2025-26 Competition Theme
Students in Canadian Schools of Architecture and Engineering are asked to design a structure that showcases the ability of steel to demonstrate varied member
responses to tensile and compressive forces. Steel is the best common structural material to address tensile forces, and can achieve economy and unique aesthetics when the designer acknowledges this through member sizing.
The primary structure must be fabricated from Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS), with specific reference to the Categories and Characteristics as described in the CISC AESS Guide. Detailed references are available through the
competition website.
The site is to be located in Canada to the specific discretion of the student team.
More details to come.
2024-2025 Architectural Student Design Competition Winners
Winners
Title |
Student(s) |
University |
Faculty Sponsor(s) |
Award |
| Competition Winner | Darren Miranda & Sophie Longval |
University of Waterloo | Terri Meyer Boake | Award of Excellence |
| Runner Up | Cindy Ma & Mahara Falif | University of Waterloo | Terri Meyer Boake | 2nd Prize |
| Third Place | Yev Stepanyuk & Sadie Berzins | University of Waterloo | Terri Meyer Boake | 3rd Prize |
| Honourable Mention | Jake Levy | Toronto Metropolitan University | Vincent Hui | Honorable Mention |
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who submitted their outstanding designs for award consideration.
| 1st Prize – Award of Excellence | student team (1) $8,000 faculty sponsor $2,000 |
|---|---|
| 2nd Prize | student team (1) $4,000 faculty sponsor $1,000 |
| 3rd Prize | student team (1) $2,000 faculty sponsor $500 |
Proposals will be verified for conformity. Valid proposals will be scored individually by each jury member according to the 5 criteria listed below. The jury will meet in a final round to select, amongst the 10 finalist projects who received highest score, the 3 Prizes of Excellence.
Scoring and judging will be based on the following criteria:
• Aesthetics and ingenuity
• Incorporation of competition theme
• Use of structural steel
• Buildability (specification of steel sizes and shapes)
• AESS finish
Proposals must exclusively use steel in the design of the structure and for surfaces where appropriate. The design must demonstrate an understanding of the properties and possibilities steel has to offer.
The competition theme requires students to:
• elaborate a structural frame with steel elements
• design buildable connections
• collaborate with a steel fabricator to choose the steel members and their connections
Students and faculty sponsors are encouraged to seek advice and guidance from a local steel fabricator to help chose the right steel sections and elaborate the design. CISC can suggest on request names of steel fabricators.
The competition is open to all current full-time students (individually or in teams of maximum 3) registered in a Canadian school that offers an accredited or non-accredited program of architecture or architecture / engineering of at least 3 years duration.
Each student team should register and identify a primary contact for the team. A faculty professor that endorsed the individual or team must be provided. Teams that include students in engineering are encouraged to participate.
The competition may be conducted as part of a design studio project under the direction of the faculty sponsor or as an independent extracurricular self-directed project. In all cases, winning entries and their faculty sponsor will receive the stipulated prize.
To register, go to the CISC website (https://www.cisc-icca.ca/architectural-student-design-competition/) and select Registration. Create an account, complete and submit the registration form. Registration allows students to receive Q&A and be informed of latest competition updates.
To submit your proposal, click on the link received in your registration confirmation email or go to the CISC website (https://www.cisc-icca.ca/architectural-student-design-competition/) and select Submission. Simply log into your account and attach a single project file in PDF format.
All entries must be received by 5:00 p.m., ET on May 16, 2025.
