WHS Students Take Home Top 3 Prizes in Annual Student Model Home Design Contest

The Great Big Home and Garden Show, February 2-11 at the I-X Center, will showcase the top ten area high school model home designs from the 21st annual Student Model Home Design Contest, held January 27, 2018 at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center in Brecksville.

This year’s student contest theme was “The Great Modern Frank Lloyd Wright Spec House.”

The Westlake High School team of KATIE WILLI, ETHAN SIMON, ROBERT FULOP & SCOTT RENNARD took first place and the overall grand prize winning the $1000 scholarship. They also won the specialty categories of “Best Model”, “Best Presentation”, “Best Smart Home Technology”, “Best Green Building”, and the coveted “Architectural Design Award of Merit”.

Second place overall went to the Westlake team of MICHAEL REES, CONNOR REIS, NEIL McGROGAN, JACOB MEYER, & HENRY LEVENBERG.

Finishing third overall was the senior Westlake team of JILLIAN EDDY & CATHERINE D’AMICO. They also won the “Best CAD/3D Drawings” category.

Finishing fourth overall went to the Theodore Roosevelt (Kent) High School team of AJ TASSONE, RICHARD MORROCCO, & JEFF SHAVER.

Finishing fifth overall went to the Auburn Career Center team of ADAM RETYCH & AIDAN ZALAR.

Finishing sixth overall went to the Orange High School team of JILLIAN SZACHURY & JACQUELINE RUSSEL.

The remaining TOP TEN finalists were:

7th – the team of ALEX McCULLOUGH, ZACH BERGERON, & WILL MASCHA (Excel TECC in Mayfield);

8th – the team of ERIK HOKE, PATRICK GHEEN, AUSTIN LOOSLI, & TIM GERENT (Westlake High School);

9th – the team of ALEX KOPPEL & JACOB RUSH (Auburn Career Center);

10th – the team of ARIEN GRANT, XAVIER SEIB, DYLAN GATIAN, & IAN CRAMER (Theodore Roosevelt High School);

All of the top ten winning entries will be displayed at The Great Big Home & Garden Show, February 2-11, at the I-X Center (booth #1693).

Keynote speaker for the awards ceremony was FRED UNWIN, a local Frank Lloyd Wright historian. He told the unique story and background of the Weltzheimer-Johnson House, a “Usonian-style” Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in Oberlin, Ohio. He also mentioned the many other houses around Ohio designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. To conclude his presentation, he challenged all students who participated in the contest to add their own spark of creativity to whatever field they decide to pursue, much like Frank Lloyd Wright did with his organic architecture influencing generations of architects even to this day.

Sponsored by the American Concrete Institute NE Ohio Chapter, 84 Lumber, Brian Gilbert of Coldwell Banker, Northeast Ohio Technology & Engineering Educators Association, The Chas. E. Phipps Company, and Marketplace Events, these future architects, engineers, designers, contractors, and artisans were challenged to design a house that’s marketable, innovative, energy-efficient, and addressed the wants and needs of a family of four.

Architects, designers, builders, and contractors often design a “Spec” (specification) house to be the shining jewel of a new residential development. It typically is the benchmark house to showcase new styles, building features, details, and technologies to lure potential customers. To celebrate his 150th anniversary, this “spec” home was to be a design inspired by the celebrated American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Students were to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing residence, incorporating the above grade concrete system (i.e., ICF – insulated concrete form) system into the design. The house was to be no larger than 2,500 sq. ft. with green & smart technology features, and they were to incorporate appropriate and creative use of other building elements, such as energy efficient and environmentally conscious products and systems to reduce energy costs.

The students were instructed to design the house featuring an above grade concrete home (ICF – Insulated Concrete Form) system, while incorporating appropriate and creative use of other building elements, such as energy efficient and environmentally conscious products and systems to reduce energy costs.

Concrete building technology design offers homeowners increased energy efficiency, lower maintenance and substantial cost savings. Because of their unique construction properties, concrete buildings can be designed with virtually any type of exterior and interior. Concrete is one of the most fire-resistant construction materials available, and the strength and durability of concrete walls offer unmatched resistance to the devastation of major storms.

Using their knowledge of architectural design, green building design technology, smart home technology, and concrete construction, student entries included floor plan & elevation drawings as well as the ever-popular scale model homes. They were judged in 15 separate categories, including design, planning and innovations, energy-conserving features, drawing presentation, model presentation, and exterior design. Schools entered this year included Auburn Career Center, Excel TECC (Mayfield Schools), North Royalton High School, Orange High School, Theodore Roosevelt High School (Kent), Westlake High School, and host Cuyahoga Valley Career Center. A panel of building industry professionals from across the area evaluated the student designs.

In its 21st year, the student contest is nationally recognized by the International Technology & Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) for promoting technological literacy, energy efficiency and environmentally conscious design, engineering, construction and architecture.

“The students did an outstanding job using architect Frank Lloyd Wright as their inspiration to design a modern day home!” said Jeff Bee, Engineering and CAD technologies instructor at Theodore Roosevelt High School (Kent). The “The Great Modern Frank Lloyd Wright Spec House” theme helped students realize and appreciate that a timeless design can be seen not only as an object, but also design as an experience, giving a house character, permanence, useful beauty, and integrated with the environment.”

“Also, incorporating many Green and Smart building features in the design was a great way to bring innovative construction technology into a project of this kind. It’ll be a real must see and visual display at the I-X Center for this year’s show. We are very fortunate to have The Great Big Home and Garden Show management provide a first-class venue to showcase the students’ work. It’s truly a great way to recognize and honor the outstanding efforts made by these future architects, engineers, designers, builders, inventors, and artisans.”

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