2019 Pollinator House Design-Build Competition FREE STUDENT ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION

2019 Pollinator House Design-Build Competition

BRIEF

Design a House, Build a Community

This is an Open, One-stage, Design-Build competition for functional, contemporary pollinator houses to be auctioned off to support Gardens Buffalo Niagara and Buffalo Architecture Foundation programs.

For the 25th anniversary of Garden Walk Buffalo, Gardens Buffalo Niagara and the Buffalo Architecture Foundation have joined forces to organize and facilitate a design/build competition of Pollinator Houses. The spirit of the competition brings awareness to the wide array of pollinators in Western New York while challenging the notion of how these Pollinator Houses can or should look. Most importantly, the competition also encourages all participants to become designers and advocates for these critical animal partners.

Pollinators have been increasingly threatened through the 20th and into the 21st century with the heavy use of pesticides, invasive species, disease and parasites, and loss of habitat. As a result, specific issues such as colony collapse (bees), white nose syndrome (bats), and climate change (all pollinators) have led to severe population loss for many pollinator species across the region, country and world.
Examples of pollinators in Western New York include: native bees, butterflies, bats, birds, and other insects. These animals are important because so much of our food and plants depend on these them in order to reproduce. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, up to 75 percent of the world’s food crops are dependent in some way on pollinators to reproduce.

SCHEDULE

Announce of competition: December 1, 2018
Submissions accepted: February 1 through May 15, 2019
Final questions received: May 1, 2019
Display of entries: Starting June 15, 2019
Plantasia
Garden Art Sale
6 Minute Building Stories
Garden Walk Headquarters during the Walk
More to be announced!
Final Auction – August, TBD

AWARDS

A jury of esteemed representatives from Western New York architectural and gardening community will be reviewing all submissions for design quality, ingenuity, creativity, sustainability, and execution. Awards recognizing minimally the following categories will be given:

Best overall entry
Most likely to attract a pollinator
Best student entry (K-12)

Possibility of Replication

Although not certain or guaranteed, one or more designs may be selected for replication to commemorate Garden Walk Buffalo’s 25^th anniversary. The Competition Committee will contact entrants for possible fabrication refinements if the design is selected.

FEES

FREE

2019 Pollinator House Design-Build Competition FREE STUDENT ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION