May 19, 2014

The value of poetry, performance, and idea exchange

The PER/FORM competition brought together a range of diverse thinkers around the topic of sustainability.

Over the weekend, BKSK helped produce an exciting event: the culminating rounds of the PER/FORM Live Design Competition. While we played a key role throughout the competition, which also included an online challenge, the leadership of Jennifer Preston and James Wilson was especially tangible in the final day-long event. From the moderation of a group discussion with all of the competitors, to the real-time curation of a Dialogue Wall, Jen and James ensured that the day’s participants were all thoughtfully considering the future of sustainable design.

On its surface, the PER/FORM competition was simply about giving designers the chance to test-drive Sefaira’s real-time performance analysis software together with 3D design tool SketchUp. While there were cash prizes and peer recognition at stake, the more abstract goal was to successfully demonstrate that energy performance and architectural beauty are far from mutually exclusive. While all of the participants embraced this in their buildings, winner Junrui Wang took the aspiration to an even deeper level by also promoting community engagement and multisensory accessibility in his submission.

“Sefaira enables clearer conversation
and closer collaboration between those
who seek to collectively improve building
performance. This competition was an
extension of that mission.”

But again, the aesthetically delightful and energy efficient designs were only one valuable outcome of the PER/FORM competition. Diverse conversations occurred throughout the day – between architects, engineers, software developers, students, and professors – some of who were local, while others had traveled from as far away as Hawaii. In many ways, these interactions illustrated one of Sefaira’s greatest contributions to the AEC industry; it is a platform that enables clearer conversation and closer collaboration between those who seek to collectively improve building performance.

To learn more about the competition and its winners, take a look at Metropolis Magazine’s recap online, and don’t miss our photos of the event on Facebook.