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Design Competition Guidelines (Continued)

• Method of Submission

  All of the above material shall be placed in a single wrapping identified on the outside only by the words "Western Maryland Environmentally Friendly Welcome Center Competition" and identifying letter designation which will have been assigned to each team. Submissions are due by 4:00 pm EDT on May 14, 2004. The complete package shall be addressed to:

• Mr. S. Donald Sherin
  Director
  Office of Consultant Services
  Maryland State Highway Administration
  707 North Calvert Street
  C-405
  Baltimore, MD 21202

• Evaluation Criteria

  The intent of this design competition is to stimulate the creative abilities of the academic and design communities in order to produce an innovative facility. It is expected that the proposals will combine the best state-of-the-art thinking about aesthetics, technology, economy and environmental sensitivity in a manner that produces a quality concept.

  Each team should show how their design entry addresses each of the following criteria to be used by the Selection Panel:

  1. Student Participation;

  Goal: to enlist the creative talents of student team members as the primary response to the design challenges; evolution of student design concepts and other contributions must be documented and credited; hours of participation should be equivalent to at least one full academic course.

  2. Overall integration of aesthetics, technology, economy and environmental sensitivity;

  Goal: to maximize efficient use (& minimize cost) of materials and space by incorporating multiple functions into single design elements, consistent with optimal performance and ease of operation and maintenance.

  3. Energy Performance Projections;

  Goal: to design a sufficiently efficient facility that it is feasible to provide100% of power, lighting, heating and cooling needs, based on average climatic conditions, from on-site resources (solar, wind and biomass), maintaining temperature and humidity within the "comfort zone"; additionally, storage systems should be sized to accommodate up to one week of sustained weather extremes exceeding "normal' (95% probable) ranges; a strategy should be developed for addressing contingencies in which storage capacities might be exceeded.

  4. Constructability, maintainability, and durability;

  Goal: to develop a practical design which incorporates innovative features and technologies while anticipating and providing cost effective solutions to any unique challenges they may pose during construction, operation and/or maintenance phases.

  5. Innovation;

  Goal: to create a unique, functional, aesthetically pleasing design that incorporates, integrates and showcases innovative technologies and concepts enabling autonomous, sustainable operation with minimal environmental impact.

  6. Site Impact;

  Goal: to design a facility which achieves near-zero lasting environmental impact, with minimal environmental disruption of the site during the construction phase.

  7. Viewscape Impact;

  Goal: to design a facility which is compatible with and/or minimally impacts the historic viewscape for visitors to the neighboring Monocacy National Battlefield.

  8. Public Presentation/Interpretive Plan;

  Goal: to clearly demonstrate and explain the operation of the various features of the facility by use of all appropriate means; if specific extra costs are associated, they should be specified (e.g. monitoring/display equipment, lecture space, kitchenette, display areas in addition to Welcome Center area, etc.)

  9. Water Supply System;

  Goal: to provide 100% of the facility's water needs from average available rainfall (purified to specified standards), combined with re-purification and storage (sufficient for up to six months operation, un-supplemented by rainfall); strategies should be developed to address contingencies of extreme demand/short supply.

  10. Wastewater Treatment System;

  Goal: to eliminate polluting discharges and minimize water supply needs by re-use of on-site treated/re-purified wastewater and by composting human waste or use of "Living Machine" or Constructed Wetland technologies. Water purification systems must "fail safe", such that water supply always conforms to public health standards.

  11. Materials;

  Goal: to maximize use of locally derived, recycled/durable materials, with minimal energy investment in their production and transport and which minimally impact indoor air Quality.

  12. Economics;

  Goal: to demonstrate that the initial investment in the incorporated technologies and overall design reduce/eliminate ordinary operating costs such that the total is less than the combined costs of construction and operation of a comparable conventional facility, while virtually eliminating conventional environmental costs.

  Rating System:

  1	2	3	4	5
  Falls Substantially Short of Goal	Falls Somewhat Short of Goal	Meets Goal	Somewhat Exceeds Goal	Substantially Exceeds Goal

  • Disqualification

    If in the judgment of the Selection Panel, an entry fails to meet the requirements set forth in the project program and design guidelines the entry will be disqualified and removed from further consideration and returned to the entrant.