Awards

The Foundation has annually provided Scholarship funds to deserving students of the Florida Universities Schools of Architecture. The Foundation solicits recommendations and nominations for student awards from the University Deans and Faculties with criteria for award based on high academic achievement, or exceptional circumstances supporting a student’s study of architecture. In addition, the prestigious Bronze Medal for excellence in Architecture is awarded to worthy students in their final year of study.

Health Care Clinic for the Homeless

The Florida Foundation for Architecture is embarking on a program to address the issue of access to health care through the design of a clinical facility for the treatment of medical, dental and behavioral needs of homeless individuals and families throughout the state.

The Foundation has partnered with AIA Orlando’s Academy of Architecture for Health to sponsor the 2010 design competition for Florida AIA Emerging Professionals. Emerging Professionals are defined as architecture students in the Florida schools of architecture, Associate AIA members, and architects licensed less than 10 years.

The Competition is aimed at fostering research associated with the design of clinical facilities to serve the medical, dental, and behavioral needs of homeless populations in communities throughout the state of Florida. Solutions are being sought that will address the design parameters of sustainability, flexibility, functionality and the creation of a healing environment for patients & staff within the context of Florida communities.

Access to good Healthcare is a critical personal and social issue for all Americans today. Americans with good paying jobs and nice homes often find it difficult to gain reasonable access to quality health care. That difficulty is significantly compounded for those who have lost jobs and homes in today’s economy. Within the homeless community, a reluctance to seek medical care regularly occurs for a variety of reasons. This tendency often causes minor conditions to become much more serious. The creation of an inviting healing environment is critical to breaking down some of the barriers and creating a more efficient healthcare system. Additionally, hospital emergency departments are frequently overcrowded by those seeking care that does not require the utilization of such an intensive facility – this clinic can serve as a prototype for an alternative.

Competition Goals:

Elevate the quality of clinical facilities offering medical & social services.
Provide a "real world" project for Emerging Professionals.
Bring new ideas to the table to improve access to health care for those in need.

CLICK HERE for the Primer.

Registration:

CLICK HERE for a summary.

CLICK HERE to register.

The Submission:

Phase 1 shall be a digital submission of no less than 6 slides in PDF format. The slides shall provide enough information to convey the design concept, but at a minimum, the slides shall have a 200 word (max.) design narrative, the floor plan (at a minimum of 1/8” or 1/4” scale), exterior elevations, or at least two exterior renderings showing all sides, and a minimum of one interior rendering and a building section. All slides and graphic presentation materials are to remain anonymous – no logos, individual names or other forms of identification of the entrants shall appear in the presentation format. Failure to comply with this requirement will be grounds for disqualification of the entry. The jury will determine the number of submissions that will be selected to proceed to Phase 2.

Phase 2 will require at least one team member or the single entrant to be present at the 2010 AIA Florida Convention at the Sawgrass Marriott hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. At the convention, the finalists will each present their project to the attendees, who will then select the winners. They must bring one 20” by 30”, vertically oriented board to be used to present their project during a session of the convention. The slides provided in Phase 1 will also be available for the presentation but no new information may be added during Phase 2. The final voting will be done by convention attendees, where the top three winners will be announced at the end of the convention. All competition participants are encouraged to enter their submission into the 2011 AIA Florida Design Awards Program.

The Prizes:

The Foundation will offer three prizes $1500, $1250, and $1000 for the top three designs.

The Jury, composed of health care design professionals, university professors and practicing Florida architects will select the finalists. Phase 1 judging will take place prior to the 2010 AIA Florida Convention where the finalists will be selected to continue on to Phase 2.

The Program:

The basic program includes the design of a new 22,000 sf clinical facility for the treatment of medical, dental and behavioral needs of homeless and underserved individuals and families in an arbitrary location in Florida.

The general program requirements for the 22,000 sf facility are as follows:
• Administration area
• Medical clinic spaces including exam rooms, waiting rooms, offices, and x-ray facilities.
• Dental clinic spaces including reception area, exam rooms, x-ray facilities, offices.
• Mental health clinic spaces including waiting area, consultation rooms, and a group conference room.
• Pharmacy area, including waiting room, consultation room, pharmacist work and storage spaces.
• Incorporation of sustainable design features.

Please note that a detailed facility program and a health care design primer for this competition are available for download from the AIA Florida web site (http://www.aiafla.org/). Additional information can be obtained by contacting the AIA Orlando Academy of Architecture for Health.

Timeline:

April 26, 2009     Entry deadline to register
June 7, 2009       Deadline to upload submissions to web site on or before 12:00 midnight
June 26, 2009     Jury convenes to select Finalists
July 2, 2010        Finalists notified
August 21, 2010 Presentation at AIA Florida Convention

Entries will be accepted from both individuals and teams. A $25 entry fee will be required to secure all entries.

The Foundation may use the designs from this competition as the basis for the publication of a competition book.

When making a submission, the individual or group agrees to permit the FFA to publish the work. The winners will receive credit for their design in publications and other collateral material associated with this program. The Foundation will maintain shared publication rights to any and all competition submissions for marketing and print purposes.