Tuesday, March 16, 2010

PDF Site Plan - to 1" = 20' scale!

The site plan shown on the program sheet is to a different scale than that required for the program sheet. For those students who are not using a CAD program, you can find a PDF of the site plan to 1" = 20'-0" scale at this link.

Hopefully everyone's advisor has helped them get the site plan to this scale for overlay purposes, and your designs are well along...


Saturday, March 13, 2010

2010 Schedule

The current schedule will eventually be moved to a "Google Calendar"; until then, the remaining events are listed below:
2010 High School Design competition:
  • January 11, 2010 @ 4:00 pm: Project Kickoff Meeting (Toledo Maritime Center, 1701 Front St.)
  • January 19, 2010: Official Project Start (We recommend your students are registered by this date!)
  • Late January (TBD): Site Visit
  • February 27, 2010: Questions due for publication in the "Q&A" section of the website
  • February 27, 2010 @ 9:00 a.m. to noon: Rendering Day - Bowling Green State University School of Architecture - demonstration of both traditional and digital rendering & presentation techniques.
  • March 30, 2010 @ 5:00 pm: Projects Due (Rossi & Associates - 970 S. Byrne Rd., Toledo)
  • April 19, 2010 @ 5:00 pm: Awards Ceremony (Toledo Maritime Center, 1701 Front St.)
  • May 22, 2010: Award winners' field trip (Cleveland, Ohio)

2009 Winning Project Photos

2009 High School Design Competition - Educational Resource Building for the Toledo Zoo.
2009 HSDC Winning Projects

Some recommended software...

All of this software should work for MS Windows computers; some will also work for Apple & Linux machines. The following links are offered as a convenience by AIA Toledo, and AIA Toledo provides no guarantee of the linked sites' performance or functionality.
  • Rhino 3D: 3D modeling/rendering program (part sponsor of the BGSU Digital Media award) (student version and trial version available)
  • Google SketchUp: 3D modeling program (free version available)
  • ArchiCAD: Building Information Management (BIM) software (student version and trial version available)
  • AutoCAD: Computer Aided Design/Drafting (CADD) software (trial version available)
  • Adobe Reader: for reading PDF files (FREE)
  • GIMP - Gnu Image Manipulation Program (open-source Photoshop alternative) (FREE)
  • DoubleCAD: Computer Aided Design/Drafting (CADD) software (free version available)
  • Steel-Link.com Suite: Various design tools, including a foot-inch calculator (FREE)

A few design resources...

The following links may be helpful to students participating in the High School Design Competition:

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Example of Toilet room:

Project-Specific Resources

The following resources can be used as inspiration and examples of design possibilities:
  • Clock tower ideas: this website shows some examples of a company that makes clock towers. Please note that the designs shown on this website tend to be smaller than the 85-foot tall tower the program requires.
  • Decorative paving: Here are three examples of decorative paving to give students a better idea of what is possible:

Questions & Answers


  1. Why do the roads "in white", from the original colored layout that was given out at the meeting, drastically differ from the site plan posted on the web? Which one is considered the final design? Use the CAD file on the website as the "latest" layout. The color graphic is a "conceptual" layout for the development, which is typically revised several times over the years-long planning process.
  2. Are all of the outside elements such as landscape boxes included in the pavement square footage (2400 sq. ft.)? All of the outside elements may be included in the 2400 sq. ft. of pavement except landscape beds and fountains. The intent of the 2400 sq. ft of hardscape is to provide a space for outdoor events, concerts, gatherings, etc.
  3. The program sheet says the students don't need to make the Clock Tower but provide the base for it. What is the size of the base? How big will the tower be? Also is the tower at the East or West side of the Project site plan? The program requires a minimum of one elevation of the clock tower; the base is all that needs to be shown on the floor/site plan. The tower is approx. 85 feet tall (per program), but we did not require a specific footprint area for the tower at the base because it could vary greatly based on the student’s concept.
  4. Is the square footage of the restrooms (150) for both mens and womens combined or 150 for each? Please use 150 sq. ft. for each toilet room (total 300 sq. ft.).

2010 Program Sheet

This year's competition project will be an Event Pavilion, Clock Tower and Outdoor Plaza for the Marina District on Toledo's East Side. We would like to thank Dillin Corp. (developer of the Marina District) for their assistance in creating this year's program.

Please see the links below for the 2010 competition.
Competition entries are due March 30, 2010 at Rossi & Associates (970 S. Byrne Rd., Toledo).

2010 Competition Program (PDF, 24x36)
This is the program sheet for this year in full 24x36 format. Please note that each school participating will get two (2) paper copies of this form, either at the kickoff meeting or via mail after confirming participation.

Entry forms
These forms are to be turned in with completed project; tape an envelope to the back of EACH BOARD with the following filled out in each; 2 copies total.
Student Information Form and Parents' Media Release (PDF)
Please note that all student entrants need to fill out an information form/ media waiver and attach one copy to the back of each board (as described in the program above).
College/University Choice form (PDF)
Seniors are required to fill out a "College/University Choice" form and include it in each of the envelopes. This is to help the committee in distribution of scholarships; some of the awards require a student to be enrolled in either architecture or a related field, and we would like to know a student's plans in advance. Please note that the boards are judged anonymously, and not based on the student's college choice.


Site Plans - UPDATED 1/27
Site plan scale issues have been corrected with the files below; site plans are at full scale.
  • DWG format (AutoCAD format)
  • DXF format (for AutoCAD or other CAD programs)
  • Images of the site development plans are at the Picasa gallery below:
2010 Resources

About the High School Design Competition

The AIA Toledo High School Design Competition is the longest running program of its kind in the
history of the American Institute of Architects. It is a nationally recognized, award winning program and we are very proud of the accomplishments of all of our students. Over $10,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded last year and we intend to award just as much this year!


AIA Toledo gives the students a hypothetical building project and asks them to produce a presentation-quality design board. Each school is assigned a professional advisor (local architects, depending on availability) to help guide the students through the design process. Creativity is encouraged, and students immerse themselves in the profession of architecture.
When the presentation boards are completed, a panel of Architects judges the completed projects based on how they functionally and visually address the building project.


The requirements of the typical program don’t just stop at the building; the entire site is a concern of the designer. To help reflect this, The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Maumee Valley Section, provides representatives who judge the layout of the site, and assigns advisors to guide landscape design along with the architects.
Recognizing that the ability to convey a design is of great importance, the projects are judged
separately on their graphic qualities. Harold Roe, AIA, noted architectural illustrator and artist, has judged the graphic presentations for many years, and continues to present an award for the
best overall graphic presentation every year.

Originally started in 1950 with 23 entries from three high schools, the competition has grown to
as many as 206 entries from as many as 25 area high schools. Last year, the competition received 154 entries from 13 participating high schools. Projects have been as varied as a Parking Lot Office (1950), to a Toledo Automotive Museum (1999), to a fast food restaurant (1977), to an Architect’s Office (1968 & 2007).


In 2006, the competition obtained matching scholarship grants from the AIA National Component, allowing us to double the amount of prize money for the top senior entrants. The
AIA National Component 1:1 matching grant program allowed us to award the top senior a $5,200.00 scholarship to an accredited school of architecture, while the runner-up received a total scholarship of $2,800.00. Cash prizes and books are awarded to the winners of the Freshman/Sophomore and Junior divisions, as well as the Landscape and Graphics categories.


Follow this link for a PDF brochure further explaining this year's competition.

If you would like more information, please email the competition’s co-chairs at hsdc.aiatoledo@gmail.com.



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Migration to new HSDC website

We will be migrating the High School Design Competition website to this address, and we will begin to post in a “blog” format. Please update your web links accordingly, and if you like the new site please let us know here.