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WELCOME TO

MOCK FIRMS

STUDENT-BASED

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITIONS

MOCK FIRMS COMPETITION

MAY 3 & 4, 2012

"VERSATILITY"

Already more than a decade into the 21st century, changes in technology are occurring so rapidly that one can feel like they are standing in a rushing stream of information and innovation. Yet, within the fields of architecture, construction and engineering, current economic conditions have down-scaled projects around the globe, However, in spite of the adverse financial climate which continues to hang like a gray cloud overhead, positive developments have come about in the design\build industry out of our need for better discipline in design. Purposeful research and greater public awareness have brought an intense focus on sustainability, adaptability and “versatility.” Versatility is defined as having varied uses or serving many functions or capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc. Tall buildings, for one, are being re-imagined as vertical communities with multi-use spaces and functions able to serve evolving needs and changing desires throughout its lifetime. With this in mind, “Versatility” was chosen as the theme for the 2012 Mock Firms International Skyscraper Competition.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Entering its 4th year, the Chicago-based Mock Firms Architectural Competition is already highly regarded on the landscape of student-based design competitions. The Mock Firms model aims to help facilitate the formation and function of simulated-architectural design firms by collegiate and secondary school students. The desired outcome is to foster collaborative and cooperative educational experiences which may better prepare participants for a workplace environment which values these and similar values. This competitive event continues to bring together some of the best and brightest talent from the U.S. and around the world. Additionally, these future design professionals are given the unique opportunity to interact with the industry's leading design\build professionals as they pitch their design concepts directly to them receiving immediate feedback and evaluation of their work.

THE VENUE FOR FINAL PRESENTATIONS

Chicago, Illinois will be the site of the 2012 Mock Firms Competition final presentations. The tentative location for this event is the Congress Hotel and Plaza Convention Center on beautiful and historic Michigan Avenue.

DESIGN OBJECTIVE

To organize a “mock” design\build firm for the purposes of conceiving, coordinating, constructing and commercializing a mixed-use tall building or single-family residence which accommodates senior-living for the appropriate designated venues.

2012 PROJECT SITE DESIGNATIONS

Beijing, China has been selected as the site for the Collegiate Division of the Int'l Skyscraper Challenge

Detroit, Michigan has been selected as the site for the High School division of the Nat'l Skyscraper Challenge

QUALIFYING PARTICIPANTS

To qualify for participation in the 2012 Mock Firms Competition,

applicants must be enrolled students full-time or part-time students in secondary, post-secondary or graduate academic institutions.
mock firms must be no less than 2 students, but more than 5 (4 being the target maximum with an option for a 5th additional partner)
participants must submit a preliminary (may not contain specific individuals or final firm name) or final application form by given deadline along with the designated registration fee and a 1 - 3 page proposal for each design project

CHANGES FOR 2012!

Firms can take advantage of an additional partner (a possible total of 5 student participants)

Preliminary sketches will NOT be required for registration, but are to be included in materials submitted for final presentations.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES

Mock Firms Welcomes First Time Participants!

Naperville North H.S., Naperville, Illinois

Waubonsie Valley H.S., Aurora, Illinois

St. Charles North H.S., St. Charles, Illinois

Klein Forest H.S., Houston, Texas

North Oconee H.S., Bogart, Georgia

We Also Welcome Returning Participants!

White Knoll H.S., Lexington, South Carolina

North Mecklenburg H.S., Huntersville, North Carolina

Bolingbrook H.S., Bolingbrook, Illinois

Lemont H.S., Lemont, Illinois

IMPORTANT! Design Parameter Update for Regional Home Design Division

Please follow link to Regional Home Design Info for specifics

DATES AND DEADLINES

Note: Events and dates scheduled for listed events are subject to change

Late Registration & Proposal Deadline - Now thru Mar 3, 2012

Video Presentations - April 14, 2012

Project Deadline for Non-attendees - April 20, 2012

Media Publication Inclusions - April 6, 2012

Project Presentation - Friday, May 4, 2012

PROJECT PROPOSALS

In order to qualify for participation in the Mock Firms competitions, entrants must submit among other stated criteria a project proposal. This proposal is a preliminary declaration of the scope and direction of your desired building project. We are not looking for details at this stage as we know things of this nature are to be worked through an ongoing design process. We are seeking a rudimentary approach to what kind of design team you may be looking to assemble in order to accomplish competition objectives. Additionally, we desire to gage your initial perspective on the overall scope and direction of your design concept. This report is to be viewed only as a summary of possibilities and intent and will not be used to tie any "firm" to its content in the final analysis. Our hope is that each design partner or team give purposeful thought to their plan of action even that those plans evolve into something almost entirely different from what was present at the outset. To this end, we are asking for a 1 - 3 page, 1.5 or 2x spaced brief which includes a tentative firm name, possible individual project team titles (responsibilities) needed, why you and your firm are taking on this commission, name and dominate program of your building (if it will be the skyscraper project), intentions of incorporation of sustainable principles and consultation you may seek (i.e. teacher, professors, professionals, etc). This report should accompany registration but can be sent separately up to January 6, 2012. If you will be registering later in March and would like to submit this report at that time, please email your request to info@mockfirms.org

LINK TO COLLEGIATE INTERNATIONAL SKYSCRAPER COMPETITION

LINK TO H. S. NATIONAL SKYSCRAPER COMPETITION

LINK TO H. S. REGIONAL HOME DESIGN INFO

The Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the Era of the Megatall
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat announces the projected world’s tallest 20 skyscrapers in the year 2020

Chicago – December 8, 2011

Within this decade we will likely witness not only the world’s first kilometer-tall building, but also the completion of a significant number of buildings over 600 meters (around 2,000 feet) – that’s twice the height of the Eiffel Tower. Two years ago, prior to the completion of the Burj Khalifa, this building type did not exist. And yet, by 2020, we can expect at least eight such buildings to exist internationally. The term “supertall” (which refers to a building over 300 meters) is thus no longer adequate to describe these buildings: we are entering the era of the “megatall.” This term is now officially being used by the Council to describe buildings over 600 meters in height, or double the height of a supertall.

Figure 1. The projected 20 tallest buildings in 2020, all of which are over 500 meters and eight can be classified as “megatall” (600 meters).
Contact CTBUH for full-size images

As we started the 21^st century, just 11 short years ago, the Petronas Towers held the title of “The World’s Tallest” at 452 meters (1,483 feet) in height. Taipei 101 took the title in 2004, at 508 meters (1,667 feet).Then, at the end of the decade, the Burj Khalifa set new standards at 828 meters (2,717 feet) – over half a mile high. Now, with work set to start on-site in January 2012 for Jeddah’s 1,000+ meter Kingdom Tower (see Figure 2), we can expect that in a mere two decades (2000–2020) the height of the “World’s Tallest Building” will have more than doubled.

Not only increasing in height, the “Tallest 20 in 2020” also demonstrate a diversity in project location not previously seen in the world’s tallest 20. The projects are scattered across 15 cities in 7 countries. China, with 10 of the 20 projects, clearly stands out as the country most rapidly pursuing the supertall, followed by Korea (3), Saudi Arabia (2), and the UAE (2). If we analyze via a larger geographic region, however, the picture becomes even more pronounced. Asia (not including the Middle East) accounts for 70% of the buildings (14). The Middle East counts for 25% (5). The only other region to be represented in the study is North America, where New York’s One World Trade Center is the only tower in the western hemisphere to make the study. If we consider the Middle East as part of continental Asia, then Asia contains 19 of the 20 projects.

Three of the buildings included
Figure 2. Three of the projects included in the study: Kingdom Tower, Lotte World Tower, and One World Trade Center.
Contact CTBUH for full-size images

The Tallest 20 in 2020 study ultimately underlines a now well-known fact: the skyscraper is here to stay. Shortly after 9/11, many predicted the death of the tall building, but as the study shows, skyscrapers are increasing in number, height, and diversity. The ever-increasing and rapidly urbanizing global population will continue to drive cities higher.

Not long ago, building height was primarily restricted by structural limitations. In the late 1800s, Chicago’s Monadnock Building demonstrated the maximum height achievable with a masonry structure while still providing an economically feasible space efficiency. Over the 19th century, many advances in the fields of structure, construction, and transportation (to name a few) allowed for a steady increase in building height. Now, the tremendous heights being achieved globally demonstrate that many of the physical constraints that once restricted height have been broken. The question for humanity is thus no longer “how high can we build?” but “how high should we build?” With every increase in height, there are energy implications in the construction, maintenance, and occupation of a building. Additionally, with added height comes less space efficiency, as structural members and service cores increase to service the increased height of the building. At what point are the significant benefits of increased density provided by building tall overtaken by the energy repercussions of height? This elusive figure is most certainly affected by the technologies of the day. Half a century ago, a megatall would have been considered possible only within a dream. It is now a reality. Is it not possible that we could soon see the emergence of a zero-energy megatall? Just as we pushed the structural boundaries of height, we must now continue to push the boundaries of environmental engineering in order to progress the tall typology. For, as skyscrapers continue to multiply, their effect on our cities – visually, urbanistically, and environmentally – continues to increase exponentially.

View full web article here

Some of the included buildings
Figure 3. Graphs describing recent tall building completion and the projected tallest 20 in 2020
Contact CTBUH for full-size images

Introducing

WORKING TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY

Fundamental Exercises in Green Building Design

Bringing Our Research and Today's Industry Experts Into Your Classrooms and Organizational Meetings!

A new instructional video series on sustainable design. Titles in this 5-disk video curriculum include:

Sustainability in Focus
Sustainability Diversified and Applied
Sustainable Systems
Sustainable Building and Lifestyle Products

Accompanying the 4 DVD's is a data CD which contains the following:

A multi-question file which can be used as an exam or series quiz
LEED Design situations for cad programs
Case Studies of successful green projects
Images of green-related subjects

Additionally, a 46-page workbook of assignments and resources compliments the video series with ...

Discussion, Group & Design Questions & Projects
A Green Glossary & Statistics
LEED Charts
Important Standards in Sustainability
Online Resources

Based on the documentary Sustainable Chicago

Produced & Published by Chicago Architecture Today LLC

5-Disk Package (DVD, CD) & Soft cover Workbook, 46 pages

Retail Price $549.95 (20 additional workbooks - $699.95)

To purchase by check, designate payee as Chicago Architecture Today LLC

Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery

Refund Policy

Full refunds are available for the return of any unopened materials (video and workbook) for up to 10 days after receiving purchase. Return shipping costs will be the responsibility of the customer. Cancelled purchases will be honored if the material has not yet been shipped and if shipped, will be fulfilled after items are returned. There is a non-return policy if any part of the purchased and shipped material has been opened or used.

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