San Diego—April 15, 2014—A team of NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) students earned two out of five awards at the prestigious Cal Poly Design Village 2014 competition April 11-13 in the categories of “People’s Choice/Most Contagious” and “Most Habitable.” NSAD has a long tradition of winning top honors at the annual event, which draws architecture and design students from all over California.

The teams developed entries based on this year’s design competition’s theme of “Biologics.” The winning structure, called “The Rotation of Living,” was inspired by the shape of a cell. The resulting wheel-like design was made of wood sheets, steel tubes and solar panels to generate energy for the LED lighting. Members of that team, which won the two awards, were: Guillermo Menjivar, Salvador Vicente, Aipeng Fang and Juan Cruz. Two other NSAD teams participated in the event. One of the teams  - consisting of Alex Angeline, Daniel Facanha, Mallory Boyd and Paula Sigala - created a design inspired by the structure of a sunflower using cables, steel tubing, and seat belt material to create mesh “petals.”  Another team built a pyramid-like structure designed to adapt to changing needs, notable for engineering elements such as a leveling mechanism created from chair springs. That team consisted of Ryan Stangl, Devin Lee, Andrew Schiffer, and Guy Hartwig.

For the competition, held by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., students must carry their materials three-quarters of a mile, build the structure on site, and then live in it for three days and two nights. The class and competition provides NSAD students with the chance to demonstrate their mastery of creative and functional design, which is emphasized throughout the NSAD curriculum

All the NSAD student teams developed their entries as part of a design studio course taught by NSAD instructor Hussein Munaim, who has been instrumental in NSAD’s participation in the annual event since 1995. This is at least the seventh time in the past eight years NSAD school teams have taken home top prizes, according to records, though the winning tradition goes back further than that.

The winning entry by an NSAD incorporated solar panels to generate energy for the LED lightingPhoto credit: Salvador Vicente

About NewSchool of Architecture and Design
Located in downtown San Diego, NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) prepares students for career success in design fields through an emphasis on interdisciplinary and global design skills, industry collaborations and real-world projects. The school’s programs include architecture, construction management, product design and interior design. The school also offers programs in digital media arts, game art, game programming and animation. For the past two years, DesignIntelligence has ranked NSAD among the top 10 undergraduate architecture schools in the western United States in its publication “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools.” The school’s design environment provides inspiration for the school’s students and faculty, recognized for their work regionally and internationally, and NSAD students are prepared to work in a global and diverse work environment through the school’s collaborations with award-winning schools around the world such as Domus Academy in Milan, Italy and Media Design School in Auckland, New Zealand. NSAD is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission, and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). NSAD’s Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture and Executive Master of Architecture programs are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). http://www.newschoolarch.edu/.