RED HOOK — A national design competition challenged architecture students to create a proposal for "a mid-rise, mixed used complex" that addressed New York's urban housing needs on the Red Hook waterfront.
More than 1,000 students and young professionals took part in “Timber in the City: Urban Habitats,” which asked participants to use wood as the primary structural material in their design.
The University of Oregon’s team won for their “Grow Your Own City” design, which planned for affordable housing, a bike share, Timber Restaurant and a green alley and urban park that would "highlight Red Hook’s vibrant cycling, culinary and eco-friendly culture."
"Grow Your Own City aims to enhance the energetic life and community of Red Hook," according to the design’s description.
As students were to incorporate large-scale wood design into their plans, the winning team used “cross-laminated timber” — wooden construction material made of several layers of wood.
The jurors, made up of architects and professors, found the team’s use of timber to be “a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly solution for the Red Hook community,” according to the press release.
The winning team received prizes totaling $30,000 for their designs, which will not actually be implemented.
"Both the jury members and the involvement of more than 1,000 students and recent graduates created a very engaging dynamic for the future of timber construction," said Norman Millar, president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, who organized the competition with the Binational Softwood Lumber Council and Parsons The New School for Design.
"These young designers were challenged to examine the benefits that wood can offer for urban design projects."