Award Program

December 1-2, 2016 Home Grown Solutions ASD – King Career Center 2650 E. Northern Lights Blvd, Anchorage, AK 99508

Invitation to Exhibit – 2016 Architectural Awards

Registration is closed

Download the Submission Flyer

Download the Award Criteria

The Alaska Chapter is pleased to request submissions for the 2016 Len Mackler Award!

This is the 17th year of the annual Len Mackler Award, which was established in remembrance of our past Chapter president. The Len Mackler award is given to the project that best shows excellence in design and functional planning of educational facilities. Along with the Len Mackler Award, the jury may elect to bestow additional Awards of Distinction. There is no minimum or maximum number of awards to be given. The winner(s) will be announced on December 2nd at the annual state conference at the ASD – King Career Center.

This year’s award includes the ability to submit additional written material to support the traditional presentation boards. The document is limited to four pages in length but gives teams the opportunity to expand on the planning process and design elements that made their project a success. To help progress the educational design process in Alaska, an Innovation category has also been added as a judging criteria for this year’s award.

Important Dates:

• Online registration forms and entry fees due November 21, 2016
• Digital submissions due November 23, 2016
• Awards announced December 2, 2016

We look forward to seeing your entries!

The Len Mackler Award was awarded in 2015 to Bettisworth North Architects for the George H. Gilson Middle School, Valdez City School District Boards | Narrative

Submittal Information
Entries may be submitted by registered architects, individual firms, school districts, organizations or educational planners whose primary focus is on planning, designing, constructing and/or equipping the educational environment.

Entries may be submitted for completed projects only, and may include new construction, renovation, and renovation/ addition projects.

Entries should give primary consideration to the design solution presented to meet the requirements of the educational program.

Any project that has been completed in the last five years can be submitted. Entries that have appeared or will appear in other exhibits are welcome.

Membership in the Association is not required.

Criteria
The jury will give prime consideration to the design solutions of the stated educational program requirements. The designs should be uniquely adapted to the educational program and should clearly reflect the challenges presented and how the design team met those challenges. The award submission includes both Display Panels and a Project Narrative. Both are considered in the award selection process and are to include the following areas:

Community Engagement:	Describe how the planning and design process connects learning to the community at large and how it fosters community use and partnerships. Consider facility characteristics and design elements that fit within the context of the community.
Planning Process:	Describe project parameters and how the team facilitated discussion and arrived at design solutions that met the educational specification.
Learning Environment:	Describe the learning program and how the design supports the educational outcomes.
Physical Environment:	Describe the relationship between the physical environment and the user (students/teachers/community members).
Innovation:	Describe any solutions to the above categories that are unique and progresses the educational design process in the State of Alaska.

The Association for Learning Environments guidelines do not suggest there is either a maximum or a minimum of awards given. The jury will award all projects that meet the criteria and stand out as exceptional and inspiring. The number and type of awards given is solely at the discretion of the architectural jury.

Cost
Members: $100
Non-Members: $150

Display Panels
Entries shall be exhibited at the conference on display panels prepared by the exhibitor. In accordance with regional and national formatting requirements, displays must be on 20 inch x 20 inch foam board panels (or other suitable, lightweight material). Graphic presentation of the panels is at the discretion of the exhibitor; however, the purpose of the panels is to provide both the jurors and conference attendees a clear understanding of each project. A maximum of four boards per entry will be accepted. Digital PDF's of the display boards will need to be submitted for jury review prior to the conference. See submission instructions below. Diagonally oriented panels are not acceptable. Information on panels to include:

• Name and location of school
• Name of architect
• Name of educational planners
• Name of owner (school district and superintendent’s name)
• Name of general contractor
• Any other appropriate credits
• Pupil capacity and grade levels
• Cost, exclusive of land, furnishings/equipment, and professional fees
• Graphic content including site plan, floor plans and one or more sections, elevations or renderings. Scale drawings shall be shown legibly and accurately, with numerical and graphic indication of scale. For ease of viewing, all floor plans except those for very large buildings shall be at a scale of not less than 1/32 inch equals one foot. A minimum of two interior and two exterior photos should also be included.
• A brief statement indicating the educational programs the facility is designed to accommodate, special program requirements, unusual design or construction issues, facility context, construction systems, design philosophy, or other information demonstrating the uniqueness of the project.

Project Narrative
To address the criteria and illustrate the successful story of your project, please assemble a PDF document of no more than four pages in length. Include as many photographs and/or images as necessary to illustrate and describe the process and overall project.

• Project description
• Special challenges faced and solutions provided
• How the educational needs of the district were met through the building design
• Special considerations to cost effectiveness in the design

Submission
In order to provide adequate display space and to provide each team timely information on where to submit their application, online registration forms and entry fees shall be received no later than November 21, 2016. Upon receipt of completed registrations, a unique FTP site access login will be delivered to each registrant for use of their digital submission.

To permit adequate time for jury review, digital PDF's of the final Display Panels and Project Narrative must be posted to the award program's FTP site no later than 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 23, 2016. Email confirmation of the FTP site posting shall be sent to [email protected].

Each entrant will have the opportunity to provide a brief presentation about their project during the December 1, 2016 conference lunch. The length of the presentations will be dependent on the number of applicants.

The physical display boards and project narrative will need to be brought to the conference by each registrant at 8:00 a.m. on the first day of the conference to be put up for display. If a registrant is not able to deliver their display boards to the conference, they may deliver them before the conference to the following address:

All entries will be displayed for the duration of the conference and will be available for retrieval by each registrant at the end of the conference. The awards will be announced at the December 2, 2016 conference luncheon at the King Career Center.

The Alaska Chapter reserves the right to assign exhibit space for the Display Panels. The Alaska Chapter will not be responsible for panels damaged or lost through theft, fire, accident or vandalism. No special lighting systems will be provided or permitted. Registrants will be responsible for repackaging and retrieving their displays, unless other arrangements have been made.