Tilt-Up Concrete Assn
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• 2008 TCA/PCA National Design Competition - Fire Storm Housing 2008

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT:

USA: TCA/PCA National Design Competition: Fire Storm Housing 2008 sponsored by the Tilt-Up Concrete Association and the Portland Cement Association. Students in the field of architecture, currently in a graduate or undergraduate program are invited to present conceptual designs for firestorm-resistant housing located in the Santa Ana region of California using site cast concrete panels known as “Tilt-Up” for their shell components. Storm Housing 2008 is an international, open, single-stage ideas competition.

Registration Deadline: August 15, 2008.

Entry Deadline: September 15, 2008.

Registration is open effective March 15, 2008.

TILT-UP EDUCATION:

Sponsoring curriculums are encouraged to contact the TCA to investigate the opportunity for a presentation by a local TCA member on the aspects of Tilt-Up construction. This presentation has proven effective in quickly bringing students up to speed with the more intimate opportunities and current design vernacular of Tilt-Up construction. Contact Jim Baty, TCA Technical Director (jbaty@tilt-up.org or 319-895-6911) for more information scheduling one of these presentations if possible.

Note: In the event that an available TCA member is not available or near the curriculum for this presentation scheduling, the TCA will make available a DVD and/or architectural presentation to the instructor for this purpose.

BRIEF – TILT-UP CONCRETE:

Tilt-Up concrete is one of the fastest growing construction techniques in the United States. It is a method by which building elements (typically, but not limited to walls) are site cast and set into final position with a crane. Over the last decade the sophistication and aesthetic quality of Tilt-Up buildings has risen dramatically. The creativity of architects and contractors is resulting in the application of this method to a wealth of new uses, new forms and new building types.

Tilt-Up has a number of distinct advantages in construction. Among them:

• Panels can be formed into any shape –subject only to the imagination of the architectural designer
• Concrete has inherent durability, important where strength of the building perimeter or envelope is important
• Panels can be large, more than 30-ft wide and several stories tall (some reaching nearly 100-ft), since it doesn’t require transportation by truck. Size is limited by the capacity of
  the crane or the economy impacted by available crane sizes.
• Concrete has thermal mass properties, important with today’s concerns for sustainability
• Concrete has inherent fire resistance capabilities exceeding all other standard building materials
• Insulated Tilt-Up sandwich panels are incredible energy efficient and maintain the effectiveness of fire endurance

To find out more about Tilt-Up and to look at what is currently being done, please visit the Tilt-Up Concrete Association’s (TCA) website at www.tilt-up.org. To discover more on the Student Design Competition and see last year’s projects visit www.tilt-up.org/students

COMPETITION – BACKGROUND

Firestorms continue to devastate arid regions of the country, wiping out sometimes thousands of homes each year. This devastation affects a broad economic spectrum and risks the lives of thousands of residents while it displaces countless families and businesses.

Visit: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1024/p01s04-usgn.html.

A video of this devastation from YouTube can be found at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvd7W5eSNbU.

Architecture can respond to this reality with structures that are more suited to withstand the intensity of wind-swept wildfires. Professionals and students need to be aware of the options available to deal with this growing trend – Tilt-Up concrete provides one such option.
Tilt-Up construction continues to expand its marketability for housing, both single- and multifamily. From the ultra modern to the neo-classical and everything in-between, Tilt-Up provides an opportunity, due to its inherent strength and durability, to resolve the necessity for firestorm resistance specifically for high profile areas where the potential for fire is highest.

OBJECTIVES:

This competition seeks to challenge entrants in creatively solving the problem of producing a custom, single-family residence for a model home in one of the most severely affected areas in California, the Santa Ana region. Current rebuilding efforts demonstrate that left to the existing knowledge base, these homes will only be reconstructed with the same combustible materials and little, if any, systems to limit or prevent future damage from eminent repeating firestorms.

Entrants are encouraged to present prominent, architecturally significant design solutions for this housing unit that can be placed in new rebuild communities that provide measurable improvements to long-term durability.

EXISTING CONDITIONS:

The site for the contest formerly consisted of the following characteristics:

• 1 - ___-ft x ___-ft lot previously developed with a single-family structure. Exact dimensions provided at time of design packet, approx. 100-ft x 200-ft.
• Residential plan to range from 2,000 sq.ft. to 3,500 sq.ft.
• Many lots in this region have significant elevation change. Structure should take advantage of all vistas, elevation, access, etc.

REPLACEMENT HOUSING PARAMETERS:

The following describes the design conditions that must be met with the proposed solutions:

• Site development should be considered for view, orientation and access.
• Homes must incorporate a minimum of two bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms, kitchen with or without integrated dining, living space, 2-car garage.
• Detail the structural integration of Tilt-Up concrete in whole or in part.
• Designs can investigate both form and finish for Tilt-Up construction.

RELEASE OF INFORMATION:

After an entry registration is received, the TCA will provide the entrant with an electronic information packet that consists of:

• Descriptive information about Tilt-Up
• Examples of the use of Tilt-Up in residential designs (reference only)
• Site information with orientation and regional identification
• Photos of original houses from region and damage incurred by recent storms
• Information for uploading submissions to the TCA Student FTP site or mailing electronic formats

COMPETITION JUDGING:

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

• Creative use of the design concept in overall solution
• Application of the Tilt-Up construction method
• Appropriateness of response in the context

COMPETITION SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Entries to this competition must include and are limited to a CD- or DVD-ROM or uploaded to the TCA Student FTP site directory. Digital entries will consist of only three pieces of information:

• Design narrative – Explain both the process rationale and the design solution in a onepage description.
• A 30-in x 30-in board (electronic format submitted as a PDF in 300dpi resolution) which graphically embodies your design solution. Boards are recommended to contain the following:
  a. Conceptual site plan
  b. Unit floor plan
  c. Elevations / sections / details
  d. Sketches or 3-d views
  e. Diagrams or other information which explain your solution
  f. Title
  g. Brief bullet point descriptions
• Your entry information including:
  a. Your Name
  b. Your Contact Address
  c. Your Contact Phone and Email
  d. Your School
  e. Your Faculty Member

The TCA will produce display boards from these electronic files prior to judging.

SCHEDULE

(please note: competition schedule is subject to change—updates will be noted in bold as they are applied)

August 15, 2008 Registration Deadline for Entries (Early registrations accepted)

September 1, 2008 Questions Deadline

September 2, 2008 Final Design Packets Emailed to all Entrants
(Early registrations by June 15 will receive packet on that day for those wanting to complete as a summer project.)

September 3, 2008 Question Responses Deadline

September 15, 2008 Submission Deadline

October 3, 2008 Announcement of Competition Winners at
TCA Annual Convention – Arizona Grand Resort, Phoenix, Arizona

Entrants to the 2008 TCA/PCA Storm Housing Competition are encouraged to also submit their project to the 2009 Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World sponsored by the Portland Cement
Association (www.cement.org) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).

Visit the competition website for more information at www.acsa-arch.org.

2008 TCA/PCA Design Competition: Storm Housing 2008 - Awards

Sponsored by the Tilt-Up Concrete Association and Portland Cement Association.

• First Prize $ 4,250 (USD) *
• Second Prize $ 3,250 (USD) *
• Third Prize $ 2,250 (USD) *
• Honorable Mentions (per judge discretion)

* Prize package includes cash to students and sponsoring departments (if applicable) as well as one free registration ($750 value) to the 2009 TCA Convention (Oct. 3-6) and a $500 Travel Allowance.

Student Cash awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd equal $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively. Cash awards to sponsoring departments (where applicable) for 1st, 2nd and 3rd equal $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively.

Prize winners, Honorable Mentions, and any additional projects deemed deserving of recognition by the jury 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 The Architecture of Tilt-Up and one 6th Edition Tilt-Up Construction and Engineering Manual.

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