USGBC Natural Talent Design Competition Program Summary 2009 Cincinnati Regional Chapter OVERVIEW The USGBC Natural Talent 2009 Design Competition provides an applied learning experience in the principles of integrated design, sustainability, innovation, and social consciousness; all of which are components of the LEED Green Building Rating System. Participants will compete in local competitions, and the top winner of which will move on to compete as a national finalist at Greenbuild Phoenix in November 2009. The Competition Host will provide the local awards as well as travel support and registration to Greenbuild (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org), USGBC s Annual Green Building Conference and Expo, where finalists entries will be displayed and where final judging will occur. COMPETITION OBJECTIVES Broaden environmental education in the building professions within the university system To empower students and young professionals to become future leaders in the green building movement Highlight the efforts, and initiative of students and emerging leaders in the green building movement Encourage the reduction of the dependence on fossil fuels within the building industry Connect students with esteemed individuals from the USGBC and green building industries Promote exemplary designs of future designers by displaying them at Greenbuild Utilize LEED as a guideline for building design and performance Recognize and award students and young professionals for their dedication, creativity, innovation, and commitment to sustainable design ELIGIBILITY The competition is open to all university level students (of any discipline and level) and individuals within five (5) years of graduation. Teams and individuals wishing to participate in the competition will qualify to enter the nearest competition site to their residence. Both individuals and teams are permitted to enter. Multi-disciplinary and international teams are strongly encouraged. 1
Teams are to be no larger than five individuals. Only one entry per team/person will be accepted. We encourage teams to secure a faculty member or industry professional to fill an advisory role. The Competition Committee will not recommend advisors but encourage participants to seek them out themselves. Please check the USGBC website for a list of LEED Accredited Professionals in your area, or contact your local USGBC chapter for help identifying an advisor. International entries will be accepted at both the local and national levels. However, it is up to the international team to secure their own translation of the applicable program, as well as additional support for translation clarification. It will not be the responsibility of the local or national host committees to translate. Multi-disciplinary teams are strongly encouraged as well as collaborative efforts to maximize learning through the design process and creatively push the boundaries of sustainable design. REGISTRATION 1. Teams are required to complete an online registration form by visiting the USGBC national Web Site at www.usgbc.org\egb ; only one form per team. All information must be complete to be considered a valid entry. A confirmation email will be sent from National within seven (7) business days of receiving the registration, and will contain information on how to proceed. Registration is mandatory to receive additional instruction and information on project submittals. 2. Teams are required to identify a team contact. This person will receive important information from the local competition committee and is responsible for final submission. The team contact will be responsible for all communication between the design team and the Competition Committee. Additionally, the team contact should disseminate all information from the Competition Committee to their entire team. 3. Each team/individual may only enter one local competition. This competition should be the competition geographically closest to your current location. COMPETITION CHALLENGE Provide a detailed design for the redevelopment of the Drop Inn Center, a non-profit homeless shelter in Cincinnati s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The Drop Inn Center is a grassroots community of residents, staff, and volunteers, organized to end homelessness by promoting human dignity and supporting positive social change by offering a wide variety of services. The Drop Inn Center s neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine, is a historic, urban neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is located north of the YMCA, south of Memorial Hall and Music Hall (home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Opera), west of the new building for the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (currently under construction) and caddy corner to Washington Park, a nearly six-acre park that is the largest green space in the urban core of Cincinnati (OTR and downtown.) The current facility is located in several properties at the corner of 12 th and Elm St. One of the properties, the former Teamsters Hall, is historically significant. The other properties are not considered historically significant. Teams are presented with the challenge of determining which properties will be renovated or demolished in keeping with the spirit of historic preservation and sustainability. Teams also have the option of expanding the facility south to the parking lot located at 1119 Elm St. If this option is chosen, parking must be accommodated in the new facility. 2
The existing facility is not large enough for the center s needs. Capacity for men s and women s dorm space must be expanded. An exterior courtyard is urgently needed. Refer to the program requirements for more information. The project will utilize LEED for New Construction strategies to create a unique and integrated urban design aesthetic and strive for a LEED Platinum rating. Site: 217 W 12 TH ST., OVER THE RHINE, CINCINNATI, OHIO PROJECT CONTEXT & LOCATION Drop Inn Center History: The Drop Inn Center was founded by Buddy Gray in the 1970 s. Buddy Gray invited homeless people into his own home so they would not die on the streets of Cincinnati. His idea of a shelter formalized in 1973 and began as an evening only shelter for the homeless. It occupied a series of storefronts in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine, first at 1713 Vine St. and later at 1324 Main Street. Eventually volunteers were able to open the shelter, seven days a week. They soon incorporated as the Shelterhouse Volunteer Group. As time passed and the shelter grew, the storefront on Main Street became increasingly inadequate. So on January 13, 1978, the volunteer forces of the Drop Inn Center made the famous Peoples Move to the former Teamsters Hall at 217 W. 12th Street where the shelter remains today. Massive government cutbacks in housing and social spending during the 1980 s increased the number of people requiring services. The once large Teamsters Hall had become so crowded with persons unable to afford any other form of shelter that large iron bunks had to be installed. As a result, a new wing was built to house 200 more residents in addition to a Drug Treatment Program for men. Through the 1990 s, the Drop Inn Center continued to add space and programs to address the growing need for services for the homeless. The women s shelter was completely renovated in 1994, and in 1998, a recovery program for women, the Full Circle Program, began. In 1996, the Recovery Hotel opened as a transitional housing facility for men in recovery and the Drop Inn Center began providing supportive services. This program was complimented in 2000 by the development of the 12th & Elm Transitional Housing Project, which provides an additional 24 units of sober transitional housing to formerly homeless individuals. In 2004, the Drop Inn Center began the Homeless Individuals Partnership Program (HIP Team). This program grew from HUD s (Housing & Urban Development) Continuum of Care s Homeless Individuals Task Force. The HIP Team provides intense supportive services to the men and women that have been homeless for a long period. Drop Inn Center Programs: Emergency Shelter: The Drop Inn Center doors are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to anyone in need of services. On average, the Center provides shelter to 200 men and women each and every day. During the winter months, the Center usually reaches its capacity to sleep 300 people each night. In a typical year, they serve more than 110,000 meals and distribute toiletries, towels, blankets, and clothes to thousands of homeless residents. Volunteer medical professionals provide basic health care at no cost to residents six days a week. Men s Recovery: The Drop Inn Center runs a 20-unit residential alcohol and drug recovery program for men. The Men s Recovery Program is a certified six-month, treatment program. The 3
program involves individual and group counseling, education on chemical dependency, community service, job training, acquiring employment and obtaining housing. Homeless Individuals Partnership: This project creates a new paradigm in service delivery for chronically homeless individuals. It utilizes a 6-person Collaborative Case Planning Team to engage, assess, and provide case planning and treatment for chronically homeless single men and women. This team provides intensive services designed to help the individual access mainstream disability support services (mental health, substance abuse, etc.), and assists them in securing housing and income and/or benefits to sustain themselves. Advocacy: Once a homeless individual enters the Drop Inn Center, they meet with an Advocate. The Advocate interviews, evaluates, and processes the person based upon the individual s needs. Advocates then link residents to housing while providing assessment, case management, and support. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Within the site boundaries indicated for 217 W. 12 th St., the project must be designed to accommodate the program components listed below: Outdoor Courtyard/ Athletic Space: for gathering and recreation; connected to dorm space, easily accessible Men s Dorm Facility (24 hour emergency shelter): 300 beds Women s Dorm Facility (24 hour emergency shelter): 100 beds Group Restrooms (Men s and Women s): connected to Dorm space Residential Recovery Unit w/ 20 private rooms w/ individuals restrooms: Adjacent to dorm facility (recovering residents act as role model for dorm residents.) Check-in area/ Reception Offices (15 @ 150 sf) and Work Room/ Break Room: Adjacent to check-in Health Clinic (400 sf) Counseling Rooms (Advocates) (10 @ 100 sf): Adjacent to check-in Interior Community Space/ Resident Dining Kitchen: Adjacent to resident dining and loading dock Loading Dock Laundry Facility Parking Height Requirements: Do not exceed height of adjacent properties or (4) stories. 4
DESIGN GOALS Evaluation criteria: Conceptual Design and Program fulfillment: how the project s vision has met the requirements Integration of green design strategies and applicability to LEED criteria Creativity in process, design and innovation Engagement of social, environmental, and economic aspects of program and site Overall energy reduction and its documentation Sensitivity and integration of community relationships and spaces Utilization of sustainable strategies to rethink the homeless shelter paradigm SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Submission for Requirements at the National Level (upon winning local competition, teams must also provide the following requirements) At minimum, boards submitted at the national level must include: o Site plan providing context (scale at the discretion of the entrant) o Building Section o Floor plan o Illustration of key elements of sustainable infrastructure and building systems o Wall section OR detail illustrating special environmental features o Do not include names or the name of your team on the board All entries must remain anonymous at all levels. Each entry must also provide a digital file of the image as a JPEG or TIFF format at 300dpi, full size. Failure to follow the submission requirements could result in disqualification. This will be left up the judges discretion. A one-page written design analysis in PDF form to provide the judges with further insight into the submissions. All entries need to be submitted in English. 2. Other important notes: LEED is a design guideline only. It is understood that this will not portray an accurate LEED score. No LEED credit interpretation rulings will be provided. Designs do not need to be engineered for construction. You should be mindful of conventional design practices, although no other codes other than ADA need to be explicitly met (e.g. local building code, IBC or UBC, fire code, etc.). Deadline for submissions is JULY 13, 2009. No submissions will be accepted after this date and time. FINALISTS Finalists at the local level will be given additional time to develop and detail their designs. Finalists will be required to provide two 30 x40 presentation boards for final presentation at Greenbuild in Phoenix. USGBC will provide more details regarding presentation requirements by September 2009. The finalists may be given specific LEED credits to consider, including material samples and details. 5
An electronic copy of the two boards for entry will be due to USGBC October 2, 2009. These electronic copies should be PDF files formatted to fit on an 11x17 sheet. Entrants are responsible for ensuring both boards are physically present at the Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Phoenix, for display and final judging. This will be coordinated with USGBC toward the end of September. Finalists are strongly encouraged to attend Greenbuild but are not required. As earlier stated, final presentations can be further developed and modified from the original project submission, although not redesigned. There must be a clear relation to the original submission. The Competition Committees at both levels reserve the right to disqualify any entry perceived to be redesigned. JUDGING There will be two phases of judging in the 2009 competition. The first will take place at the local level on or before July 31, 2009. Judging at the national level will take place at Greenbuild in Phoenix, AZ, by an esteemed panel of green building experts. AWARDS The local jury will award a first, second and third place, as well as two Honorable Mention Awards. Winning teams will receive the following awards provided by your local competition host: o 1 st Place: $1,000 o 2 nd Place: $500 o 3 rd Place: $250 o 4 th and 5 th : Honorable mentions NOTE: The local host chapter will provide first place winners with registration to Greenbuild in Phoenix at either the student or full conference rate depending on the age of the finalist. National awards are as follows: o 1 st Place: $5,000 o 2 nd Place: $2,000 o 3 rd Place: Honorable Mention DISCLAIMER USGBC reserves the right to refuse any entry. USGBC is not liable for lost or misdirected, late or substantially incomplete entries, as well as any entries containing text/images that identify the designer to jurors. The decisions and opinions of the jurors represent their professional viewpoints, not the opinion of USGBC. All prizes will be awarded at the discretion of USGBC and all decisions are final. All drawings, photographs, photocopies and other physical materials submitted to the competition become the property of the USGBC and will not be returned. It should be emphasized that this competition is purely conceptual, and the selection of finalists or prize-winners in no way indicates intent of the property owners to implement the proposed schemes. Upon registering for this competition, all competitors agree to waive any and all claims against the USGBC as a result of the competition. Also, by registering, the entrants transfer unlimited use for publication, exhibition and electronic posting of all entries to USGBC. All images must be created by the team or sufficiently cited. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Fill out and return the Image Use Form found on the USGBC website www.usgbc.org\egb prior to submitting for your local competition. 6
This competition, headed by the USGBC has no intention to award or grant any building contracts for the designs submitted in this competition. COMPETITION SCHEDULE December 31, 2008: Local registration goes LIVE on the national USGBC web site (www.usgbc.org and click on Natural Talent Design Competition). July 13, 2009: Deadline for submissions. TBD: Local judging. TBD: Awards ceremony. October 2, 2009: National deadline for those chosen to compete at Greenbuild 2009 in Phoenix. CONTACT INFORMATION Contact your local EGB leaders for project resources (site drawings and photographs) and for questions: Heather Wehby: hwehby@glaserworks.com Michael Kady: mkady@cecinc.com Group site visits at the Drop Inn center may be arranged by contacting Heather or Michael. The number of site visits will be limited. For additional information and questions visit the FAQ page at www.usgbc.org\egb Contact designcompetition@usgbc.org with any questions not answered on the above site. 7