Student Design Competition Press Release

Media Contact:
Natalie Beckwith
Membership & Outreach Coordinator
215.399.5793
nbeckwith@dvgbc.org

Philadelphia, June 3, 2010 – The Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) hosted its sixth annual Sustainable Design Competition. The competition encourages college and university students and young professionals to partner around an applied learning experience that focuses on sustainable design. With sustainable transportation at the forefront of Philadelphia’s current urban issues, the competition challenged participants to design a sustainable bicycle transit center. This year’s participants include students from Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lehigh University, Harrisburg Area Community College, Delaware Technical & Community College, among other regional and national schools. New to this year’s competition, individual participants included young professionals within three years of graduation from national and international locations.

2010 winners were selected by the following judges: Spencer Finch of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Katherine Gajewski of the City of Philadelphia, David S. McHenry of Erdy McHenry Architects, Todd Woodward of SMP Architects, and George Wilson of Meyer Associates. An awards ceremony for all participants was held on May 5, 2010, as part of the DVGBC’s ‘Best of Greenbuild’ event. Cash prizes were awarded up to $1,000 for first, second, and third place winners. In addition, first place winners received a travel stipend to attend the 2010 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo this November in Chicago, Illinois. For complete details on the 2010 competition visit: www.dvgbc.org/sustainable_design_competition.

Special thanks to our sponsors:
The Environmental Home Store, Jones Lang Lasalle,
The Barkan Foundation, and Turner Construction.

First Place
Annie Scheel is a young professional that graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate
School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in 2008. Her advisor was Paul Coughlin.

Second Place
Sara Petit and Marco Virgili are young professionals that graduated from
Penn State University in 2009 and 2007.

Third Place
Per Kaatman and Linda Heiman are students from Chalmers University of Technology
in Goteborg Sweden. Their advisor was Björn Gross.

Honorable Mentions
Amanda Bardman and Sara Schmidt are students at Philadelphia University.
Their advisor was Chirstopher Stromberg.
Adam Lemire is a young professional who graduated from Temple University in 2008.

People’s Choice
Richard Malone is a student at University at Buffalo SUNY.
His advisor was Dennis Andrejko.

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About DVGBC
The Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) is a nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to transform the Delaware Valley through sustainable and environmentally responsible planning, design, construction and operation of the region’s buildings, landscapes, cities and communities, mindful of the legacy left for future generations.

Formed in 2001, DVGBC is a chapter of the United States Green Building Council, the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. DVGBC is the primary point of contact for users, agencies, and companies interested in sustainable communities; it is also a leader in fostering cooperation and collaboration among organizations dedicated to environmentally responsible practices in the building industry. The objective of implementing green building practices is to improve site planning; to safeguard water and ensure its efficient use; to maximize energy efficiency, conserve materials and resources and ensure indoor environmental quality. The goal is to significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on their occupants and on our environment.