Your next assignment is to help Carolina and I draft text for the Holcim awards competition. The deadline is at the end of March. Log on to their website at www.holcimawards.org and chose North America. Read about the competition -- and then write two brief statements about how the ecoMOD project (not just the OUTin house, but that can be addressed too) responds to the five major criteria for the awards. Everyone should address two of the five major criteria. Post these brief statements here on the weblog. Please try to make sure that at least two students write about each of the five criteria. Extra credit if you decide to write about more than two. The limit for each section is 800 characters (letters, etc.) -- so we need concise, thoughtful prose.
Read the competition brief before writing, but to get you up to speed, here's their description of the five criteria.
Quantum change and transferability
The project must demonstrate innovation at the forefront of sustainable construction - a quantum leap in comparison to conventional procedures. Breakthroughs and trend setting approaches must be transferable and applicable to other construction projects - irrespective of scale.
Ethical standards and social equity
The project must meet the highest ethical standards and support social equity at all stages of the construction, from planning and building process to the long-term impact on the community's social fabric. The project is to deliver an advanced response to ethical and social issues.
Ecological quality and energy conservation
The project must exhibit sensitivity to the responsible use and management of natural resources throughout the construction's life cycle, including operation and maintenance. Long-term environmental concerns, whether pertaining to the flow of materials or energy, should be an integral part of the built entity.
Economic performance and compatibility
The project must prove to be economically feasible and innovative as to the deployment of financial resources. The project's funding must promote economy of means and be compatible with demands and constraints encountered all through its life cycle.
Contextual response and aesthetic impact
The project must provide evidence of architectural quality as to the manner in which it addresses its cultural and physical context. With space and form of utmost relevance, the construction must have a positive, long-term aesthetic impact on its physical environment.