Student design competition hopes to teach prospective architects about the business of building

By Jason Segarra on Monday, November 30, 2009 at 22:24

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Getting a building erected can be an immensely complicated process involving any number of professionals representing a range of creative, physical and business disciplines. To give the world''s future architects, business people and graphic designers a taste of the construction industry, architectural publishing service Chicago Architecture Today is holding its second annual mock firms Skyscraper design competition.

The international, student-based competition sees teams of design, business and marketing students functioning as a genuine construction firm, creating a fiscally solvent design, marketing plan and business model for a commercial or residential high-rise building.

Points are awarded for creativity, innovation and collaboration, with judgment levied through face-to-face professional evaluations performed by a panel of industry professionals that is meant to simulate actual meetings with federal, municipal and corporate boards of directors.

The event is a part of the 2010 Global Convention and Exposition on Architecture, an annual convention of architecture and design professionals that will be held at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago this coming April.