The 2009/2010 Leading Edge Student Design Competition seeks to support and enhance the study of sustainable and energy-efficient building practices in architectural education. With our 15th competition, we invite students and instructors of architecture and design to use the competition as a framework to explore the use of new materials and strategies for building, and the integration of aesthetics and technology for highperformance, cutting-edge architecture that approaches the goal of zero-net energy use. A zero-net energy building generates enough on-site renewable energy to equal or exceed the amount of energy needed to operate the building. This is also known as netzero site energy. Since a significant proportion of the nation’s use of fossil fuels comes from heating and cooling buildings, creating zero-net buildings is an important way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming.

This year the competition focuses on the coastal city of Long Beach, California. Students entering Challenge 1 will design a zero-net energy Workforce Training Center; students entering Challenge 2 will design a zero-net energy Student Residence. The projects will be located on adjacent sites on Long Beach Boulevard. See Section 2, Design Challenges, for more information.

Competition Objectives
The competition objectives are to encourage and reward excellence in architectural planning and design that integrates environmentally responsive design strategies. Competition participants will have the opportunity to:
• Explore energy efficiency as a basic standard of building design, and the foundation of zero-net design.
• Incorporate principles of sustainability in the choice of building materials, water use and building design.
• Investigate new building materials and methodologies that contribute to sustainable or energy-efficient design.
• Understand the impact of solar orientation, wind orientation, building massing, construction methods, and material choices on building function and energy use.
• Develop an awareness of appropriate technology for particular building types, regional climates, and site location.
• Explore state-of-the-art computer modeling tools for predicting and evaluating the impact of design decisions on building performance and energy conservation.
• Begin to understand the requirements and implications of sustainable energy generation on urban building sites.

Participant Eligibility
The Competition is open to all currently-enrolled undergraduate and graduate students of architecture, engineering, drafting, and environmental design at two-year colleges, technical schools, four- and five-year colleges and universities. Students may enter as individuals or teams. The competition may be treated as a class project or a separate independent study. A faculty member must supervise all participants.

The competition is divided into two levels or challenges: Challenge 1 for all students above the second year of their training (i.e. third year through graduate students) and Challenge 2 for first and second year students. Teams comprised of students at both levels must enter Challenge 1. Instructors are responsible for evaluating the students’ class standings and determining which challenge the students will enter.

Duration of the Competition
The duration of the competition will be any consecutive 10-week period within an academic quarter or semester. Completed entries may be submitted prior to the submission deadline. See the end of this section for the submission address.

Competition schedule
March 26, 2010 Final Registration Deadline
April 09, 2010 Final Deadline for Submission of Questions Regarding Competition
Program, Site, and Submission Requirements
April 16, 2010 Final posting of Questions and Answers on the Website
June 11, 2010 Deadline for Receipt of Entries
August 27, 2010 Winners Notified and Posted on Website
Sept. 10, 2010 Judges Comments for All Entries Posted on the Website

Awards
The following awards will be given to winning entrants in both Challenge 1 and Challenge 2:
Student Winners, Sponsoring Institution
First Place, $3,000 $1,500
Second Place, $2,000 $1,000
Certificates of Merit, No monetary ward, No monetary award
The jury may award Certificates of Merit to projects that show outstanding effort, xemplary design, excellent energy performance, exemplary use of sustainable design principles or other features that the jury deems worthy of recognition. The Certificates do not carry a monetary award.

Contact
All correspondence regarding the competition should be sent to:
Pat Heatherly
Leading Edge Competition Program Manager
Email: pat@newbuildings.org
All registration will be online at the competition website

All competition entry boards should be mailed or delivered to:
Nasim Yalpani
Southern California Edison
6042 N. Irwindale Avenue, Suite B
Irwindale, CA 91702