The Masonry Design/Build Competition at the New Jersey Institute of Technology College of Architecture and Design was established in 2003. This annual competition is sponsored by Masonry Contractors of New Jersey and co-sponsored by the BAC ADC of New Jersey Labor Management Committee. Design/Build has been part of the NJIT curriculum and one of the most unforgettable events in the students’ academic pursuits.
This year eighty-five students on five teams had the unique opportunity of linking their design ideas with hands-on experience and collaborated with masonry professionals and craftworkers. On April 8th and 9th, students were mentored by masonry professionals as they spread mortar, laid brick, and built a mock-up “Folly”. By working directly with craftworkers the students gained a better understanding of the masonry trade, a lesson we expect they will remember throughout their careers.
We were privileged to have an esteemed panel of judges evaluate the build “Follys”, design boards and student presentations. The winning teams were announced at an awards banquet on April 28th. The presiding judges: James Boland, President – International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers; Alan Chimacoff, AIA Principal – Ikon 5 Architects; Maria Hurtado de Mendoza, Associate Professor, Principal – Estudio Entresitio; Carlos Jimenez, Principal, Designer – Carlos Jimenez Studio; Nick McDarmont, Adjunct Professor, Principal – Future Expansion Architects; Gernot Riether, Director – School of Architecture; Michael Schmerbeck, President – Back Brook Masonry, Masonry Contractors of NJ, ICE of BAC, Co-Chairman – International Masonry Institute; and Anthony Schumann, Interim Dean – School of Architecture; presented the following:
Golden Trowel Award (Best in Show) and the award for Innovation and Technique (the project that proposed the most novel/interesting new technique for how the project is built) were given to Team Yellow.
Pushing the Envelope – Tectonic Structure (the project which shows the most innovation in terms of geometrical achievement through a masonry tectonic system) was awarded to Team Red.
Folly Award (the project that best engages the idea of a structure without program and builds a narrative with the user experience) was awarded to Team Purple.
