The Student Architecture + Design Initiative launches their first annual Global Student Showcase

Non-profit SADi just launched their first annual census of student architecture and design at www.student-showcase.org with the aim of collecting, organizing, displaying, and celebrating undergraduate and graduate thesis work. Students face a July 1, 2010 deadline for uploading images and an artist’s statement from their 2009/2010 thesis. Over time, SADi hopes to build and disseminate the definitive open-access collection of student architecture and design.

The patchwork of existing student showcases are useful but difficult to navigate and synthesize. Coverage is spotty, there is no uniform publishing schedule, and this work, once removed from the school sites, is typically lost to the viewing public. Geoffrey Rubin, SADi cofounder, notes the benefits of a permanent, universal repository of student work:

“Students can draw from the collection as they develop their own projects, and they can host their finished work on this free, dependable platform. Universities can archive and display the complete thesis work of their students, facilitating both accreditation and outreach. Academics can use the collection to develop lesson plans, ensure the originality of student submissions, and study the evolution of student thesis work over time. And lay users can enjoy the breadth and depth of exciting, daring, and beautiful architecture and design.”

The success of this initiative hinges upon participation and organization. To encourage student submissions, SADi will offer a variety of cash awards and host an awards ceremony each fall. SADi will also work over the summer to ensure that submissions are properly catalogued, organized, and searchable. Rubin notes that, “this must be more than a virtual bulletin board; the full power of this initiative will only be realized when users can nimbly build their own albums and narratives.” Viewer access starting in September, 2010, will support advanced search, custom albums, special collections, and idea networking.

Please encourage your students to upload their work before the July 1, 2010 deadline. Learn more at www.student-showcase.org, or contact Geoffrey Rubin directly at grubin@sad-i.org.