Fentress Global Challenge 2021 Launches

Inviting Students to Envision the Airport of the Future


Fentress Architects is pleased to announce that the 2021 Fentress Global Challenge (FGC) is open for entries. Now in its 8th year, the annual international student design competition challenges students to envision a forward-thinking concept for an airport of the future, and in turn, stimulate innovative design in terminal architecture.

“The Fentress Global Challenge is a great opportunity for young designers to bring broad ideas and creative perspectives to the table while spearheading innovation in airport terminal architecture,” said FGC Founder Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA. “We are excited to see how students push the limits of architectural design this year.”

This year’s competition brief encourages students to reimagine the terminal building in the year 2100, siting the new terminal at either an existing airport of their choosing, or at a location where an airport does not yet exist. The latter option calls for participants to consider a city where an airport could serve as a catalyst for economic and social development. Students’ designs must consider several aspects, including local context, evolving technologies, sustainability and resiliency, security, wellbeing, mobility, urbanization, globalization, project feasibility, and the overall passenger experience.

The First Place Winner will receive $15,000 USD—the largest prize in FGC’s history. Four additional winners will receive smaller cash prizes.

Eligibility

FGC is open to graduate and undergraduate students currently pursuing architecture or engineering degrees in an accredited university program, as well as recent graduates (within the last four years) with a degree in architecture or engineering.

Competition Schedule

Competition Announcement: February 15, 2021

Design Submission Deadline: October 1, 2021

Shortlist Announcement: November 1, 2021

Winners Announcement: December 1, 2021

Awards

First Place: $15,000 USD

Second Place: $3,000 USD

Third Place: $2,000 USD

People’s Choice Awards (Two): $1,000 USD

About the Jury

The 2021 FGC will be judged in two stages. A first-round jury of industry experts will shortlist fifteen (15) designs from which the second-round jury will select the three finalists. The 2021 FGC Jury will feature leading aviation and architecture voices who bring diverse perspectives from professionals within the industries.

To learn more about the Fentress Global Challenge and to register, please visit: https://fentressglobalchallenge.com.

To download the 2021 competition brief, visit: https://www.fentressglobalchallenge.com/competition-brief.

Fentress Global Challenge

Winners Announced in 2021: Airport of the Future, Student Design Competition

Fentress Architects is excited to announce the winners of Fentress Global Challenge (FGC) 2021: Airport of the Future, which garnered over 80 entries from students around the globe. This year’s competition challenged students to envision airport mobility in the year 2100.  The winning entries reflect the radical innovation, quality and curiosity required to advance airport terminal design.

Fentress Global Challenge 1st Place Design

Carmina Ferreras and Oluwarotimi Osiberu

1ST PLACE with a US$15,000 cash prize & PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 1 with a US$1,000 cash prize

Ferreras and Osiberu are third-year Master of Architecture students at North Carolina State University.  Ferreras is a former high school math teather interested in connecting communities through advancements in technology and sustainability.  Oluwarotimi came to United States in 2009 from Nigeria, Africa and is interested in spaces that foster healthy communities. Their entry imagines a new airport in Yokohama, Japan to help alleviate congestion at Tokyo International Airport.  The new hub is designed to serve hypersonic, subsonic, and VTOL flights that will access the furthest corners of the earth.  As a multimodal modal facility, it also incorporates rail systems and boats to fully link land, sea, and air.  Concourses feature vast, traditional gardens and views to marine wildlife.  Walkthough security and facial recognition scan passengers to create a seamless airport experience.  An internal tram system helps move passengers and also offers views of gardens and nearby Mt. Fuji. 

Fentress Global Challenge 2nd Place

Liyang Wang 

2ND PLACE with a US$3,000 cash prize

Wang, a student at the Yale School of Architecture, imagined an airport located on the northern corner of Atafu, Tokelau.  It utilizes a series of sun powered runways that move to accommodate airplane operations.  The airport also helps grow and then transplant coral from a nursery to reefs below.  Travelers can take part in observing the process, which will subsequently help cultivate climate awareness. 

Fentress Global Challenge 3rd Place Design

Tan Gee Yang

3RD PLACE with a US$2,000 cash prize

Yang, a student at Singapore University of Technology and Design, chose Singapore Changi Airport as the site. This entry envisions a reconfigureable and dynamic airport that uses data and machine learning to reconfigure itself in response to demand. Passengers, such as business travelers or vacationing families, would have routes in unique directions to fit their specific needs.  Reconfigurable pods would accommodate new retail experiences, attractions, and rest areas.

Assem Attia

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 2 with a US$1,000 cash prize

Assem, a student at University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia, Bulgaria garnered the most votes on Facebook with an entry that is shaped as Voronoi cells using parametric design.  Buildings have trees integrated and planes land and take off vertically from a platform.

At a time when infrastructure is of utmost importantance to so many communities, FGC affirms that the next generation of designers are capable of envisioning both sustainable and user-friendly solutions.  Entrants needed to improve upon at least one primary factor influencing airport terminal building design in 2100 such as mobility, urbanization, globalization, technology, flexibility, security, project feasibility, and passenger experience.  As for location, entrants were able to choose between siting the new terminal at an existing airfield—such as at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) or Beijing Capital International (PEK)—or on a yet undeveloped site—such as in Atafu, Tokelau or Canillo, Andorra. 

“Passion for design and a creative mindset are the cornerstone of any successful design competition” said Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, Principal in Charge of Design at Fentress Architects. “Each year, the submissions we receive are more innovative, sustainable, and dynamic than the prior year, which reveals an exciting outlook for the future of terminal design.”

The entries were evaluated on five criteria—creative approach and presentation; response to site; sustainability and resiliency; functionality; and innovation and technology—by a a jury of renowned professionals in the field of aviation, which included:

  • Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic
  • Dan Bartholomew, Airport Director at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport
  • Dan Symonds, Editor of Passenger Terminal World 
  • David Laielli, Senior Technical Architect for Airport Terminal Buildings at AECOM
  • Melvin Price, Associate Principal with Jacobs

Airport of the Future 2021

Global Student Competition Shortlist Announced

Fentress Architects is excited to announce the ten shortlisted entries for the 2021 Fentress Global Challenge (FGC), which garnered more than 80 entries from students around the globe. FGC is an annual international student design competition launched in 2011 by Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA that encourages and rewards innovative design in public architecture. This year’s competition challenged students to envision airport mobility in the year 2100.

Students were able to choose between siting the new terminal at an existing airfield—such as at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) or Beijing Capital International (PEK)—and a yet undeveloped site—such as in Atafu, Tokelau or Canillo, Andorra.

Entrants explored various modes of transport, including pods for intra-airport transport. Other methods of inter-airport transport proposed included mag-lev cars, drones, hyperloops, hydrofoils, and air-rails. Additionally, several different types of aircraft were studied including anti-gravity, vertical take off, rockets, and spaceships.

Entries were evaluated based upon five criteria, including technology and sustainability. Some submssions specifically envisoned airports able to create their own biofuel from algae and symbiotic bacteria. Others created floating structures that sought to restore coral reefs and ocean ecosystems. Most designs derived shape and form from biomimicry and parametric equations. Many also incorporated gardens, greenhouses, photovoltaic cells, and wind. Artificial intelligence helped enhance several of functions and addressed issues such as COVID-19 and terrorism. Furthermore, 3D printing and modular structures were two of several new building techniques explored.

The 2021 Shortlist

  • AJQ GROUP – Qian Yu, Alexandra Terekhova, Joseph Cook – University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria
  • Urban Travelator – Dinel Meyepa – Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  • Astra – Jonathan Liang, Martin He – Columbia University, New York City, USA
  • Decentralized Airport – Tam Dinh – University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Ferreras + Osiberu – Carmina Ferreras, Oluwarotimi Osiberu – North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
  • Adaptive Antifragile – Gee Yang Tan – Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore
  • The Future Cell – Assem Attia – UACEG, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • AILY – Liyang Wang – Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  • Synergistic Airport – Baoqi Xiao – University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • The Heathrow Hive – Jack Hastie – University Collge London, UK

A jury of renowned airport architects, directors, planners, and scholars will judge the shortlist virtually. Winners will be announced December 1, 2021. First, Second, and Third Place will recieve a total of $20,000 USD in cash prizes. Additionally, two People’s Choice Awards will be given, which carry a $1,000 USD cash prize, Voting for People’s Choice has already begun on the Fentress Architects Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/FentressArch/.

2020 ‘Airport of the Future’ Global Student Design Competition Winners Announced

Winning Projects Reimagine Airport Mobility in the Year 2100 for One of the 20 Busiest Airports in the World

The Green Gateway—a zero-emission, highly sustainable multimodal hub—has been named the winner for the 2020 Fentress Global Challenge (FGC), an annual global student design competition launched in 2011 by Fentress Architects that represents the firm’s commitment to advancing innovative design in public architecture and attracts students from around the world.

Envisioning the Airport of the Future

With over 100 submissions from students in over 15 countries, this year’s competition challenged participants to envision airport mobility in the year 2100. Participants proposed a diverse spectrum of design concepts to improve the airport passenger terminal building, addressing the key factors such as futuristic transportation technologies, urbanization, globalization, technology, flexibility, security, project feasibility, and passenger experience.

The 2020 winning proposals reflect the radical innovation, quality and curiosity required to advance airport terminal design. The first-place prize is valued at USD$15,000, second place USD$3,000, third place USD$2,000, and the two People’s Choice Awards will receive USD$1,000.

“A deep passion for design and a creative mindset are the cornerstone of any successful design competition submission,” said Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, Principal in Charge of Design at Fentress Architects. “Each year, the submissions we receive are more innovative, spirited and dynamic than the prior year, which shows an exciting outlook for the future of terminal design. We’re greatly impressed by this year’s winners and every submission we received.”  

First-Place Winner: BANIYA, The Green Gateway, designed by Nikhil Bang and Kaushal Tatiya from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

A Green Gateway

The winning concept, designed by Nikhil Bang and Kaushal Tatiya from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), transforms Indira Gandhi International Airport into a forward-thinking, sustainable multimodal hub that mitigates the enivironmental impacts of air travel while enhancing mobility across New Delhi, India—one of the most populated and polluted cities in the world. The design, dubbed “the Green Gateway,” proposes a future where airports are more than buildings; they provide a seamless connection to the cultural context of the site, from their planning to their form and materiality.

Embracing sustainable design strategies, the zero-emission concept features a decentralized system of one central terminal and six towers dispersed throughout the city. The towers provide a dual purpose, working as both air-purifying centers and stations for flying cars. This solution significantly improves mobility across the city by replacing domestic flights as one of the major sources of pollution.

The students’ submission describes the airport’s design as “zero-emission at the macro and micro level, improving mobility across the city by replacing domestic flight as one of the major sources of pollution and making air travel a person affair.”

Second-Place Winner: Sejkul, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Drive-In Airport by Dušan Sekulic, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Second Place Winner

What does travel and transportation look like in 2100? According to second-place winner Dušan Sekulic—a student at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia—fully autonomous pods, driving chairs, AI-powered navigation, and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft will be key ingredients to designing the next-gen airport experience. The concept proposes reimagining Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)—the busiest airport in the world—as a drive-in airport where travelers’ individual pods and driving chairs bring them directly to the aircraft. Playing off of Atlanta’s reputation as a “city in the forest,” the new ATL will feature a green design approach, merging the airport with the city’s skyline to create an “airport in the forest.”

Third-Place Winner: W.A.D, Floating Aero City designed by Yuanxiang Chan, Chaofan Zhang, and Zhuangzhuang King from Beijing Jiaotong University.

Third Place Winner

This year’s third-place winner responded to an ever-important reality: how airport design can prepare airports located in high-density seaside cities to adapt to the effects of climate change. Floating Aero City, designed by Yuanxiang Chan, Chaofan Zhang, and Zhuangzhuang King from Beijing Jiaotong University, provides a highly visionary approach to sustainable design. Located in Hong Kong, the airport responds to the site’s subtropical climate conditions and high-density issues. Floating on Hong Kong’s ocean, the airport’s three-dimensional, moveable platform reduces the impact on the natural terrain while increasing available land. The structure’s vertical form significantly reduces the time it takes passengers to flow from check-in to boarding, enhancing the overall passenger experience. Sustainable design strategies include daylighting, tidal power generation, a circular runway and hydrogen-powered aircraft.

#1 People’s Choice Award Winner: Arch YiYang, The Vertebrae, designed by Yi Yang Chai and Sharon Cho from the University of Malaya.

People’s Choice Awards

The Vertebrae, designed by Yi Yang Chai and Sharon Cho from the University of Malaya, won the #1 People’s Choice Award with more than 6,200 public votes. The biophilic design harmonizes the built environment with nature to create a “garden city”—the future airport archetype that forms a contextual representation of its culture. Located in Singapore, the concept infuses a biophilic and sustainable approach into every element of the design to renvision the airport as a model of sustainability while amplifying the country’s national identity.

#2 People’s Choice Award Winner: RIE, O’Pon the Hill, designed by Ridwan Arifin, Imaduddin Dhia Ul-Fath and Ervin Dwiratno from Yogyakarta University of Technology

Garnering over 5,900 public votes, O’Pon the Hill Airport landed the #2 People’s Choice Award. Designed by Ridwan Arifin, Imaduddin Dhia Ul-Fath and Ervin Dwiratno from Yogyakarta University of Technology, the concept blends culture, history and technology to envision the future of O’Hare International Airport. This futuristic terminal features a Smart Air Pad to accommodate vertical take-off and landing. Equipped with nanotechnology, the Smart Air Pad examines the performance of aircraft. Additionally, People Mover Pods move passengers throughout the terminal, enhancing circulation and the overall passenger experience.

2020 Fentress Global Challenge Jurors

This year’s winners were handpicked by seven esteemed jurors that are experts in aviation, architecture and engineering.

Jury members include:

  • Curtis W. Fentress, FAIA, RIBA – Principal in Charge of Design, Fentress Architects
  • Agatha Kessler – Chairman, Fentress Architects
  • Lois Kramer – CEO, KRAMER aerotek inc.
  • George Miller – Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP
  • Dr. Patricia A. Ryan – President, Decision Services International
  • Somer Shindler – Owner, J. Shindler Solutions
  • Bradley D. Schulz, FAIA

Looking Ahead

The future of aviation and airport terminal design is an ever-changing vision. The Fentress Global Challenge provides an essential platform for students to test their innovation and fuel their creativity. With the new year quickly approaching, Fentress is excited to prepare for the 2021 Fentress Global Challenge. Registration will soon go live. To stay updated on next year’s competition, please visit: https://fentressglobalchallenge.com/.

2020 ‘Airport of the Future’ Global Student Design Competition Shortlist Announced

2020 Fentress Global Challenge Entry. Team: Schiphol International, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, North Carolina State University.

Fentress Architects is excited to announce 22 entries have been shortlisted for the 2020 Fentress Global Challenge (FGC), which garnered more than 100 entries from students in over 15 countries.  FGC is an annual international student design competition launched in 2011 by Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA that encourages and rewards innovative design in public architecture. This year’s competition challenged students to envision airport mobility in the year 2100.

“Each year I am ever more impressed by the vision, creativity, and practicality set forth by these young architects,” said Curtis Fentress who is also Principal in Charge of Design at Fentress Architects. “This year’s shortlist couldn’t be more diverse; they range from a modular floating terminal to a self-growing airport integrated into the site’s ecosystem. Each concept pioneers creativity, advances innovation and recognizes real solutions that would enhance the passenger experience of 2100.”

Of the over 100 entries judged last month by a panel of architects and designers at Fentress Architects, most explored one of the following areas: Futuristic Mobility, Mitigation of COVID-19 and Zero-Emission.

Futuristic Mobility

Flying air pods carry passengers and their baggage to and from their home. Team: CGC, HK22, Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Several submissions built upon recent developments in futuristic transportation—from the Hyperloop to autonomous vehicles—to imagine the airport of the future as a multimodal hub equipped to handle next-generation aircraft, space travel, autonomous transportation, integration of the hyperloop, and even autonomous pods. Concepts ranged from terminals with launchpads for spaceflight and underground Hyperloop connections to the replacement of aircraft with self-flying autonomous pods.​

Mitigating COVID-19

This concept reimagines Heathrow International Airport as a “healing hub” that monitors and treats disease carriers. Team: S.T., Heathrow Healing Hub, Tel-Aviv University.

The current pandemic inspired a wide range of ideas on how airport design might help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, which may be more prevalent in 2100. Fully touchless airports as well as terminals that dual function as “healing hubs” were among the concepts that sought to create health-centric, comfortable, and efficient travel experiences.

Zero-Emission Airports

The Green Gateway transforms Indira Gandhi International Airport into a zero-mission, sustainable airport. Team: BANIYA, The Green Gateway, Southern California Institute of Architecture.

A number of submissions utilized cutting-edge solutions as a means to develop zero-emission airport facilities. Among the forward-thinking ideas submitted were airports that integrate with the surrounding ecosystem; terminals reimagined as greenhouses; and decentralized air purifying towers.

The 22 contestants will be judged virtually by a jury of renowned airport architects, directors, planners, and scholars. Winners will be announced in October.

The 2020 Shortlist:

  • W.A.D, Floating Aero City – Hong Kong International Airport, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
  • Arch YiYang, The Vertebrae – Singapore Changi Airport, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • BANIYA, The Green Gateway – Indira Gandhi International Airport, Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arch), Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Ajay Kamaleshwaran, CornUcopia – Indira Gandhi International Airport, Anna University School of Architecture and Planning, Chennai, India
  • TIArch Studio, The Reserve – Indira Gandhi International Airport, Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering, TIArch Studio, Kazan, Russia
  • Qianqian YU, ReBABEL – Hong Kong International Airport, Special School of Architecture (École Spéciale d’Architecture), Paris, France
  • Beyond Heathrow, A New Airport for London – Heathrow Airport, The Barlett – University College London, London, England
  • S.T., Heathrow Healing Hub – Heathrow Airport, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
  • Schiphol International, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
  • ISM, Resonance of the Antiquity – Indira Gandhi International Airport, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh 
  • Lucy Janik, LAX Airport Relocation – Los Angeles International Airport, Cracow University of Technology, Kraków, Poland 
  • Qian Lin and Umica Yelavarthy, Shanghai Pudong International Airport of the Future, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
  • Henry Alridge, A Built-In Obsolescence – Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England 
  • CGC, HK22 – Hong Kong International Airport, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 
  • CRAB, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • PRAXIS, Modular Floating Airport, Singapore University of Technology & Design, Singapore 
  • RIE, O’Pon on the Hill, Yogyakarta University of Technology, Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  • Sejkul, Drive-In Airport 2100 – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Architecture, Ljubljana, Slovenia 
  • Ryerson University, Head in the Clouds, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
  • Marklin Huynh, Istanbul International Airport Asian Terminal, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 
  • M3DMA, Tokyo Gate – Tokyo International (Haneda) Airport, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Poland 
  • Oporajeyo, The City Lungs – Indira Gandhi International Airport, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The shortlist will be judged virtually by a jury of renowned airport architects, directors, planners, and scholars. Winners will be announced in October.

Download photos for each shortlisted submission here: https://fentressarchitects.sharefile.com/d-s1951dc06fc2439bb.

Download the 2020 press kit here: https://fentressarchitects.sharefile.com/share/view/sa8e559d0df6464ab.

2019 Fentress Global Challenge Winners Announced

Fentress Architects is proud to announce the winners of the 2019 Fentress Global Challenge, its seventh edition of the international student competition representing the firm’s commitment to the advancement of innovative design in public architecture. This year’s challenge was to envision the Airport of the Future in the year 2075.

Exceeding 500 registrations, the competition drew students from more than 50 countries. In the spirit and innovative nature of design competitions, participants sought to improve every aspect of the airport passenger terminal building, delving deeply into one or more highly relevant area in airport architecture and the future of aviation: mobility, urbanization, globalization, technology, flexibility, security, project feasibility, and passenger experience.

The three winning proposals reflect bold conceptual thinking, acute sensitivity to context, and skilled design. The first-place prize is USD$10,000 and the opportunity to receive the award from Curt Fentress at a prestigious architectural event. Second place will receive USD$3,000, third place USD$2,000, and the two People’s Choice Awards will receive USD$1,000.  

Members of the Jury

  • Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, Principal in Charge of Design at Fentress Architects
  • Thomas Pellegrin, Head of Consulting – Asia & Middle East, IATA
  • Christine Negroni, air safety specialist, journalist, and author of The Crash Detectives
  • Charles Waldheim, Director, Office of Urbanization at the Harvard University School of Design
  • Ken Gidlow, Technical Advisor, FAA at the NASA Johnson Space Center
  • Dr. David Alexander, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the Rice Space Institute
  • Bryant L. Francis, C.M., Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland
  • Khaled Naja, Executive Vice President of Airport Development and Planning, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

2019 FENTRESS GLOBAL CHALLENGE WINNERS

1st Place – Infinity AirportWinner: Daoru Wang, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

To improve the efficiency of the airport typology, this project underwent an intensive study of aircraft traffic flow and further developed the concept of a ‘drive-through airport.’ Just as important as the internal operations, the connection to the existing urban fabric ensures that the design is not only efficient but also celebrated and utilized properly. Taking inspiration from the torus knot, which appears like two overlapping INFINITY symbols, the general shape of the airport combines the complexity of the form and the ideology of INFINITY by creating the circular and endless concourse system. At the same time, the double-loaded bar system has the capability to stream the loading/unloading process, which underlines the importance of the circulation of the aircraft within the airport and expands the limits of the typology of existing airport.”– Daoru Wang

2nd Place – Newark Airport Biophilic Headhouse and Community NexusWinner: Samantha Pires, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA

“The project uses this rail access and a consolidated terminal to explore ideas defined by economic analyst John Kasarda, [author of] the Aerotropolis. The aerotropolis is a conceptual type of urban form, with the airport as the center of the metropolis. This project applies the concept of the aerotropolis and proposes that the Airport of the Future is one that brings economic development to the community that it serves. It proposes that the Airport of the Future should not be governed by fear and ‘security theater’ that runs modern airports, but that it should be a place for community engagement, job opportunities and a catalyst for neighborhood development and benefit.” – Samantha Pires

3rd Place – LondonHeathrow2075Winner: Christopher Johnson, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK

“A new airport concept typology explores future technological trends and smart cities to connect humanity directly to generate a new urban fabric within the existing airport landmass of Heathrow. A drive-through concept that sits below the airport terminal allows aircraft traffic and waiting times to be reduced. Technological innovations suggest a reduction in physical passports, security and immigration as it moves to an online environment. An international zone that lives within a country that provides free roam to visitors and guests creates a global destination that re-invests in the notion of the UK’s stance on the global market.” – Christopher Johnson

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

The 2019 People’s Choice Awards garnered extraordinary attention on Fentress Architects’ Facebook page, reaching hundreds of thousands of people organically. Shortlisted participants ran their own social media marketing campaigns to generate thousands of likes.

#1 People’s Choice Award – Y3M with 2,800+ Votes on Social MediaChai Yi Yang and Ng Yi Ming, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“We envision the possibility of a synthetic amalgamation—the integration of an Elon Musk-like Hyperloop tube system and capsule fuselage technology. The great leap in technology advancement would manifest a subversive paradigm transformation towards current airport morphology, from a centralized mass into a vessel-like network. While refraining the inefficiency of turnaround, vast runways, long travel distance, huge labor force, convoluted programming and so on, the new model suggests a seamless transition from rail to flight—elementary yet expeditious. This gesture is denying the airport as an isolated system in the collective locomotion structure, bringing aviation closer to our regular transit as a unification where we expect a new civic role. This notion adopts the ideology of Hong Kong as a capital of movement and efficiency, being a creation of international identity. The other part of this concept advocates ecological concern to reserve a greater land compared to traditional typology.”– Chai Yi Yang and Ng Yi Ming

#2 People’s Choice Award – Six Lane City with 2,500+ Votes on Social Media Riki Rozenberg, Evelyn Kreslavsky, Mai Whiteson, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

“Today, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago extends over 12 square miles, most of which are not fully exploited. Therefore, we decided to create a new form of city, 650 feet above ground level, which will be built on top of the existing lanes or runways of the airfield. Our goal is to create an aerotropolis—an airport which integrates residential solutions, economic opportunities and cultural experiences, which, we think, will bring people closer together.” – Riki Rozenberg, Evelyn Kreslavsky, and Mai Whiteson

“Each year the Fentress Global Challenge captures the creativity of young talent as contestants conceive innovative design ideas that create a better physical environment for our future world. The critical thinking and quality of ideas presented in this year’s competition were no exception; the entries were absolutely stunning.”

Curtis Fentress

COMING UP 2020

Registration has opened for the 2020 edition of the Fentress Global Challenge at www.fentressglobalchallenge.com. Guidelines will be announced by October 2019.

2019 Fentress Global Challenge Shortlist Announced

Annual Design Competition calls on Students to Imagine the Future of Airports

Fentress Architects is proud to announce the shortlisted entries for the 2019 Fentress Global Challenge:

  • AER-O75
  • Arseniy Rabotnov Architects
  • Boom
  • Cargo
  • CJ Studio
  • FP
  • Hong Kong International Transit Terminal
  • Infinity Airport
  • MSY
  • Niasinn
  • Samantha Pires
  • Sharygina_Ekaterina
  • Six Lane City
  • Vi and Del
  • Y3M
  • Yuanyuan Wu

The shortlisted entries include a wide range of responses—from highly speculative visions, to more practical adaptations of current methodologies.

Participants were challenged to re-envision the terminal building for the year 2075 and in doing so, also integrate a key component of Fentress’ design philosophy: use context to create identity. They were cautioned that context is more than an intellectual consideration of the history, or physical appearance of a place, and more than the way new will live with old. Context must draw on the senses and memories that define a place and make it unique. Context grows from community, and people respond to it.

In line with the speculative nature of the competition, participants were also challenged to improve every aspect of the airport terminal building, and to delve deeply into one or more highly relevant areas in airport architecture and the future of aviation: mobility, urbanization, globalization, technology, flexibility, security, project feasibility, and passenger experience.

Curtis Fentress, founder of the Fentress Global Challenge, said “there was no shortage of creativity this year; we saw several interesting ideas that incorporated hyperloop, driverless cars, pod systems, vertical structures, new security systems, and even space travel.”

Between now and July 29, the public is encouraged to vote for FGC’s “People’s Choice Award” winners by liking their favorite entry at Fentress Architects’ Facebook page: www.facebook.com/FentressArch/.

First place will receive US$10,000 cash and the opportunity to attend a prestigious, architectural event. Second and third places awards are also cash prizes.

The jury is comprised of aviation experts and industry professionals:

  • Curtis Fentress, Founder of Fentress Global Challenge and Principal in Charge of Design, Fentress Architects
  • Thomas Pellegrin, Head of Consulting – Asia & Middle East, International Air Transport Association (IATA)
  • Christine Negroni, Journalist and Author of The Crash Detectives
  • Charles Waldeheim, Professor and Director of Office for Urbanization, Harvard Graduate School of Design
  • Ken Gidlow, Technical Advisor at Federal Aviation Administration, Commercial Space Transportation
  • Dr. David Alexander, Professor and Director, Rice Space Institute (RSI)
  • Bryant L. Francis, Director of Aviation, Port of Oakland
  • Khaled Naja, Executive Vice President of Infrastructure & Development, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Winners of the 2019 Fentress Global Challenge will be announced July 29, 2019.

Fentress Global Challenge (FGC) is an annual international student design competition launched in 2011 by Curtis Fentress. During the past eight years, it has garnered well over a thousand entries from student teams residing in more than 75 countries. In addition to an increased number of registrations each year, there has also been a steady rise in the quality of submittals. FGC represents an extraordinary exploration into the future of architecture, and in so doing, has helped advance the pursuit of innovative design in public architecture.

Fentress Architects creates inspired design to improve the human environment. Founded by Curtis W. Fentress in 1980, the firm has designed $43 billion of public architectural projects worldwide, visited by more than 650 million people each year. Fentress is a dynamic learning organization, driven to grow its ability to design, innovate, and exceed client expectations. The firm has been honored with more than 500 distinctions for design excellence and innovation. Fentress Architects has studios in Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Washington, D.C.; Houston, Texas.

Click link for high res JPEG photos of shortlist + names for publication : https://we.tl/t-5EJ2ZsOQIW

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