and connect with their neighbors and communities?
Solution: This digitized sidewalk encourages people to get outside and weave back into their communities. F.A.B.R.I.C. (short for "future, active, bio-optic, responsive, inter-community" sidewalk) features virtual, interactive games, energy generation, social spaces, and an associated mobile app that, for instance, will alert users when a friend is nearby.
Team:
Elliott Disney, Project Engineer, Southland Industries, Union City, Calif.
Greg Hadsell, Associate, HDR Architecture, San Francisco
Susie Westrup, Sustainability Specialist, Balfour Beatty, Dallas
Nathan Ducote, Project Manager, Balfour Beatty, Dallas
4. WellBOX ($500 - tied for fourth place)
Problem: During the next 20 years, 970 million people will be added to third-world countries. These areas lack access to critical healthcare services and clean water.
Solution: The WellBOX is a portable health clinic that can be dropped into any region of the world to provide clean drinking water and healthcare services and education. The self-sustaining unit will be powered by solar panels and will tap into a local well to provide water filtration. The modular structure will come equipped with tele-medicine equipment, allowing doctors to diagnos remotely.
Team:
Emily Guglielmo, Senior Structural Engineer, Martin/Martin, Larkspur, Calif.
Candace Small, Architect, VOA Associates, Chicago
Vincent D'Ambrosio, Senior Vice President, Hill International, Marlton, N.J.
Chris Hermreck, Project Manager, JE Dunn Construction, Kansas City, Mo.
4. Internext ($500 - tied for fourth place)
Problem: The digital information world offers us instantaneous, universal access, but inundates us with data in a constant, overwhelming stream. As a result, our connections to others and our surrounding community are becoming less meaningful. We've lost our sense of place.
Solution: Internext filters when and where you receive specific digital information based on rules you set, helping you prioritize your life following preferences that reflect your values. Want to spend more time with your family? Set a rule that holds all email after 6 p.m. on workdays. Want to connect with fans of your favorite team while on vacation? Let Internext find the popular hangouts.
Team:
Dace Campbell, Customer Success Manager, Autodesk, Shoreline, Wash.
David Mayman, Architect, Gensler, San Francisco
Craig Chinn, Associate Principal, KTGY Group, Irvine, Calif.
Molly Engelbert, Assistant Project Manager, Balfour Beatty, Dallas
Related Stories
| Nov 2, 2010
Energy Analysis No Longer a Luxury
Back in the halcyon days of 2006, energy analysis of building design and performance was a luxury. Sure, many forward-thinking AEC firms ran their designs through services such as Autodesk’s Green Building Studio and IES’s Virtual Environment, and some facility managers used Honeywell’s Energy Manager and other monitoring software. Today, however, knowing exactly how much energy your building will produce and use is survival of the fittest as energy costs and green design requirements demand precision.
| Nov 2, 2010
Yudelson: ‘If It Doesn’t Perform, It Can’t Be Green’
Jerry Yudelson, prolific author and veteran green building expert, challenges Building Teams to think big when it comes to controlling energy use and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.
| Nov 2, 2010
Historic changes to commercial building energy codes drive energy efficiency, emissions reductions
Revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) represent the largest single-step efficiency increase in the history of the national, model energy. The changes mean that new and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that follow the 2012 IECC will use 30% less energy than those built to current standards.
| Nov 1, 2010
Sustainable, mixed-income housing to revitalize community
The $41 million Arlington Grove mixed-use development in St. Louis is viewed as a major step in revitalizing the community. Developed by McCormack Baron Salazar with KAI Design & Build (architect, MEP, GC), the project will add 112 new and renovated mixed-income rental units (market rate, low-income, and public housing) totaling 162,000 sf, plus 5,000 sf of commercial/retail space.
| Nov 1, 2010
John Pearce: First thing I tell designers: Do your homework!
John Pearce, FAIA, University Architect at Duke University, Durham, N.C., tells BD+C’s Robert Cassidy about the school’s construction plans and sustainability efforts, how to land work at Duke, and why he’s proceeding with caution when it comes to BIM.
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 27, 2010
Grid-neutral education complex to serve students, community
MVE Institutional designed the Downtown Educational Complex in Oakland, Calif., to serve as an educational facility, community center, and grid-neutral green building. The 123,000-sf complex, now under construction on a 5.5-acre site in the city’s Lake Merritt neighborhood, will be built in two phases, the first expected to be completed in spring 2012 and the second in fall 2014.
| Oct 21, 2010
GSA confirms new LEED Gold requirement
The General Services Administration has increased its sustainability requirements and now mandates LEED Gold for its projects.
| Oct 18, 2010
World’s first zero-carbon city on track in Abu Dhabi
Masdar City, the world’s only zero-carbon city, is on track to be built in Abu Dhabi, with completion expected as early as 2020. Foster + Partners developed the $22 billion city’s master plan, with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Aedas, and Lava Architects designing buildings for the project’s first phase, which is on track to be ready for occupancy by 2015.
