The Vitro 2007 Intramural Design Competition for Sustainable Development Has Begun

The competition envisions the development of an ecological friendly space within the UIA facilities, conceived for long term sustainability by using renewable energy technologies that lead to a minimum of energy usage (Zero Energy Building).

Jaime Guzmán, Vice President for the Float Glass Business Unit of Vitro, commented that the idea is to build momentum in the use of glass technology in an innovative and original form.

He added "both the UIA's and Vitro's mutual vision is to promote awareness in the use of modern technologies and sustainable design concepts, applied to architectural structures, by sensitizing the student body with these concepts in their development of future projects within their professional field".

The competition is open to undergraduate students of architecture, design (industrial and graphic) and engineering at the UIA; the projects must be original and developed by teams of up to four students from different career disciplines with the objective of showing the applications of the concepts of sustainability across diverse fields.

The evaluation commission comprised of multidisciplinary teams that include members of academia from UIA, experts on the subject as well as executives from Vitro will chose the best projects.

The winners of the competition will be rewarded with an all expense trip to the University of Nottingham, England with a previously programmed guided tour of "Zero Energy" buildings.

Vitro reaffirms its embracement of social responsibility issues with this project as it adds to the many other Vitro initiatives to strengthen the professional development of young university students, such as: the creation of the "Cátedra Vitro" for architectural students at the Tecnológico de Monterrey as well participating in diverse university subjects specialized in Industrial Design at the Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseño de Monterrey (CEDIM).

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