2007 Essay Winners

NEWHOUSE ESSAY 2008

This year’s essay topic: Re-Design Revolution

For the Newhouse Architecture Competition this year, there are two projects that ask you to re-design something that could function better than it currently does. For students in their first year of architectural drafting class, you will be asked to come up with a new design for a student locker. Students in the second year of architectural drafting are asked to redesign a bus shelter for a busy Chicago street.

Many of us never think about how design affects our lives until we encounter something that is broken or doesn’t work as intended. In the case of the locker, the size of textbooks, bags and jackets has changed since they were originally designed many, many years ago. In the case of bus stations, we notice in winter how many of them are not designed to keep us warm.

2008 Essay Question
Think about your school day and think about what bothers you about your learning experience. Is there something about the building, the physical space or any objects in the building that are barriers to your learning experience? For example, are the classrooms too small? Are the cafeteria tables too narrow? Does your desk lack storage?

Once you have identified a problem, imagine a solution. How could you design a solution that would fix the problem?

Take the first one or two paragraphs to describe the problem you encounter in your school. The remaining paragraphs should explain a thoughtful design solution to the problem.