The Fabric Structures Association, a division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International, announced the recipients of the 2016 Fabric Structures Student Design Challenge. Association representatives announced the winners at IFAI Expo 2016, held Oct. 18–21, in Charlotte, N.C.
Pedro Ortiz and Christian Scungio from Roger Williams University won first place for their project titled “Top of the Canopy,” and received a prize package worth $6,000, which included a trip to IFAI Expo to present their project to the industry.
Second place went to John Wightman from the University of Buffalo for his project “Aqua Shell.” Omar Fabrisio Avellaneda Lopez and Paula Martin Goni from Universitat Politecnica De Catalunya Barcelona Tech were awarded third place for their project “Spider Circus.”
Students were challenged to create or transform a space using fabric structures. The site could be invented or pre-existing. Ortiz and Scungio designed the fabric structure to be used as a roof covering for outdoor basketball courts at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick, R.I. The structure could be used in a variety of locations and is designed to be easily constructed. The structure would cover approximately 1,115 square meters, housing two basketball courts and an adjacent bleacher space.