Student designers could win £9,500 cash prize in competition

Design and engineering consultancy Aecom has announced details of its 2011 Urban SOS student competition, supported by ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉúTV. The submission deadline has been set for 29 July 2011.

Water is the driving theme of this year’s competition. With more than half of the world living in cities, the way in which we address environmental challenges will determine much about our future as a planet.

The annual event hopes to engage students of urban planning and design, architecture, landscape architecture and engineering with the issues confronting modern cities. The idea is to foster a cross-disciplinary approach to the complex challenges facing today’s built and natural environments.

This year, submissions are being accepted for the following areas of inquiry:

  • Power generation/energy
  • Potable and safe water access
  • Transport
  • Drought
  • Natural disaster
  • Sea-level rise/climate change
  • Loss of habitat
  • Water quality
  • Guerrilla/alternative treatments of water and wastewater
  • Water sensitive urban design
  • Recycling

Responses can range from a strategic framework to a surgical micro-response, from a whole landscape system to a single piece of architecture or infrastructure.

The competition is open to teams of up to four students each and entrants will be judged on their feasibility, creativity and multi-disciplinary approach.

The top three teams will be invited to London in November 2011 to present their schemes.

A £9,500 cash prize will be awarded to the winning submission and donation of up to £15,600 will be made to a charitable organization to help realise the winning entry.

For details of how to apply, visit .

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