Three student designs shine at the 2021–22 CISC Architectural Student Design Competition

Three winners have been selected out of a final group of five shortlisted entries for the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC)’s 2021–22 Architectural Student Design Competition.

Students in the competition's seventh edition were invited to design a pedestrian bridge across a theoretical body of water in Canada. Teams representing Ryerson University and the University of Waterloo took home cash prizes totaling $8,000, $4,000, and $2,000 a piece, with another $3,500 going to Waterloo’s Terri Meyer Boake for her duties as faculty advisor to all but one of the final group of entries.

DIALOG Partner Doug Cinnamon was among the five-member panel chaired by fellow architect Paul Laurendeau. Submissions for the 2022–23 cycle, which asks students to design a new performance venue, will be opened on May 1st, 2023. More information about next year’s competition can be found here.

Scroll down to see more details on each of the winning 2021–22 designs.

1st Place/Award for Excellence Winner: Fire Bird by Owen Gideon Melisek & Silas Clusiau (University of Waterloo)

CISC Description: "A bright orange tongue of flame reaches up towards the ancient cedars of Prince George, BC. A reminder of the constant threat of forest fires brought about by climate change."

2nd Place Winner: The Grand Crossing by Cindy Ma & Luna Hu (University of Waterloo)

CISC Description: "Spanning between the Blair Road and Greenway Chaplin neighborhood sides of the Grand River within the city of Cambridge is The Grand Crossing: a celebratory pedestrian bridge that acts as a point of convergence and community recreation between the two formerly separated neighborhoods of Cambridge."

3rd Place Winner: Bridge No. 4 by Jeffrey Yau & Ernest Lee (Ryerson University & University of Waterloo)

CISC Description: "Lined with lively parks, pedestrian paths and bike-ways, the past century has seen False Creek transform from industrial port lands into one of the most sought after residential and recreational areas of Vancouver."