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The Wetland Center Design Competition aims at harnessing the technical and creative skills of planning and design students from the best design, engineering, and planning schools in the country. Teams comprised of 4 to 5 talented members from each academic institution, preferably from various design discipline fields, come together to reimagine the future of wetland centers. This wetland center design competition is the fourth hosted by the SCPW which began in 2005. Wetlands, vital ecosystems supporting biodiversity and environmental balance, serve as the backdrop for this unique challenge. The students will be tasked to conceptualize, plan for, and design a wetland center complex that contribute to bringing wetlands closer to the community. The competition includes:

  • Orientation and Learning Session on the Wetland Centre Design Competition
  • Field Trip to Macabebe Mangrove Area
  • Design Boot Camp
  • Preliminary Judging
  • Final Judging

An Orientation and Learning Session on the Wetland Centre Design Competition will be conducted to provide the teams ample background on the competition. There will also be in a 2-day design bootcamp where teams conduct their initial planning and design conceptualization guided by professionals in seminars and in workshops. A preliminary judging of the design concepts submitted by each team will determine the top 3 Wetland Center designs. The the top 3 groups will then compete in the next phase of the program which are the presentation of full drawings and a scale model. This competition aims to pave the way for pioneering ideas that redefine the role of wetland centers in our local communities.

In summary, the Wetland Center Design Competition aims to ignite the imaginations of college students in the planning, design, and engineering domains towards designing with nature in mind. Thereby, encouraging them to become catalysts for change in their respective future professions while raising awareness about the critical role of wetland ecosystems in our world. Through collaboration, innovation, and environmental consciousness, this event seeks to shape the architects of tomorrow and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Competition Objectives

Judging Criteria

Competition Themes

Frequently Asked Questions

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE FINAL REQUIREMENTS:

What is the minimum size of the scale model?

  • The minimum size of the BASE of the scale model is an A4 sheet of paper, however, the structure and buildings in that scale model can be any appropriate scale. There should not be a base for the scale model that is less than A4 sheet of paper – but any structures or buildings you design can be represented in any appropriate scale you choose. You may have two, three, or more models showing different structures at different scales, provided that no model base is smaller than a sheet of A4 paper. You may choose a larger base to show a site development plan where structures are in a smaller scale.

 

Do the drawings mean the presentation boards?

  • Yes, for the final judging presentation, the drawings are the final boards to be printed and presented during the final judging. Please print as many boards are you need to explain your design to the panel.

How minutes is each group given to present?

  • Each group will be given 40 minutes to present the slide deck, presentation boards, scale model, and any videos. After each presentation 5 minutes are allocated for questions from the panel.

Do we need to provide a powerpoint or other presentation materials besides our submissions?

  • Each group should provide presentation boards, scale model, slide deck (powerpoint), and any videos used should also be provided separate from the slide deck.

Do we need to submit an electronic copy of the revised boards on or before May 17?

  • Each group should provide an electronic version of all their submissions except for the scale model before May 17.

 

 

Who may join the competition? 

  • Individuals or groups (maximum of 5 members) may join the competition.
  • Should be a bona fide student of either of the following courses: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Planning, Urban and Regional Planning, and other Design- and Engineering-related degrees.
  • Only undergraduate level students shall be allowed to participate in the competition.
  • Only those who attended the Wetland Center Design Symposium shall be allowed to participate in the competition.

Who will judge the entries?

A select group of eminent personalities in the built environment as well as in the conservation and sustainable development fields will serve as judges of the competition.  The judges will come from the following fields and disciplines:

  • Design: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Engineering
  • Environmental Science: Biology, Ecology, Geography
  • Planning: Tourism, Sustainable Development, Governance

The list of judges will be provided a 3-days before the scheduled milestone judging to preserve anonymity of the panel and competitiveness of the teams.

Are there general rules for the competition?

  • All team members must conform to eligibility requirements.
  • All submissions must conform to submission requirements. These will be provided during each phase of the competition. Teams which do not comply with submission requirements will be informed of such provided there is ample time from submission before the deadline.
  • All submissions must be solely the work of the team. Consultations with experts and other professionals that add to the quality of the work are acceptable as long as their opinions or ideas do not constitute the total essence of the submission.
  • The use of AI tools and other forms of software technology are acceptable if proper attribution and identification of use during the design process is made. The same appropriate attributions should be made for any intellectual property used by the team. All permissions, licenses, and consents for the use of intellectual property by the team must be obtained as part of the submission of entries.
  • All other requirements issued by the competition organizers must be followed.

What permissions do participants grant?

By joining the competition, all team members give permission to the organizers to display their photos that may be taken and quotes they may provide during the activities of the competition at relevant the websites, social media channels, and other media publications of the organizers.

By submitting entries, the members of the teams irrevocably transfer the entire copyright and intellectual property rights including derivatives of the work to the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Incorporated (SCPW). These entries become the property of the SCPW.

Thus, as property of the SCPW, they may be displayed at conferences and events, in publications and promotional material, and in electronic format on the Internet.

What prizes are awarded?

  • Grand Winner: P50,000.00
  • Second Prize: P30,000.00
  • Third Prize: P20,000
  • All entries will receive a Plaque of Participation.
  • The winning school will likewise receive P50,000.00.

 

Other questions (updated as of March 14, 2024):

-The rules say maximum of two (2) boards 1800mm x 750mm. Are we submitting a printed physical board or only a PDF format of the work? If these are printed, will a Sintra Board print-out be okay?

No physical boards to be submitted, only electronic. PDF high resolution format is preferred.

-Will the team members write their names on the boards or will they be given a code number only for anonymity?

Yes, the teams will be given a code for anonymity.

-Are we required to make a website in addition to the boards?

Yes, all groups must have a website with all the information they want to convey in their submissions.   Examples have been given in the competition website.

-If we are required to do a website, will the format still be 1800×750 vertical format? The default of Google Sites is landscape desktop view. 

For the website, anything appropriate for the presentation with maximum impact on thr website. Thus, no format    or size is given. Example for a website presentation is provided as minimum, they may do more to improve on presentation impact. They may include video presentation, boards, but the webpages themselves must have information presented separately from the pdf boards they made.

-Are we allowed to have our names on the boards and website or does it have to be anonymous for now?

Websites should have no identifying marks at this stage, only the provided code.

-Where do we send the link for the submission?

Send the link to post@wetlands.ph cc to wcdc.scpw@gmail.com

-The boards will be sent via PDF format but it is not embedded on the website. Can we send the heavy files via dropbox or GDrive?

Everything to be evaluated should be in the website. Thus high resolution boards should be included as links on the website for download AND appropriately size versions of the boards or their contents should be available on the website. Thus, the website should be designed so that all information needed to assess their submission can be done through the website without the need to download the PDF boards.