Design competition for all higher education students in Belgium

The SBE Student Challenge is already in its third edition. During the academic year 2022- 2023 we challenge higher education students with a design competition for a bridge in a historical context. And this is during 3 workshop days at the SBE office.

SBE | Leer de SBE Student Challenge kennen © SBE - Experts at Play

The question for this 3rd edition of the SBE Student Challenge concerns the replacement of the Pont Capitte, one of the many bridges connecting the Canal du Centre Historique in La Louvière. The canal is best known for its four ship elevators that bear witness to the high-tech scenery of the late 19th century. This unique landscape falls within a UNESCO protected zone.

For technical reasons, the current Pont Capitte must be replaced by a new contemporary road bridge. The construction of a new bridge is an opportunity to also examine its urban and landscape integration. And of course, the specific historical context is also a not unimportant framework in which the bridge must take its position. In short, a fascinating project with technical, landscape and aesthetic challenges.

WORKSHOPS: The design of a bridge is not an everyday exercise for many students; for the experts at SBE, however, it is a daily occurrence. With the SBE Student Challenge, we want to offer students the opportunity to deal with various themes within bridge design in an unconstrained way during their education. Therefore, we organize the design competition over 3 workshop days at the SBE office in Sint-Niklaas.

Students are not on their own but intensively guided during these 3 days. Besides a unique experience, one team has a chance to be awarded as the winner and go home with a fantastic cash prize of no less than 2.000 euros.Design competition for all higher education students in Belgium.

  • More info and registration via the website www.sbestudentchallenge.be.
  • The assignment is to design a road bridge focusing on the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, landscape and civil engineering.
  • The assignment will be carried out during 3 workshop days at the SBE headquarters in Sint-Niklaas (Slachthuisstraat 71, 9100 Sint-Niklaas), close to the railway station. The first workshop day will take place on Thursday 17/11/2022. The 2nd and 3rd workshops will take place during the week of 13/02/2023 and the week of 20/03/2022 respectively, the exact dates will be announced on the website.
  • Students only need to bring their own laptop, snacks/drinks will be provided on location.
  • The final evaluation and the award ceremony by a professional jury will be on the last workshop day.