Architects’ Week is a longstanding tradition of the Tulane School of Architecture as a weeklong, design and build, group project. It is a unique occasion for students to work not only with a proven designer, but also with fellow students. The exact form that it takes varies from year to year. In 2010, A-Week groups created information kiosks for New Orleans. The year before was an exploration in rethinking the bench. This year the project brief was a bit different. The project brief, images and descriptions of each student project and the winning design after the break.
Instead of using the program to prescribe an end result, we gave the students a starting point. The groups were asked to create an installation based on sensory interaction. We also asked that the designs considered green options, and that they could be contained within a footprint of 64 square feet and a volume of 1,000 cubic feet. The groups were then allotted $350 each and sent to work.
This year 8 groups competed. Together they represented over 100 students. While professors are asked to refrain from giving input, Jing Liu and her associates, all representing the firm Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu, was kind enough to visit and act as a design consultant. With an almost unprecedented level of commitment and some fantastic help, all of the teams crossed the finish line in time for their final review.
