15 de enero del 2008

Re:       Competencia 2008 de los “Emerging Green Builders”, Capítulo Caribe

“Small is Beautiful”, Loíza Aldea, Loíza

Estudiantes o profesionales arquitectos, planificadores o ambientalistas:           

¡Saludos!

Cordialmente,

Arq. María Cristina Peña_ Coordinadora de Competencia EGB 2008_ 787.292.9527

www.usgbccaribe.com o visite Facebook: USGBC_EGB_Caribbean Chapter

USGBC 2008 Natural Talent Design Competition

EGB: Puerto Rico / Caribbean Chapter

“Small is beautiful”

OVERVIEW

The USGBC Natural Talent 2008 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 a local competition, the top winner of which will move on to compete for a national award at Greenbuild Boston 2008.   Awards include Green Building Scholarships as well as travel and registration to Greenbuild (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org), the USGBC’s Annual Green Building Conference and Expo, where finalists’ entries will be displayed and where final judging will occur.  Greenbuild 2008 will be held in Boston, MA, November, 2008.

The USGBC Design Competition provides applied learning experience in the principles of integrated design, sustainability, and innovation; all of which are components of the LEEDTM Green Building Rating System. 

COMPETITION OBJECTIVES

•       Broaden environmental education in the building professions within students and young professionals

•       To empower students and young professionals within the green building movement in order to become future leaders

•       Highlight the presence, efforts, and initiatives of students, young professionals and emerging leaders in the green building movement

•       Provide examples of alternative Green design approaches that encourage the implementation of Sustainable practices in the local building industry. 

•       Integrate students with esteemed individuals from the USGBC and green building industry

•       Raise awareness of exemplary designs of future designers by displaying them at Greenbuild

•       Initiate future building industry leaders in the use of LEED as a guideline for building design and performance standards.

•       Recognize and award emerging green builders for their dedication, creativity, innovation, and commitment to sustainable design

ELIGIBILITY

The Competition is open to all university 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.  This will depend largely on the Chapters participating.

•   Both individuals and teams are permitted to enter – please check your local competition requirements.

•       Multi-disciplinary and international teams are strongly encouraged.

•       Teams are to be no larger than five individuals.

•       The team shall have a maximum of two individuals for each discipline.

•       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 committee to translate.

REGISTRATION

• Teams are required to complete an online registration form by visiting the Emerging Green Builders national website 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.

• Teams are required to identify a primary 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.

• Each team/individual may only enter one local competition.  This competition should be the competition geographically closest to your current location.

COMPETITION CHALLENGE

Problem:

In Puerto Rico the community of Loíza, a town which was born from African slaves in the early 18th century, is sited along the shores of ‘Rio Grande de Loíza’ basin (Puerto Rico’s largest river) and along the beautiful beach coast at the northeastern part of Puerto Rico. Being neglected for hundreds of years, its community, traditions and valuable ecosystems are now threatened by the pressures of unsustainable progress and development.

Challenge:

The challenge consists of providing a strong connector between the community plaza and the river basin. The intention is to expose to the community the potential of the basin to provide employment and identify it as a source that needs to be appropriated and protected by the community itself. This will empower the community against developments supported by false economic agendas. The project’s connector has three main components:  (1) The existing plaza and its immediate surroundings, (2) an existing low-income residential complex that sits in between the river and the plaza, and (3) a new visitor’s center which will serve as the link to the river’s ecosystem. The proposals must use LEED Community and Neighborhood Development, LEED NC and LEED EB as a guide. The Old Ancón will be re-established as part of the visitor’s center. The Old Ancón was a traditional way of transportation across the river with a raft and a system of pulleys and ropes that was abandoned some decades ago when the concrete bridge was constructed. This refurbishment will promote low impact activity to the area in accordance to sustainable practices. The existing residential complex must be refurbished to incorporate sustainable practices that will enhance a community environment. The designers must be creative in designing low-impact interventions throughout the wetlands that will allow fishing, passive recreation, social gathering and contemplation.  The team must keep in mind the budget of the project and its constructability.

The value of Loíza Aldea’s scale, culture, history, and ecosystem is still not protected by the local governments. The competition is planned in conjunction with the community leader and aims to bring ideas that could be implemented by the residents at the end of the competition. The competition aims to prove that small communities can achieve economic, cultural and environmental sustainability, by being small and beautiful.

Site:   Loíza Aldea Community, Loíza, Puerto Rico

PROJECT CONTEXT & LOCATION

Puerto Rico is the smaller of the Greater Antilles on the Caribbean Sea, located between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  It became a territory of the United States in 1898.  Since 1952 it has been organized as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which granted it an unusual political status that falls in a category between a U.S. state and an independent republic.

The Municipality of Loíza is located in Puerto Rico’s northern coast, flanked by Carolina to the west, Canóvanas to the south, and Río Grande to the east.  It was mostly populated by African slaves, therefore the African heritage—mainly in the form of music and food—has been preserved as in no other town in the Island, earning the town the distinction of the ‘Capital of Tradition’.  Many local tourists visit Loíza to enjoy alcapurrias (a type of dumpling), go to the beach, and experience bomba performances, a traditional music genre born from African drums.

Except for Loíza, all surrounding towns have experienced some economic development in the present decade, being natural overflow towns for the San Juan metropolitan area. They attract families and individuals looking for affordable dwellings but wanting to stay close to the major employment centers.  Only recently Loíza has seen an accelerated construction of second homes/beach apartments which usually displace residents and destroy natural resources, with no economic benefit for the local communities.

The site under study consists of about 10 acres of land, most of it already developed.  It houses the City Hall, the City Library, the Main Square, a public housing development, a passive park, a catholic church—the third oldest in Puerto Rico, a virgin plot of land (almost one acre), and several other commercial and residential structures, one of them which used to be a bar/restaurant in the former Old Ancón location.  Many proposals have been submitted to redevelop the Old Ancón as a tourist attraction but none have progressed.  Most people believe that the Old Ancón should be the focal point of the area redevelopment and economic growth.

The site is abutted to the west by the Río Grande de Loíza river which is the largest river in Puerto Rico in terms of volume.  Less than a kilometer northeast from the site the river meets the sea forming an estuary of high ecological value.  This area, comprised of many wetlands, is home to some endangered species such as the Caribbean Brown Pelican.  Local fishermen also benefit from the area’s high biological productivity. 

In 2007 in Piñones, a nearby community, residents won a long battle against a hotel development seen as a threat to the environment and to continue displacing locals.  The state government has committed to protect the area, but is resented by the actual mayor, Eddie Manso, who sees hope in commercial and residential developments for economic growth experienced by surrounding towns.  The Piñones area is also popular for cyclists and surfers.

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Within the site boundaries indicated on the site plan, the connector to the river must be designed to accommodate the program components listed below.

• Existing Plaza:  The plaza and the commercial area around it have a scale that is appropriate for the community and should be kept throughout the project. The Church of San Patricio was built in the early 1700’s and will remain untouched. The plaza lacks activities since its renovation a few years ago. The fountain and other new elements don’t want to be destroyed or harmed during events and the main celebrations have been moved to other locations. Is optional for the team to incorporate ways to modify this condition bringing life to the plaza again. Parking around the plaza needs to be formalized. The plaza is the starting point for the connection to the river.

• Low-Income Residential Project:  The residential complex consists of 6 modular 2-story buildings, open parking clusters, a community center, a recreational area and an electronic library. The buildings interiors will be refurbished to the discretion of the design team and their interpretation of LEED-EB requirements. The community center is not currently used and needs to be rehabilitated or reconsidered. The team shall implement small interventions appropriate with the community’s income. The residential component becomes the area in between the river and the plaza.

• Visitor’s Center: The center’s location is open to the team’s judgment. It shall provide bathrooms and shower areas for visitors, the offices for the Old Ancon, a small restaurant and a multiuse space for activities. The square footage area shall not exceed 2,500 sf. The design team can be creative in defining other applicable uses and how they relate to the ecosystem. The area must have vehicular access but not necessarily parking. The design of a park for children and visitors is encouraged in the abandoned site overlooking the river. The design for the raft is not part of the challenge but the team must define how it is accessed and controlled.

• Wetland Preservation and Management: The challenge requires the creation of low-impact interventions that will promote the local economy while protecting the ecosystem. The team shall consider the impact of the river on the site during overflow and how this will be managed. Teams must consider the numerous species in extinction that inhabit Loíza’s basin. A list of species and a map with their exact location will be provided.

• Waste Management Plan: The existing wetlands around the community suffer from illegal dumping of heavy equipment and garbage. The service to dispose for this type of waste is not available. The team shall come with an idea of how this can be avoided and how the generation of waste produced from the human activities in the project will be managed.

• General notes on the project:

• The concept of “Small is beautiful” from economist E.F. Schumacher has to inform the design concepts. For more information refer to the books listed below.
• The connector shall be pedestrian oriented.
• The teams can consider different ways of creating the connector. The team can choose to develop either the existing street that leads to the river or create a path through the residential complex as the proposal for the connector. Other ideas are also welcomed.
• Participation in the “Kick-Off” event is strongly suggested.
• All the material including plans, images, and literature for the project will be given during the “Kick-Off” event. If a team can’t participate in the event, the material will be available on the Caribbean Chapter website and the EGB Caribbean Chapter website during the month of January 2008 (www.usgbccaribe.com).
• References: For concepts on local economies, community and resources refer to: “People, Land and Community: Lectures from the E.F. Schumacher Society” by Hildegarde Hannum. For spatial, architectural treatments oriented to community refer to: “Lessons for Students in Architecture” by Herman Hertzberger.

DESIGN GOALS

Evaluation criteria at the national level:

• 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 environmental, economic, and social aspects of program and site
• Overall energy reduction and its documentation

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Submission for Requirements at the National Level

• A maximum of two “30 x 40” boards will be allowed.
• At minimum, boards submitted at the national level must include:
• Site plan providing context (scale at the discretion of the entrant)
• Building Section
• Floor plan
• Street profiles
• Elevations relevant to the team proposal
• Any 3D representation, photomontage or model photos are required
• Illustration of key elements of sustainable infrastructure and building systems
• Wall section OR detail illustrating special environmental features
• Do not include names or the name of your team on the board. All entries must remain anonymous at all levels. Packages must be delivered completely sealed.

• 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.

• 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 (i.e. local building code, IBC or UBC, fire code, etc.).

Deadline for submissions is Thursday, July 3, 2008.  No submissions will be accepted after this date and time. For entries delivered by mail, send boards to the following address:

U.S. Green Building Council Caribbean Chapter

PO Box 9024206

San Juan, PR 00926-4206

For entries delivered personally, the physical address is:

US Green Building Council, Caribbean Chapter

C/O: Fernando Abruña, FAIA

107 San Sebastián Street

Old San Juan, San Juan, PR

FINALISTS

Finalists at the local level will be given additional time to develop and detail their designs.  Finalists will be permitted two 30”x40” presentation boards for final presentation at Greenbuild in Boston.  The finalists may be given specific LEED credits to consider, including material samples and details.

An electronic copy of the two boards for entry will be due to the National EGB Competition Committee October 1, 2008.  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 Boston, MA, for display and final judging.  This will be coordinated with the National EGB Committee toward the end of October.  Finalists are strongly encouraged to attend Greenbuild but are not required to.  All projects in the final round of judging will also be posted to the Emerging Green Builders Website.

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 2008 competition.  The first phase will take place at the local level during the week of July 7-11, 2008 at the School of Architecture of the University of Puerto Rico. The judges for the local competition will be posted on February 2008 on the USGBC and EGB Caribbean Chapter websites:  www.usgbccaribe.com or http://egbpr.blogspot.com/.  Judging at the national level will take place at Greenbuild in Boston, MA, 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:

• 1st Place:  $1,000
• 2nd Place:  $500
• 3rd Place:  $250
• 4th and 5th:  Honorable mentions

NOTE: First place winners will also get travel, lodging and registration to Greenbuild in Boston.  If an international registrant would win the local competition, they would be given a stipend to assist in their airfare and hotel, in addition to EGB registration.

National awards are as follows:

• 1st Place:  $5,000
• 2nd Place: $2,000

DISCLAIMER

The National EGB Committee reserves the right to refuse any entry.  The 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 the USGBC. All images must either 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 national EGB website prior to submitting for your local competition.

This competition, headed by the USGBC Emerging Green Builders Committee, has no intention to award or grant any building contracts for the designs submitted in this competition. 

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

• August 2007:  Natural Talent 2008 announced in the Chapter newsletter.
• October 1, 2007:  Draft of local program summary due to the National EGB committee at emerginggreen@usgbc.org verifying Chapter/EGB participation in the national competition
• October 31, 2007:  Final local program summary due to National EGB for posting on website and national press releases.
• November 7-9, 2007:  Participating chapters announced at Greenbuild Chicago.
• November 15, 2007:  Registration goes LIVE on the national USGBC website.
• January 26, 2008: Site Visit Event for all registered teams.
• July 3, 2008: Deadline for local submittals.
• July 18, 2008: Announcement of local winners.
• August 1, 2008:  Latest date for local judging to be complete.
• October 1, 2008:  National deadline for those chosen to compete at Greenbuild 2008.
•  

KICK-OFF EVENT

When? Saturday, January 26, 2008.

Invitations with time and schedule will be delivered to teams after registration date.

Where? Municipality Plaza, Loíza Aldea, Loíza, Puerto Rico

Why is it important?

During the event participants will have the chance to know the community people one on one as well as visit the site with the expertise of volunteers from the Sierra Club and the USGBC. The event will also offer a brief presentation of LEED New Construction and LEED Neighborhood Development aspects that apply to the competition. A design package will be given to each team with all the material needed to start the design process.

Don’t miss it!

CONTACT INFORMATION

For additional information and questions visit the FAQ page at www.usgbc.org\egb

Contact emerginggreen@usgbc.org with any questions not answered on the above site.

Local contact:  

Brenda Martinez (EGB President Caribbean Chapter)

• egb.puertorico@gmail.com

787.460.5809

Maria Cristina Pena (EGB Competition Committe Director)

cristinapr_77@yahoo.com

787.292.9527

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