In a fast-paced competitive environment, eight teams competed in rounds to find ways to create hybrid water and energy systems and integrate into existing infrastructure to support sustainable urban infill development. This tournament (game based) approach encourages water, energy, architecture and planning students to explore performance-based design and planning options in realistic scenarios. It creates a fun, but stressful, environment – a powerful environment for collaboration and learning.

The challenge took place over five days, comprising information sessions on water, energy, planning, and urban design. Site visits provided context and constraints, and design challenges were progressively revealed. Each team developed a management goal, mapped systems, quantified targets and responded to specific challenges through strategic planning and design propositions. They received real time and detailed feedback from industry and academic judges, overseen by impartial referees. And the competitive tournament board kept them on their toes.

After five days of intensive training, each team had three hours to build site-based, architectural and engineering 3D designs from Lego and creative materials. Team Watenbolism—Madeleine John, Jimyeong Park, Ashwin Vijayan Premavally, Thomas Clause and Yanpeng Yin (plan stage)—won the Design and People’s Choice awards. A major strength was that they had consistently advanced their management goal in responding to the challenges. Team Aqucreate—Kelcey Miller, Fei Xiong, Isabella Reynolds, Ho Yee Vivian Lun and and Hadamean Siregar (plan stage)—won the Integration award. They addressed the scenario challenges of water security and peak electricity management consistently in detail.

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About Urban Design Challenge

The Urban Design Challenge successfully promotes collaboration and interdisciplinary work to design the cities of tomorrow.
What is the Urban Design Challenge?
Throughout workshops, interactive activities, field trips and group sessions with experts and leading academics, multidisciplinary teams work together on a case study to improve sustainable city design and liveability.
Teams compete in a game-based environment to solve this challenge.

What are the benefits of the Design Challenge?

  • Participants develop skills for collaboration and gain a multidisciplinary approach which are key to tackle sustainability issues of our cities.
  • Participants are equipped with knowledge and skills to enable more sustainable and liveable places.
  • Professionals get involved in sustainability issues and contribute uniquely from the perspective of their discipline. Consequently, more effective solutions are obtained with the contributions from each discipline harmoniously integrated.

Download the Brochure (PDF, 1.7 MB)

Future vision:

International Design Challenge Download the Brochure (PDF, 1.7 MB)