Two Clemson architecture students win international award

Published: September 25, 2012

By Kelly Borglum

CLEMSON — Two graduate students from Clemson University’s School of Architecture won first place in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture’s International Sustainable Laboratory Student Design Competition.

Graduate students Caitlin Ranson of Pickens and Dianah Katzenberger of Dillon received first place for their project titled MR + EC (Marine Research and Education Center). Their design exhibits sensitive site planning and use of natural resources, featuring solar thermal design, photovoltaic panels, daylighting and rainwater collection.

The focus of the competition was on brainstorming and creating innovative designs for energy-efficient and environmentally sound laboratories. Specifically, the competition centered on generating a design for the proposed Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education Center on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The project by Ranson and Katzenberger was selected by a panel of jurors from a pool of 120 international submissions. A total of two winners and three honorable mentions were awarded.

Assistant professor of architecture Ulrike Heine was the faculty sponsor of this competition.

“The students were excited to work on a project on the Virgin Islands and enjoyed doing the background research on the potential site, culture and climate,” said Heine. “They worked collaboratively, dividing up the research amongst teams in an office-like manner so that they were able to all benefit from the discoveries and ideas of each other.”

The winning designs will be featured in October at the Labs21 2012 Annual Conference in San Jose, Calif., and presented to an audience of more than 800 professionals.

The project also will be displayed at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture 101^st annual meeting and at the American Institute of Architects’ National Convention.

The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories and the Office of Insular Affairs co-sponsored the competition and award.

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