Students from Five Countries Capture Awards for Innovation and Sustainability
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080716/AQW093-a)
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080716/AQW093-b)
"It is exciting to see the creativity of today's students come to life through sophisticated and innovative designs," said Paul Mailhot, Autodesk senior director, worldwide education programs. "The Build Something design contest is just one of the programs we are undertaking to challenge students to put their imagination and passion into action through design, and demonstrates Autodesk's support for the next generation of design professionals."
Andrew Southwood-Jones of Narrabundah College in Australia, won the Architecture Category as well as the Grand Prize for the General Categories for his UniCube prototype -- a digital model of a green campus residence designed using Revit Architecture software. Incorporating the practice of building information modeling (BIM), the UniCube features aesthetically pleasing spaces tailored for student life, renewable construction materials and green building technology, including gabion walls and rainwater recycling.
"The Student Design Challenge was an excellent opportunity for me to put my skills into practice by using Revit Architecture software. As an Australian, I gained valuable exposure to an international competition while helping to develop my future career portfolio," said Southwood-Jones. "In addition, the resources on the Autodesk Student Community are of considerable assistance. Design software, which is a necessity for many students, is expensive for students to purchase, and the Autodesk Student Community not only provides free professional software, but also offers useful tutorials and forums which enable me to use the latest software to the fullest extent to produce accurate and more innovative designs."
Roland Cernat of Hochschule fuer Gestaltung Schwaebisch Gmuend in Germany, won the Industrial Design Category and went on to take the Grand Prize for Sustainable Design for his ORIENS zero-emission motor glider concept based on the cradle-to-cradle principle, which makes designers think about how their products can be disassembled and reused. Cernat used Autodesk AliasStudio software to sketch the curves of the design and bring it through completion.
Additional winners and runners-up in the various categories are as follows:
Civil Engineering
Winner: Antonio Lorio, Universita La Sapienza di Roma, Italy, for his 3D digital prototype, created using AutoCAD Civil 3D software, of an infrastructure containing road intersections and roundabouts that would preserve existing archaeological excavations.
Runner-Up: Eugeny Malenkikh, St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Russia, for his design of a complex road junction in the city of Ivanovo designed using AutoCAD Civil 3D software.
Architecture
Winner: Andrew Southwood-Jones, Narrabundah College, Australia, for his UniCube, a prototype of environmentally friendly campus residences.
Runner-up: Matthew Calvey,
Mechanical Engineering
Winner: Team Technical Engineering, ITIS Mozzali-Treviglio, Italy, for their digital prototype of a biomimetic Worm Robot that can navigate through tubes and vents in buildings. The project was actually built, and video was created in 3D with a design concept using Autodesk Inventor software.
Runner-up: Maria Krasovskaja, Kostroma State Technological University, Russia, for her digital model of a new exhaust mechanism intended for use in a textile machine. Krasovskaja used Autodesk Inventor software to design the system.
Industrial Design
Winner: Roland Cernat, Hochschule fuer Gestaltung Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany, for his ORIENS zero-emission motor glider concept.
Runner-up: Elliot Ortiz,
3D Animation
Winner: Michal Gamrat, University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland, for his animation of a superhero character in an industrial environment. Gamrat used Autodesk MotionBuilder, Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Combustion software to bring his superhero to life.
Winners were selected by a panel of industry experts from Autodesk and Autodesk customers such as HOK, AlchemyLabs, Palumbo Motorcars and Miller Legg. The judges and the companies they represent share Autodesk's vision of using design as a way to create a better, more sustainable world, and encouraging more students to pursue careers in design and engineering.
"Depletion of natural resources. Climate change. Global population explosion. These are some of the major problems facing our planet today, and as a result, the architecture industry is returning to a holistic view of design, ethics, balance, and democracy," said Jana Revedin, founder of Jana Revedin architects and design challenge judge. "We encourage young architects to be inquisitive, passionate and humanistic generalists who find a special, personal way to produce a sustainable architecture design, representing a long-term, environmentally friendly investment."
Students participated in the challenge by joining Autodesk's Student Engineering and Design Community. Since its launch in September 2006, this global online community has attracted more than 310,000 members from around the world. Designed to give students access to the tools they need to prepare for their future careers in architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial design, and games and animation, the site offers free(*) downloads of Autodesk design software as well as access to the expertise and experience of their peers and educators, as well as Autodesk professionals. To date, students and faculty have downloaded more than 550,000 design software programs.
About Autodesk Education
Autodesk is committed to supporting students and educators by providing access to powerful 2D and 3D design software, innovative programs, and resources designed to inspire the next generation of professionals to experience their ideas before they're real. By advancing education in the key areas of science, technology, engineering, math and visual communications, Autodesk is helping students develop critical skills for future academic and career success. Autodesk supports schools and institutions of higher learning worldwide through substantial discounts, subscriptions, grant programs, training, curricula development and community resources. For more information about Autodesk education programs and software, visit http://www.autodesk.com/education.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc., is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art Digital Prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com.
(*) Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user
license agreement that accompanies download of the software.
Autodesk, AutoCAD, AliasStudio, Autodesk Inventor, Combustion, Inventor, MotionBuilder, Revit, and 3ds Max, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO)
(C) 2008 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contact: Angela Costa Simoes, 415-547-2388
Email: angela.simoes@autodesk.com
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com/