RE:CONSTRUCT

Do you have what it takes to make a difference? Are you willing and able to rebuild a sustainable foundation for the future?

It's time for a change in the way we see things, in the way we do things. It's time for what we build to reflect who we are and what we're made of. It's time to Re:Construct the ideas and realities of sustainable building.

We're looking for your inventive ways to create new types of structures and techniques- or renovate old ones. From planning codes to toilets, dry wall to moveable walls we want your help in re-imagining the building industry.

Change the parts of construction and you'll reinvent the act of construction itself. You are what you build. Re:Construct is your chance to reinvent yourself.

-Sustainable building materials are the foundation of a sustainable city block.
-Re:constructing the construction process itself.
-Systems need to work together wherever possible.
-How can we change and improve the current processes and technologies?
-Construction needs to be multipurpose, efficient, livable, non-toxic, non-destructive, affordable, adaptable, and logical.
-Consider a Zero-Net Energy Built Environment.
-Think about dashboard technologies, biodegradable or 100% recyclable products, modular construction, green roofs, localized heat and power generation, LEED requirements and limitations, zero-waste, gray water and water capture, non-construction re-construction, daylighting, air quality, climate change requirements, solar, and cradle to cradle design.
 

The jury will award three cash prizes, 7 honorable mentions, and consultations for the top three winning designs with a VC and/or expert in their field. The prize for each of the three finalists is $2,000. The consultations are for initial discussions re: business plans and do not guarantee funding. The honorable mentions will be prizes in categories determined by the jury and will not include a cash prize. ALL PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED. The odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received.

A large selection of the competition entries, including all of the award winners, will be exhibited online at www.urbanrevision.com.
 

Competition Announcement - June 16th, 2008
Registration Deadline - September 15th, 2008, 5pm
Submission Deadline - September 15th, 2008 (11:59pm postmarked)
Jury review and selection - September 24th, 2008
Winners Announcement at the West Coast Green Conference - September 25th, 2008
Online Exhibition - October 1st, 2008

Competition Schedules are subject to change.

For questions and/or sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Nicole Cassani
Marketing Director
415.425.5144
Nicole@urbanrevision.com

We are currently forming our jury panel and will post their bios in the coming weeks.

Jury Process
Jurors will assess the submissions and determine winners. Jurors will base their judgment on their own expertise, the work submitted by the competitors, the information contained in the competition document, and any questions and answers that arise during the judging process. Each juror will examine every qualified submission. In the event of a tie, the competition advisor will cast the tie-breaking vote utilizing the same competition criteria used by the judges.

Selection Criteria
Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

Sustainability and Reality of Intent - 25%
Design methods and systems that address environmental issues in unique ways. From the basic issues of energy conservation, to big picture issues such as our dependency on foreign oil, your solution address at least some sustainability concern.

Affordability and Constructability - 25%
Make sure your solution is something buildable/deployable in the next few years.

Innovation and Originality - 25%
Push the limits of your imagination. Find innovative ways to connect people through their community.

Encouraged use of new building methods and materials - 25%
Think of ways to continue to utilize new technologies and materials in building practices to create a more sustainable method.

Advisor
The Re:Vision advisor is Eric Corey Freed.

Bio
organicARCHITECT is the office of Eric Corey Freed, a licensed architect (California, New Mexico, Arizona), and a recognized pioneer in the tradition of Organic Architecture, first developed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A lifetime proponent of individualism and sustainability, Eric Corey Freed knew he wanted to be an architect at the early age of eight.

Promoting both an organic and ecological approach to design, Eric wishes to provide an alternative to what he calls the "harsh, style-driven fashions" that are so popular in architecture today.

Eric's work has been exhibited in numerous venues. He has been a visiting critic at several schools of architecture and the recipient of various awards and accolades. Eric teaches the Sustainable Design curriculum at the Academy of Art University and UC Berkeley. He served as Founding Chair of Architecture for The San Francisco Design Museum. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Architects, Designers & Planners for Social Responsibility (NorCal ADPSR) and Local Exchange and a Committee Member of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) and the Friends of Kebyar. In addition, Eric is a Program Coordinator for the Environmental Committee of The Commonwealth Club of California.

In addition, Eric is co-founder and one of the editors of ecoTECTURE: The Online Journal of Ecological Design, a publication for people interested in the environment as well as a regular columnist for GreenerBuildings.com. He is author of the forthcoming book, "The Inevitable Architect: A Phase By Phase Guide to Green Building."

How to Enter
Electronic registration forms will be posted on www.urbanrevision.com on February 15, 2008. Registration and submission deadlines for each competition are posted on our schedule . At the time of registration, each competitor must pay an entry fee in the amount of $25.00 (usd). Payments will be accepted either online with Visa, MasterCard and/or Discover cards and/or by check via mail. Once the fee is paid and the registration form filled out, each competitor will receive a confirmation email of their registration. The entrant's email address will then be linked to an internal registration number (this will only be seen by Re:Vision team and jury). Only one submission per registration may be made. Competition entries must be submitted in pdf, jpeg, tiff, or giff format and no larger than 5mb per file. Administering Sponsor may provide further details regarding the formatting of entries following registration. Each entry must include an approx. 100-200 word essay (in English) describing your entry, including the following: general ideas and concepts of the design; sustainable and energy efficient aspects of the design; design intentions, and strategies for involving the community; and reasons that the design can be used in various cities. Submissions may, at the discretion of Administering Sponsor, be posted on its website. Once your submission is made, it is your sole responsibility to maintain your contact information to be sure it is current. Administering Sponsor is not responsible for any failure to contact you if the contact information is not current. To update contact information, email your updated contact information to: questions@urbanrevision.com, you must also include your email address. Submissions that do not comply with the contest rules may be disqualified and not eligible for awards.

Awards
The competition jury will award three cash prizes, and 7 honorable mentions, and consultations for the top three winning designs with a VC and/or expert in their field. The prize for each of the three finalists is $2,000. The honorable mentions will be prizes in categories determined by the jury and will not include a cash prize. The consultations are for initial discussions re: business plans and do not guarantee funding. ALL CASH PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED. Winners may be required to furnish proof of identity, address and birth date in order to receive prizes. In order to receive prizes, winners may be required to execute a written affidavit of eligibility, a liability release, publicity release in favor of Administering Sponsor, and confirmation of right of first refusal (as described below). Taxes on all prizes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winners.

Judging
The competition jurors are identified on jury section. Jurors will assess the submissions and determine winners. Jurors will base their judgment on their own expertise, the work submitted by the competitors, the information contained in the competition documents, and any questions and answers that arise during the judging process. Each juror will examine every qualified submission. Entries will be judged on the following criteria: Sustainability and Reality of Intent - 25% Affordability and Constructability - 25% Innovation and Originality - 25% Encouraged use of new building methods and materials - 25%
In the event of a tie, the competition advisor will cast the tie-breaking vote utilizing the same competition criteria used by the judges. The names of competitors will not be revealed to the jury until after winning entries have been determined. Administering Sponsor reserves the right to replace any of the jury members for any reason whatsoever, and shall do so if a juror is found to be involved in any material way with a submission.

Eligibility
The competition is open to any person(s) including architects, designers, urban planners, engineers, artists, students and anyone interested in sharing their vision and ideas for a sustainable urban community. However, no officer, director, member, manager, partner, or employee of Urban Revision LLC or any of its affiliates, or any other person or entity involved in the development, production, implementation, distribution or sponsorship of this competition, or any of their immediate family members, or any others persons living in the same household of any such persons, is eligible to participate. In addition, no member of the jury, or any of their partners or business associates, or any of their immediate family members, or any others persons living in the same household as a member of the jury, may participate in the competition. Immediate Family Members include spouse, domestic partners, children (natural, foster, adopted), siblings, parents and of their respective spouses and domestic partners. Minors (i.e. competitor must be 18 years of age or older as of registration date). Competitors must not communicate with the jury about the competition in any way until the winning design(s) are announced. Any competitor found in violation of this rule will be disqualified immediately. THIS COMPETITION IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY THE LAW OF THE COMPETITOR'S PLACE OF RESIDENCE.

License to Use Submissions
All drawings, photographs, photocopies, plans, designs and other materials submitted to the competition become the property of Urban Revision LLC, and may be retained for archival purposes and possible exhibition, publication, and promotion. Each competitor hereby grants Administering Sponsor, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and assigns, and legal representatives, the irrevocable, perpetual worldwide license to edit, modify, reproduce, distribute, transmit, publicly and privately exhibit, display and publish, including, without limitation, as part of one or more books or other written publications, films, or art exhibits, all of the submitted materials, without compensation to entrant. . Wherever possible, Administering Sponsor will make reasonable efforts to properly identify the author of any submission to this competition when publishing or displaying that material, but can not be held responsible for failing to do so.

No Violation of Third Party Rights
By entering this competition, each competitor represents and warrants that: (i) the ideas and designs submitted neither infringes on any patent, trademark or copyright or any other third-party right nor does it violate any applicable law or regulation, (ii) the competitor has the right to grant any and all necessary rights and licenses provided herein, including without limitation, all necessary patent, trademark, copyright and other related rights to the design idea submitted, free and clear of all claims and encumbrances without violating the rights of any person or entity, including any right to privacy or publicity; (iii) the information contained in the competitor's entry is accurate, complete and correct and represents his or her own new, novel ideas; and (iv) the information contained in his or her entry has not been publicly disclosed prior to submission and shall not be publicly disclosed by him or her until the winners are announced. Each competitor agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the Administering Sponsor and its affiliates harmless from and against any third party claim arising from a violation of these representations. In the event that Administering Sponsor at any time determines that an entry violates any of the foregoing representations, the entry will be disqualified.

First Right of Refusal
Each competitor retains ownership of the design ideas submitted for the competition, but by entering agrees to give Urban Revision LLC or its assigns the first right of refusal, in perpetuity, to commercially exploit the idea, through a licensing, partnership or other type of agreement, under terms to be agreed to by the Competitor. Organizing Sponsor is under absolutely no obligation, however, to enter into any contractual arrangement with any competition entrant.

Limitation of Liability
Administering Sponsor excludes all liability for any personal injury, loss, or damage of whatever kind (including loss of data) caused directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from downloading any material from Administering Sponsor's web site, regardless of whether the material was prepared by Administering Sponsor or a third party, and regardless of whether the material is connected to Administering Sponsor's web site by a hypertext link. Administering Sponsor takes no responsibility for the content of third party web sites that may be linked to Administering Sponsor's web site by a hypertext link. Administering Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the competition if fraud, technical failures, or any other factor beyond Administering Sponsor's reasonable control impairs the integrity of the competition as determined by Administering Sponsor in its sole discretion. In the event of such impairment, Administering Sponsor may choose potential winners from all eligible entries received as of the time of impairment. By receipt of any prize in the competition, the winner agrees to release and hold harmless Administering Sponsor, and its affiliates, directors, officers, members, partners, managers, employees and agents from any liability for damage, injury, death, loss, cancellation or other liability arising from the Winner's participation in this competition, including without limitation, personal injury, death, and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy. Administering Sponsor and its affiliates, directors, officers, members, partners, managers, employees and agents assume no liability for losses incurred as a result of cancellation of the competition or for any reason whatsoever or for events occurring after the award of such prize.

Governing Law and Venue
This competition shall be governed by California law. Each competitor agrees that courts in San Francisco, CA shall have exclusive jurisdiction and venue over any dispute or litigation arising from or relating to this competition.

Acceptance of Rules
By registering, each competitor affirms that he or she has read these Official Rules and fully and unconditionally accept and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Administering Sponsor and the jury. By entering, each competitor also unconditionally agrees to waive any right to claim ambiguity or error in these Official Rules. Administering Sponsor reserves the right to modify the rules of this competition in any way or at any time.

Administering Sponsor
The sole sponsor and administrator of this competition is Urban Revision LLC (herein referred to as "Administering Sponsor"). No other competition sponsor had any role in the development, production, implementation, distribution, or administration of this competition.

Winners Names
The names of all award winners will be posted on this site after the conclusion of each competition.

To Enter

Who Can Enter
The competition is open to any person(s) including architects, designers, urban planners, engineers, artists, students and anyone interested in sharing their vision and ideas for an urban community.

Read all official competition rules before entering. This competition is subject to the Official Rules.

Registration Process
Electronic registration forms are posted on www.urbanrevision.com Registration must be submitted by 5.00 p.m., September 15, 2008. No registrations will be accepted after September 15, 2008. Once the fee is paid and the registration form filled out, each competitor will be assigned an identification number and provided with confirmation of registration.

Submission Requirements

Format:
Digital format: We accept the following file formats: JPG, GIF, PNG, PDF, HTML, RTF, Text, PPT, and MSWord (Doc) files. You may use WinZip or StuffIt to pack your files if desired. Please embed all fonts, animations, video and images into your file. File specifications: saved to be print ready, in CMYK colors, formatted to print at 24"x36". You may design the boards to bleed off the edges. Portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) orientation is acceptable.

All text MUST be readable for the 24 x 36 format without having to zoom in. Have as many boards as you wish to explain your idea, but the text must be legible. Entries must be submitted through www.urbanrevision.com and each one should be no larger than 5mb. There is no limit to number of files, but it is recommended that they do not exceed 10.

All entries must contain:
A statement of concept (see below) An image of a three-dimensional representation of your idea Do not include your name or any identifying items on the front of the images or documents. Your entries are to remain anonymous to the judges. We will have your entries linked with your registration.

Description:
Each entry must include an approx. 100-200 word essay (in English) describing your entry, including the following:

    * General ideas and concepts of the design.
    * Sustainable and energy efficient aspects of the design.
    * Design intentions, and strategies for involving the community.
    * Reasons that the design can be used in various cities.

Deadline
All entries must be received by Midnight (pst) September 15, 2008 (link to schedule). Entries that do not comply with the contest rules will be disqualified and not eligible for prizes.

Payment Method:
Online payments can be made with Visa, MasterCard and/or Discover cards.

Questions and Answers
Competitors may seek clarification of this material by submitting questions to: questions@urbanrevision.com. No questions may be addressed to the competition sponsors, members of the jury or other individuals associated with the competition. All questions must be received by the registration deadlines for each competition. Questions and answers may be posted on the competition web site.