Autodesk and CTU in Prague announce the winners of the Revit Open 2007 competition

Autodesk, in cooperation with the Modeling Project Cabinet of the Faculty of Architecture at Czech Technical University (MOLAB), announces the winners of the Revit Open 2007 competition. The aim of the competition, which was to create a design for a self-sufficient and ecological object for short-term, i.e. tourist accommodation, was won by students from the Faculty of Architecture (FA CTU in Prague) - Lenka Herynková and Josef Hlavatý. The competition was intended for university students with an architectural or construction focus in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

The goal of the competition was to create a conceptual design for a self-sufficient and ecological object for short-term accommodation. The objects were tasked with considering minimal operating costs, minimal environmental impact, and characterizing low-energy homes. The studies of 3D models were addressed using software from Autodesk, specifically utilizing Revit Architecture, AutoCAD Architecture, and for visualization, Autodesk 3D Studio Max.
    The winning design is conceived as an irregular polyhedron. The shape solution is enhanced by a perfect uniform cladding ("copper skin"). The authors succeeded in not disturbing the character of the landscape. In the winter months, sunlight penetrates through the window in the southern façade into the interior and warms stone surfaces with accumulation function. In the summer months, the shape of the object allows for quality shading and prevents overheating of the interior. Part of the southern façade carries solar and photovoltaic cells for heating water and generating electricity.
   “The shape of the object can be well used as an archetype for this device for the Czech kettle,” summarized the jury's opinions on the winning design Dana Matějovská, head of MOLAB at FA CTU. “The object is to be appreciated for its simple and energy-optimized shape solution as well as sensitive integration into the terrain. The technologies utilized are at the level of current knowledge in their respective specializations.”
    In 2nd place of the anonymous conceptual student competition was student Vít Domkář from the Faculty of Civil Engineering (Fsv) CTU in Prague, and 3rd place was taken by Jan Stoklasa, FA CTU in Prague. The authors of the best designs received prizes in the form of laptops and a digital camera. The special prize from MOLAB, the Modeling Project Cabinet of FA CTU, was awarded to Anna Beránková from FA CTU for unconventional approaches and solutions.
   “We are absolutely thrilled with the submitted designs. The proposals were very interesting, and the students easily met the conditions and proposed ideal solutions,” said Patrik Minks, chairman of the Revit Open competition jury and business manager for construction solutions at Autodesk. “Currently, discussions on the topic of environment and sustainable development are reaching a peak worldwide. The trend that we at Autodesk call ‘sustainable design’ is becoming one of the key aspects of building construction solutions. The Revit Open competition has proven that this topic generates huge interest among Czech students.”

The competition was evaluated based on the following criteria:

• architectural aspect and the ability of the object to fulfill the required purpose (40%)
• technical, structural, and material solutions, heat loss (calculation), energy system (graphic schema), sanitary technology (water supply and disposal), operational ecology (40%)
• software solution (20%)

The jury met and evaluated in the following composition:

• Chairman of the jury: Ing. Patrik Minks (Autodesk)
• Architectural solution: Ing. arch. Hana Seho, Ing. arch. Josef Mádr (FA CTU)
• Technical solution: doc. Ing. František Kulhánek, CSc., Ing. Michal Kabrhel, Ph.D. (Fsv CTU)
• Software solution: doc. Dr. –ir. Henri Achten (FA CTU), Ing. arch. Vladimír Balda (TU Liberec)

The Revit Open competition is the latest step in deepening the partnership between CTU and Autodesk. At the beginning of the summer semester 2007, the Czech Technical University in Prague entered the Autodesk Academia Program through the Student Union of CTU, specifically the Silicon Hill club. As part of this program, CTU created a student training center at the Strahov dormitories. More information about the Silicon Hill club or the Autodesk Academia Program can be found at www.sh.cvut.cz or http://autodesk.c-agency.cz/.

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About Revit Architecture
Revit technology is a platform developed by Autodesk for building information modeling needs. The Revit Architecture application, based on this platform, is a comprehensive industry system for architectural design and documentation. It supports all phases of design preparation and building documentation. Because this application is built on the Building Information Modeling (BIM) method, any change made at any time and anywhere is automatically coordinated across the entire project, ensuring that designs are constantly coordinated, consistent, and complete.

About Autodesk
Autodesk is a global leader in 2D and 3D design software for manufacturing, construction, media, and entertainment. Since the introduction of AutoCAD in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of cutting-edge digital prototyping solutions that help customers practically test ideas before implementation. Fortune 1000 companies utilize Autodesk tools to visualize, simulate, and analyze the real-world performance of their designs even in the early stages of development, helping them save time and money, increase quality, and foster innovation. For more information about Autodesk, visit the website www.autodesk.com or www.autodesk.cz.

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