The Submission

During the first competition stage, teams will submit a proposal for a Spring 2012 studio class based around one of the seven national park sites. Please note that a design studio this Fall is not required to enter the competition — welcome proposals whether they're developed with students in seminars and symposia, or whether they're based on faculty research.

Step 1: Choose one park from one region

Each participating studio team must select one park only to be the focus of their design work. While it is not a requirement, teams are strongly encouraged to select a site within their own region. Submitting schools are responsible for transportation costs to the site, and demonstration of ability to visit the site will be taken into consideration when projects are reviewed. During the Fall 2011 semester, faculty can use this site as the subject of seminars and/or symposia to explore aspects of design, management, and operations, from enhancing access and visitor experience to promoting ecological restoration, preserving historical resources, and integrating recreation and economic development. This is the time to begin exploring partnerships and to develop potential collaborations.

For more information about the NPS regions, download this PDF

Step 2: Assemble a design studio thesis

After a site is selected and initial research has been conducted, each participating team is required to formulate and submit a design studio thesis — that is, a short synopsis (two page maximum) of the studio's overarching goals and direction, design principles, and applicability to both its chosen site and the National Park System at large. The design thesis must provide the context and framework for the studio, tying it together by asking pointed questions and providing specific avenues of design and planning exploration. The design thesis must describe an approach and a process to park design. It could consider broad issues, such as:

Step 3: Create a studio syllabus

For Stage 1 of the competition, each participating studio team must produce a studio syllabus (five page maximum, excluding studio timeline). The studio syllabus will be a natural extension of the design thesis, laying out anticipated studio tasks, assignments, meetings, work products, etc. VAI and NPS may work with studio teams selected as finalists to refine the syllabus to better align the team's thesis with the specific needs of the site and the requirements of the competition.

The syllabus should explain anticipated products, partnerships, design processes, and their environmental, social, and financial contexts. In formulating the syllabus, importance should be given to creativity of approach and clarity of content.

Step 4: Draft a studio schedule and timeline

The studio schedule will enable VAI and NPS to evaluate the feasibility and completeness of the proposed activities and will provide a framework for the team's anticipated collaboration and partnerships. The content of the studio schedule is at the discretion of the participating team, but should include a list of studio tasks with anticipated studio exercises, a strategy for anticipated NPS participation, and studio deliverables. VAI and NPS realize that items and timing of tasks are subject to change. What is important is the approach and the process.

Step 5: Submit the competition materials

Participating design studio teams must submit the following items to Van Alen Institute by 6:00 PM EDT on November 1, 2011:

  1. Team Lead/Coordinator and Contact Information
  2. Name of Team's Selected Park
  3. Description of Team, including name and biography of the Team Lead/Coordinator(s), list of collaborators with their discipline and anticipated roles/responsibilities, and anticipated number of students
  4. Studio Design Thesis (2-page maximum)
  5. Studio Syllabus (5-page maximum - excluding Design Thesis and Studio Schedule)
  6. Studio Schedule

The general format of Stage 1 submissions is at the discretion of the applicant, provided the entries include all materials, above, in English. Maximum page limits must not be exceeded. Renderings and/or other elaborate imagery are not necessary as part of the Stage 1 submission. Submission materials must be emailed as a single .PDF document to the following address:

dtpstudio@vanalen.org

The PDF file must not exceed 10MB in size. Hard copies of submission materials will not be accepted.

Rules and Eligibility

This competition is open to all American academic institutions. These institutions may partner with public and/or private entities at their discretion. All competition submission text must be in English.

In submitting an entry, entrants warrant that the material is their original work, does not infringe upon copyright law, and that they have permission to publish the material.

Team lead/coordinators may submit one entry only. Institutions of higher learning may have multiple submissions provided that a different team lead/coordinator organizes a unique submission with a unique team.

Due to the nature of the competition, submissions will not be judged anonymously.

All entries must be submitted to Van Alen Institute's office by 6:00 PM EDT on Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Late entries will be considered ineligible.

There is no entry fee.

Ownership, Display, and Publication

All material submitted to this design competition will become part of the public domain. Entrants acknowledge that Van Alen Institute may exhibit all entries in an online gallery, and a selection of entries may be chosen for physical exhibition and/or public display. Van Alen Institute will make reasonable effort to notify entrants of any public exhibitions of their work through correspondence with the registered contact.

In entering the design competition, entrants grant Van Alen Institute and NPS unrestricted license to exercise the entrants' rights regarding their design submissions, including, but not limited to, reproduction, preparation of derivative works, distribution of copies of the design submission, and the right to authorize such use by others.

In entering the competition, the registrant and all team members recognize the competition's program as the intellectual property of Van Alen Institute and NPS, and agree to credit the organizations by name in any subsequent exhibition or publication of materials. Entrants will be credited on all online and print material published by the organizers of the competition.