STUDENTS’ SUCCESS: SECOND PRIZE AT THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 10th CTBUH 2021 STUDENT TALL BUILDING DESIGN COMPETITION

MASA student Marijana Gajić won the second prize at the CTUBH 2021 Student Tall Building Design Competition 2021. More than 150 works were submitted to the competition, which is being held for the tenth year in a row, organized by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The competition ended on October 29, 2021, with the presentation of four finalists who were selected after two rounds of judging by a multidisciplinary group of experts in the field of high-rise buildings.

The organizer of the competition Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is a leading international professional organization focused on the design and construction of high-rise buildings and cities, founded in 1969 with headquarters in Chicago, USA. Today, the headquarters of this organization are Asia Headquarters, Tongji University, Shanghai, China; Research Headquarters, Iuav University of Venice, Venice, Italy; and Academic Headquarters, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA. CTBUH provides knowledge exchange through publications, events/manifestations, web resources, activities of working groups, and a wide network of international representatives. CTBUH’s research department is leading studies on new generations of tall buildings in response to the up-to-date challenges. The CTBUH’s high-rise database The Skyscraper Center is constantly updated with detailed information, data and news. CTBUH has also developed international standards for measuring the height of tall buildings and is the arbiter for awarding the qualification of The World’s Tallest Building.

The goal of the student competition is to review the position of tall buildings in modern society through the project. Participants were expected to approach the solution of the synergistic relationship between a tall building and its context through research. Also, the tall building design is expected to be approached holistically and proposals are required to show evidence of a clear understanding of how aspects of the structural system, environmental aspects, installations, and other technical aspects are as vital to the quality of a tall building as form, materialization, or aesthetics.

The award-winning INFLUX hybrid tower design – co-living, co-working for young professionals and scientists, is part of a strategy to combat brain drain by encouraging qualified individuals to stay in Serbia or motivating young people educated abroad to return or become trans-national. The building, positioned in an attractive location in New Belgrade in Block 17, aims to offer new opportunities and better living and working conditions that will retain and attract young talents. The social environment is considered a key reason for brain drain. Respectively, the building design was guided by social sustainability and quality of life (QOL) aspects. Previous was challenging because, in order to use the space most efficiently, tall buildings design sometimes causes the loss of focus on the user and his social aspect. A generative system based on the shape grammar compositional algorithm was used in the design process, which stochastically produces assemblies of elements by applying defined connection rules and constraints. The result is a modular building in a formal, structural and technological sense. The emergent structures made of autonomous modular and repeated processes of compositions facilitate self-assembly robotics fabrication strategy increasing the efficiency and economy of the fabrication, transport, and construction time. The proposed application of automated design and construction technologies gives a hint at the potentials of digitally intelligent architecture.

The award-winning design was developed during the fall semester of the 2020/21 academic year within the course Studio M01AE Project Design–Spatial Structures: Discrete autonomous assemblies led by doc. dr Jelena Milošević. Research that is part of the activity of Lab 24: Laboratory for Innovative Structures in Architecture (LISA) has been implanted in the teaching process. The project was realized in cooperation with the company 3lite on the invitation and initiative of the arch. Milan Janković, MRIC, 3lite Principal and CTBUH regional representative. As critics and consultants, in the work of the studio were also included: doc. dr Pavle Stamenović; Aleksandar Zelic, AIA NCARB LEED BD+C, Principal, Studio Director, Design Director, Gensler; Milena Stojković, Ph.D. ARB RIBA LEED AP BD+C WELL AP, Associate Partner, Senior Environmental Analyst–Architect, Foster + Partners, and dr Miloš Dimčić, Programming Architecture.

This event is a recognition of the school and in the international competition the confirmation of the quality and competitiveness of the skills and knowledge of our students.

Congratulations!