Design Competition for Architectural and Decorative Concrete Announced

The new ARDA – Concrete Decor Design Competition was announced by Steven Mickley, CPBD, executive director of the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD), at a special event at the Concrete Decor Show on February 21, 2012, in San Antonio, Texas.

The 2012 ARDA Concrete Decor Award Winners will be recognized at the AIBD National Convention in August 8, 2012, in Wilmington, N.C. A tribute to award winners will appear in the August/September issue of Concrete Decor, as well as other leading building industry publications. As a part of the prestigious ARDA program presented during the AIBD National Convention in August 2012, the winners will benefit from recognition through a joint publicity campaign. Entries must be submitted on or before May 31, 2012, for judging during June 2012.

“This exciting new partnership between Concrete Decor and AIBD in developing a design competition that focuses on concrete applications is very exciting for us,” said Bent Mikkelsen, CEO of Professional Trade Publications.“While decorative concrete is used extensively in a variety of building environments, including residential, this awards program will help the public and our industry to better understand and appreciate the many ways concrete can be used as a durable and highly aesthetic architectural building material.”

Categories

Sustainable Concrete Home Designwhole house design and building, including single family homes to vacation homes and other new construction projects, as well as multifamily.

Home Office / Studio and Workshop Designusing architectural and decorative concrete

Home Renovation and ImprovementsRemodeling existing spaces or building additions using decorative concrete materials.

Community and Retail Renovationsretail, restaurant, hospitality and community projects using decorative concrete

Outdoor Living – outdoor kitchens, patios, pools, spas, walkways and landscapes

Kitchen Design & Fabrication precast or cast-in-place fabrication in conjunction with other decorative concrete

Bath & Spa Design & Fabricationprecast or cast-in-place fabrication in conjunction with other decorative concrete

Interior Floor Design & Artistrystaining, polished concrete and resurfacing, including terrazzo, cementitious toppings and coatings

A Best of 2012 Award may also be selected where a clear winner is evident. An award may be given in each category for single family, multifamily and community development projects. If warranted by the quality and quantity of entries three top awards may be given in each of the categories. (There could be 24 winners, plus a Best of 2012 winner.

Judging
The judging of the awards competition will be managed by AIBD and involve judges with relevant expertise to the categories. A panel of expert judges will rate the submissions on these five criteria.

1.     Aesthetic value and use of color

2.     Superior design and craftsmanship

3.     Innovative use of materials and methods

4.     Green building, including recycled materials, durability and sustainability

5.     Overall creativity

Professional-quality photography is required for the entry. A media release is required giving ARDA and Concrete Decor publication rights for photos. A fee will be charged for each submission to handle administrative costs.

The new ARDA – Concrete Decor Design Competition has been developed to recognize and encourage excellence in designing and building with architectural and decorative concrete and related materials. It is part of Concrete Decor’s continuing commitment to increasing awareness of the techniques, technologies and green benefits of using architectural and decorative concrete in the built environment, both at home and in the community.

About ARDA and AIBD
Since 1950, the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD), the nationally recognized association of Professional Building Designers, has provided its members professional and educational resources, and has developed nationwide design standards and a code of ethics for the building design profession.

Today, the AIBD represents professional and associate members in 46 states and throughout Canada and abroad. Its chartered societies are active in their respective legislative arenas and work to promote public awareness of the building design profession.

AIBD presents the prestigious ARDA awards annually at its national convention. ARDA is a progression of the AIBD annual design competition, which has been in existence for 60 years.The new ARDA – Concrete Decor Design Competition is the first in AIBD history that is open to nonmembers.

Professional members of the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) are directly involved in building design services for single and multiunit residential and light commercial structures, as well as remodeling.

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