Students Compete to Redesign Savage Park Pavilion
January 10, 2024 marked the start of the 74th Annual AIA Toledo High School Design Competition. The yearly program is directed by AIA Toledo and administered to students through teachers and local design professionals serving as advisors.
As part of the competition, students are required to submit drawings including overall floor plans, enlarged floor plans, site plan / roof plan, building elevations, building sections, three-dimensional representations, and a detailed project description to all be presented for judging. “As a teacher, this is the best real life architecture problem the students will encounter while in high school,” said Todd Heslet, instructor at Anthony Wayne High School “So each year when the program is presented, I always look forward to seeing the student designs evolve from concept to final ideas.”
This year’s project challenges students to design a park pavilion within Rev. H.V. Savage Park for the Toledo Parks and Recreation Department. Toledo Parks and Rec seeks to provide an inclusive and vibrant place for those who live, work, and play in the surrounding community. Students will be tasked with designing a new building to increase gathering spaces and support additional programming to benefit the surrounding community. Designs will incorporate a variety of spaces to complement the existing park’s two-story structure and various site amenities.
Student award categories include AIAT’s Architectural Design Award, the Emerging Professional Material Innovation Award, the GEM Sustainable Architecture Award, the EDGE, Unilock, & The Collaborative Landscape Architecture Award, the Gasser Bush Associates Lighting Design Award, the Toledo Design Collective Urban Design Award, and BGSU’s Digital Media Award. In addition, Lawrence Technological University (LTU) and The University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) offer tuition scholarship awards to senior, junior, and sophomore / freshman level award winners who attend their university.
ABOUT HSDC
Originally started in 1950 with 23 entries from three high schools, the competition has grown to as many as 206 entries from as many as 25 area high schools. Projects have been as varied as a parking lot office (1950), a Toledo Automotive Museum (1999), a fast-food restaurant (1977), and a community center (2023). According to AIA Toledo, the design competition is the longest running program of its kind in the history of the AIA. HSDC is a nationally recognized award-winning program. AIA Toledo members and advisors are extremely proud of the students’ accomplishments each year.
Contact us to learn how your school or student can participate.
AIA Toledo would like to thank our Annual Platinum Partners for helping to make this program possible:
