Sefaira, SketchUp, BKSK Architects, Pratt Institute, The Public Society, AND Metropolis Magazine to host Online and Live Building Design Competition
NEW YORK – March 10, 2014 – Sefaira today announced PER/FORM Live Design Competition, a building design contest to challenge the brightest minds in architecture to create inspired and sustainable building designs.
The competition is organized in two parts–an online round followed by an unprecedented live, in-person design competition to take place at the Pratt Institute in Manhattan on Saturday, May 17th. Registration is open now through April 2. To register visit http://performlive.com. Winners will be selected in each of the two rounds.
Together with platform sponsor SketchUp; architectural partner BKSK Architects; design partner, The Public Society; media partner Metropolis Magazine; and academic partner, Pratt Institute; Sefaira invites architecture professionals and students in the United States and Canada to develop and submit designs that strive for the highest standards in both aesthetic form and building performance.
Participants will receive free access to Sefaira’s real-time performance analysis software and the intuitive 3D design tool SketchUp. This will equip contenstants with the latest innovative building design software, meaning they will have the tools they need to rapidly develop and iterate high performance building design concepts. Additionally, participants will receive guidance to help them create the best high performance designs. The top 30 designs from the online round will be exhibited at the live event in NYC and a winner will be selected among them. Thirty contestants from the online round will also get the chance to compete head-to-head in the live contest.
The Live Competition – May 17
On the day of the live competition, contestants will gather at Pratt’s Manhattan Campus to compete in three fast-paced rounds, in front of a live audience. A high-calibre jury of design and sustainability experts will evaluate the designs based on strength of concept, aesthetics and building performance metrics. The winner on the day will be interviewed and featured in Metropolis Magazine.
BKSK Architects Sustainable Design Director Jennifer Preston describes the spirit of the competition, “In our practice, we find that the most effective design is found at the intersection of poetry and performance. We envision this competition as a critical opportunity to expand the dialogue dedicated to elevating design.”
Sefaira CEO Mads Jensen added, “At Sefaira we are all about empowering designers to realize their high performance building vision. The PER/FORM competition is an opportunity for great designers to show-case their talents in Performance Based Design, and we look forward to welcoming all the contestants and to see what great designs they can create when they combine their outstanding talents with the leading edge in building design software.”
About Sefaira
Founded in 2009, Sefaira develops performance based design software to help architects design high performing buildings. Using Sefaira, architects and other building designers can analyze and compare multiple building strategies within a fraction of the time and cost previously required. This includes defining, quantifying, and optimizing the energy, water, carbon and financial benefits of relevant design strategies.
Sefaira won the 2013 Sustainability Leaders Innovation Systems & Software Award and the 2013 ENDS Green Economy Green Data Award. It has been named to the 2013 Global Cleantech 100, the 2013 Red Herring Top 100 Global, the 2013 European Business Award’s “They Could Be Giants,” and the 2012 Going Green Global Top 200 private companies. The company also won Gold at the 2013 Ecosummit award in Berlin as well as the “Green Building Innovation of the Year” award at London’s Ecobuild in 2011. Sefaira has offices in London and New York.
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