Two US Universities Selected as Finalists of 2017 Schindler Global Award Design Competition

On Apr 26, 2017

Morristown-based Schindler Elevator Corporation announced the winners of the 14th annual Schindler Global Award, a one-of-a-kind urban design competition open to university students from around the world, at an awards ceremony in São Paulo, Brazil. The competition, which awards more than a total of $100,000 to the winning teams, challenges students to examine how cities could provide better quality of life to their inhabitants in the 21st century.

Through the lens of a common project site in São Paulo, a thriving, densely populated city, with unique urban design challenges, teams were tasked with considering holistic urban design strategies encompassing spatial, social and economic factors, using mobility as a catalyst.

The event was the culmination of 10 months of project development and several vigorous rounds of judging. More than 150 teams representing 46 countries entered the competition, which was narrowed down to 12 finalist teams.

A team of architecture students from FAUUSP – Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidad in Brazil received the competition’s top honor, earning the $25,000 Grand Prize awarded by an esteemed jury comprised of top architects and urban designers from around the world. Teams from the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, VA and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark were both selected as top honorees.

“While much of our work in mobility infrastructure is at the scale of the building, the core of our thinking is both urban and global,” said Andre Inserra, CEO Schindler Americas. “Understanding the urban environment and our role in its development is a priority, which is why we established the Schindler Global Award. Taken together, these projects reflect cutting-edge thinking about how our cities are designed and understood. Through the Schindler Global Award we have found a way to connect everyday infrastructure with the urban systems and populations it supports.”

The competition challenged students to address some of the most critical urban design questions of the modern era. For example, generating ideas on how to redevelop a central location that’s formerly been industrialized – challenges that architects around the world are grappling with.

“We were not only identifying projects that were excellent, but we were also curating a group of projects that represents what’s the best out there today, in terms of an urban design approach,” said Georgeen Theodore, architect, urban designer and jurist of the 2017 competition.

“Since our founding in 1874, Schindler has transformed from an engineering company that manufactures elevators and escalators to a company focused on transforming mobility solutions for the cities of today and tomorrow,” said Greg Ergenbright, president, Schindler Elevator Corporation. “We’re deeply invested in education programs that enable students to play a critical role in that worldwide dialogue and I’m thrilled that two tremendous teams of U.S. students are helping light the way toward more sustainable and accessible cities.”

Schindler has developed a 200-page book containing essays about “Future Cities” alongside the students’ projects.

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