Organised by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is pleased to announce the 23rd Annual Steel Design Student Competition for the 2022-2023 academic year. Administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the program is intended to challenge undergraduate and graduate students, working individually or in teams, to explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. Steel must be used as the primary structural material and contain at least one space that requires long-span steel structure, with special emphasis placed on innovation in steel design.

The 2023 Steel Design Student Competition will offer architecture students the opportunity to compete in two separate categories:

Category I - Spiritual Space: Design “A Place for the Spirit” on a campus, welcoming to all, where members of the campus community and visitors can learn about and express spirituality. Program spaces include places for worship, meditation, learning, and fellowship. Steel is the primary material.

Category II - Open: Category II offers architecture students the opportunity to select a site and building program using steel as the primary material. This competition category permits the greatest amount of flexibility for any building type.

ELIGIBILITY: Because the support of AISC is largely derived from steel companies whose markets are mainly in the U.S., the ACSA/AISC Steel Design Student Competition is open to students and/or student teams from ACSA Full and Candidate Member Schools, as well as ACSA Affiliate Members Schools from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

An ACSA member school, faculty sponsor is required to enroll students by completing an online registration form prior to registration by April 5, 2023. All student entrants are required to work under the direction of a faculty sponsor. Entries will be accepted for individuals as well as teams. Teams must be limited to a maximum of five students. Submissions should be principally the product of work in a design studio or related class.

The design jury will meet in Summer 2023 to select three winning projects and honorable mentions. Winners and their faculty sponsors will be notified of the competition results directly. A list of winning projects will be posted on the ACSA website and the AISC website at www.aisc.org. Winning students and their faculty sponsors will receive cash prizes totaling $20,000.