Update: 9/12/2011

We are pleased to announce that the “UMBRA_vela” project by SHRM has won the latest DesignByMany challenge: “A Rapidly-Deployable Shade Structure” The challenge asked professionals and students in the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) community to submit a proposal to design a rapidly-deployable shade structure that could just as easily be deployed during a day at the beach or park, or while in a desert environment..

Description

Being that it’s summer time (at least for half of us) we decided to propose a more seasonal challenge. Whether you’re at the beach or in the desert, providing shade is an integral component of basic shelter and comfort. Traditional means of portable shading include umbrellas and beach tents, but we think there is an opportunity for a more contemporary design solution.  A rapidly-deployable sun shade can provide quick, inexpensive, and temporary protection.

This challenge is to design a rapidly-deployable shade structure that could just as easily be deployed during a day at the beach or park, or while in a desert environment.

Context

• Flat-ground, appropriate for a park, beach or desert setting
• Location should be selected by the designer. Please specify a location, or locations, as the basis for your analysis

Objectives

• Provide solar shading against light and radiant heat
• Device should be modular or easy to construct.
• Design should be quickly deployable.
• Design should be portable and be able to be carried by a single person
• Design should be adaptable to various environmental conditions.

Prizes

• HP Designjet T790 24” PostScript ePrinter - The winner of this challenge selected by the judges will take home a brand-new HP Designjet T790 24” PostScript ePrinter. Introduced on May 12, this printer is one of the latest additions to the HP web-connected ePrinter portfolio, making large-format printing easy and offering instant file access to design professionals. With the HP Designjet T790 ePrinter, users can simply plug and print directly from a USB thumb drive or connect a laptop directly to the device to print with driverless printing. Users can also print directly from the web without a computer and preview projects through the large-format industry’s only color touchscreen interface.
• Both the winner selected by the judges and the community winner will be featured on ArchDaily, The worlds most visited architecture website.

Precedent

• The Eco Tent / The Neenan Company
• Versatile Solar Tent Fabrics for Your Renewable Energy
• Sun Shade Patent by - SCHULTES TILMANNSEIDEL JOACHIM

Judges

• Andrew Payne - Andrew’s work explores embedded computation and parametric design.  He has lectured and taught extensively throughout the United States and Canada.  In 2009, Andrew co-authored a publication with Rajaa Issa titled, The Grasshopper Primer which provides an in depth look at the Grasshopper plug-in for Rhino.   This publication has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish (by other authors) with additional translations coming soon.
   
• David Benjamin – Principal of architecture firm The Living, and Director of the Living Architecture Lab at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. The practice and the lab emphasize open source research and design.
   
• Kevin Klinger - Director of the Institute for Digital Fabrication ( www.i-m-a-d-e.org ) at Ball State University, Associate Professor of Architecture, and Director of the Post-Professional Master of Architecture program in the College of Architecture and Planning. Kevin was responsible for developing a Certificate for Digital Design and Fabrication for Ball State University. He has also served as a two-term President (03-05) of the Association of Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), an international organization devoted to studying the advances in architecture resulting from influences of digital technology. Kevin R. Klinger was an author and co-editor of the book by Routledge entitled: Manufacturing Material Effects: Rethinking Design and Making in Architecture developed in collaboration with Branko Kolarevic. . In coursework and through partnerships with the institute, Professor Klinger encourages explorations in digitally-driven design, deploying techniques of digital fabrication.

Deadline

• All Designs must be submitted by Sunday August 14th at 11:59 PM (GMT -4)
• Community Voting will end on Sunday August 21th at 11:59 PM (GMT -4)*

*Community voting is based on the total number of votes a project gets

Submission Requirements

• Post design model and documentation (3d and/or 2d)
• Post images
• Post diagrams explaining approach (optional)
• Post video explaining approach (optional)