Students called to design sustainable community

09 January 2009

Technology giant Cisco has launched a competition for architecture graduates and undergraduates to design the “connected community of the future”

The Urban 2020 competition, intended to address many of the sustainable technology issues at the centre of the eco-towns debate, hopes to generate a fresh discussion around environmentally sound urban regeneration.

Students are encouraged to submit designs that champion sustainable ecological principles and demonstrate awareness of the impact of a changing society and technological advances.

The judging panel includes Ken Shuttleworth; John-Paul Nunes, RIBA head of education; Emily Campbell, director of design at the Royal Society Arts; Alison Benjamin, editor of the Guardian’s Society section; and Mike Perry of the BRE’s Intelligent Buildings group.

Cisco is partnering with the universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, the Bartlett, Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen) and University College Dublin, but students from all UK and Irish universities are eligible for the competition.

Entries must be submitted by February 27, and the winning design will be awarded £2,000, with an exhibition of finalists’ ideas to be held at the RIBA.