The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) has announced the winners of its second annual Student Design Competition, granting $28,500 in awards to six winners and to their faculty sponsors in an online ceremony. Two of the top winners hail from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst! The competition took place during the 2022 fall semester, with entries due January 6, 2023. This year’s contest for undergraduate and graduate architecture students challenged each participant to create an innovative metal building design for a fire station and department headquarters.
Congratulations to Bobby Buttrick, who was awarded the top prize of $5,000 and to Pranav Amin for earning first place and $4,000 in the “Graduate Division.” Both are graduate students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and advised by Professor Stephen Schreiber, Chair of the Department of Architecture in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.
Second place in the “Graduate Division” and $2,500 went to Samantha Spitzer, a student at the University of New Mexico. She was advised by Professor Kristina Yu of the School of Architecture and Planning.
In the “Undergraduate Division”, first place and $4,000 was awarded to the Tree City Team from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The team consists of Harris Cheifetz, Sarah Joseph, Jaret Lesure, Aaron Muth and Gunnar Norberg, and was advised by Robert Kobet of the College of Architecture & Environmental Design. Earning second place along with $2,5000 were Brianna Westbrook and Elias Vasquez of Texas A&M University in College Station, advised by Marcel Erminy, Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Architecture. Miguel Alecio, a student at the Universidad del Istmo in Frajinas, Guatemala, was awarded third place and $1,500 and advised by Hans Schwarz Bassila of the Faculty of Architecture and Design.
“We congratulate Bobby Buttrick and his advisor Stephen Schreiber on earning the top prize in the 2022 MBMA Student Design Competition,” says MBMA General Manager Tony Bouquot. “We had 48 entries from eight schools, including one from Guatemala. It’s exciting to see a variety of schools and students submitting such impressive entries, and we thank all of the faculty sponsors for their work as well.”
“In its second year, the design competition continues to introduce metal building systems to students across the country and beyond,” says MBMA Director of Research and Engineering Lee Shoemaker, PhD, PE. “It’s exciting to see the creativity and enthusiasm of these students from schools large and small.”
This year’s five-member panel of judges included: Eric Pros, AIA, director of design for DS Architecture in Cleveland, Ohio; Terri Meyer Boake, LEED AP, professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture, Cambridge, Ontario; Lauren Gwaltney, AIA, senior associate with Williams Blackstock Architects in Birmingham, Alabama; John Underwood, consultant to Behlen Mfg. Co., Columbus, Nebraska; and Robert Tiffin, national accounts manager with Silvercote in Greenville, South Carolina, and chair of the MBMA Architecture Committee.
MBMA launched the contest last year with the intent to challenge undergraduate and graduate architecture students to explore design options and to learn more about metal buildings as a structural or construction system. Last year’s contest asked students to create an innovative metal building design for a one- or two-story elementary school to house approximately 200 students and distributed $15,000 in cash prizes.
Founded in 1956, MBMA serves manufacturers and suppliers as it works to promote the metal building systems industry. For over 60 years, its membership has supplied high-quality buildings for use in commercial, retail, office, industrial, institutional and other end uses. The association provides a wealth of useful information on its WEBSITE for anyone who works with or is interested in metal building systems. Resources include technical materials, research reports, videos and design guides.
METALCON is thrilled to welcome MBMA back to METALCON 2023, scheduled for October 18-29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Be sure to stop by their Booth #2105 to learn more about their association and the ways you can get involved.
