Architecture student Megan Fritzler, in the Faculty of Environmental Design (EVDS), wins the Steel Structures Education Foundation (SSEF) Award of Merit for Ad Space.
The SSEF Architectural Design Competition was established to provide students enrolled in professional programs in architecture in Canada a unique opportunity - to enter into a design process that brings together the concept and reality of exposed steel systems.
“The competition is very important to young architects because it helps to prepare them for the real world of interpreting clients’ needs/wants and submitting proposals that address them in an organized format,” states SSEF competition juror Chris Adach, Vice President of M&G Steel Ltd. “The quality of the proposal often can determine the award of the design contract.”
The reality of this competition comes in two forms: through the requirement for buildable details, primarily utilizing structural steel; and through the collaboration with the steel fabrication industry on those details.
Fritzler’s Ad Space endeavors to co-opt billboards to be used as informal housing for those in need. The steel structure of the billboard is rearranged and insulated to create space for inhabitation and then relocated from the side of a freeway to a pedestrian environment.
“Megan was able to demonstrate an interpretation of the general concept of “recycle” that touched on elements of materiality and location,” notes Adach. “Her design addressed sustainability issues and she did so with a creative approach to a common urban situation.”
Ad Space integrates social and cultural considerations into the design, incorporating semi opaque windows into the billboard space, allowing outsiders to understand that the billboard is being inhabited while simultaneously advertising a product and the issue of homelessness. Essentially, companies sponsor shelter with their advertising budgets.
“This win reaffirms that socially driven design projects can add value to the built environment. Design isn’t only about the outer aesthetic of a project, but also about how it works and its effect on the physical and social climate surrounding it” says Fritzler. “As a student, it is reassuring to have these design values rewarded.”
Of the 80 entries submitted to the competition, 39 were submitted by the University of Calgary. Other entries included the University of Toronto and McGill University. An entry from the University of Waterloo won the competition’s Award of Excellence.
Article by Jessica Wallace