High School Design Competition
Objectives of the High School Design Competition program are to increase awareness of the relationships between space, human scale and function; gain experience in recognizing the various challenges in planning and designing indoor and outdoor spaces for specific uses; exercise analytical abilities and creativity in solving the problems; and gain experience in communicating planning and design ideas using scale drawings and models.
The competition gives students a fun opportunity to develop these skills and to learn about the various aspects of planning and design.
The AIANH High School Design Competition consists of designing a specific project, which changes every year. The program requires students to work on a theoretical project throughout the school year under the guidance of their instructors. AIANH volunteer architects visit the schools when possible to give critiques before the submissions are due. The program involves a design solution, a three-dimensional model, and a graphic plan of the project. Students have designed a Sustainable Youth Education Pavilion for a fictitious America’s Cup in Portsmouth, NH; a Sustainable Living and Innovation Center; a Performing Arts Center; a Social and Media Center; a Youth Enrichment Center dedicated to the development of alternative studies for high school students and a Welcome Center at Monadnock State Park.
All New Hampshire high school students are encouraged to participate. Students can work individually or in teams of up to three students. Top winners receive cash awards.
2024 Competition
The 2024 challenge was to create a design for the USS Albacore Park & Submarine History Center in Portsmouth, NH.
The winning team was from Nashua High School.
