Guggenheim Teams With Google on Global Design Competition

The competition closes August 23, and the winners will be announced on October 21.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 6/11/2009

Ironwood, designed by Chad Cornette, 2000,Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona; model courtesy the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona and Aidan Chopra, Google SketchUp, 2009. © Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona

The Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum and Google are marking the storied institution’s golden anniversary in a most appropriate way – by joining forces on a global design competition inspired by the building’s master architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Design-It: Shelter Competition invites the public to use Google SketchUp and Google Earth to create virtual 3-D shelters located anywhere on earth and submit the designs online.


Ironwood, designed by Chad Cornette, 2000,Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona; model courtesy the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona and Aidan Chopra, Google SketchUp, 2009. © Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona

The competition kicked-off on June 8, Wright's birthday, and closes August 23. Entrants can get started by downloading the Google programs on the competition's website, and then picking a location for their structure on Google Earth. Participants can then use SketchUp 3-D modeling software to design a 100-square-foot live/work shelter, submit their completed entries to the Google 3D Warehouse, and then to the competition's website.

At the close of the competition, students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture will select 10 finalists, followed by public online voting from September 7 through October 10 to determine the People's Prize winner. At the same time, an expert jury featuring the likes of architect Neil Denari, Newsweek architecture critic Cathleen McGuigan, and Pentagram partner Lisa Strausfeld will choose the Juried Prize winner. 


Ironwood, designed by Chad Cornette, 2000,Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona; model courtesy the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona and Aidan Chopra, Google SketchUp, 2009. © Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona

Both winners will be announced on October 21, the 50th anniversary of the museum's opening. The champs receive airfare and two-night accommodations for two in New York, where they’ll receive private tours of the Guggenheim and Google offices, and Google SketchUp Pro licenses. The Juried Prize winner also gets $1,000 to spend during their junket—or perhaps to save for a real project.

"Throughout the Guggenheim's 50th anniversary year, one of our most important goals is to engage new and ever-broader global audiences to understand and appreciate art and architecture," says Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenhiem Foundation and Museum. "Our collaboration with Google is certainly providing us with a technologically exciting means to do just that."


Ironwood, designed by Chad Cornette, 2000, Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona; photo by Aris Georges. © Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Arizona

Images courtesy of the Solomon R. Guggenheim.