Gimme Shelter: Guggenheim & Google's Virtual Design Competition

On the occasion of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday, June 8, the Guggenheim Museum and Google launched Design It: Shelter Competition, a global, online initiative that invites the public to use Google Earth and Google SketchUp to create and submit designs for virtual 3-D shelters for a location of their choice anywhere on Earth.


above: Ironwood, designed by Chad Cornette, 2000. Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona. Model courtesy the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture

The competition takes its inspiration from Learning By Doing, an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum’s Sackler Center for Arts Education, which features plans, photographs, and models of shelters built by students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture (like those shown below).


above: Victor Sidy Shelter, 1999. Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona. Photo: Victor Sidy


above: more shelter design examples created by students from the FLW School of Architecture

So..to celebrate the ideas and teaching of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Museum has invited you to create your own virtual shelters, located anywhere on Earth.

Then you can share your design on the Guggenheim’s Web site by first modeling your shelter with Google SketchUp, then placing your model on Google Earth.

Go ahead, give it a try! Here's a tip: When designing your shelter, consider Frank Lloyd Wright’s interest in the connection between architecture and its location. How can your shelter respond to the specific natural and built environments that surround it?

Project Specs
Location: You can build your shelter anywhere on Earth: from city to desert, hill to valley. You cannot remove any existing buildings, but you can add on to existing structures.
Size: Keep your shelter small—it can be no larger than 100 square feet (9.3 square meters), and no taller than 12 feet (3.6 meters).
Amenitites: Your shelter must offer protection from the elements and provide a space for one person to study and sleep. Keep it simple—no water, gas or electricity allowed.

Recent Submissions:

Baobab Tree Shelter:

And its proposed location on earth (image from google earth):

The above submission is from Madrid, Spain and was designed by Angel Delgado. Shelter location: Madagascar, Date submitted: June 11, 2009

Greenegg Shelter:

And its proposed location on earth (image from google earth):

The above submission was designed by Jevgenijs Busins from Riga, Finland. Shelter location: India Date submitted: June 9, 2009

Prizes:
People's prize:
Trip for two to New York City (includes airfare and hotel accommodations for two nights)
Behind-the-scenes tour of the Guggenheim Museum and the Google Offices
Free admission to other NYC museums
Google SketchUp Pro license (USD$495 value)

Juried prize:
$1000 cash prize
Trip for two to New York City (includes airfare and hotel accommodations for two nights)
Behind-the-scenes tour of the Guggenheim Museum and the Google Offices
Free admission to other NYC museums
Google SketchUp Pro license (USD$495 value)

Note: In the event that the same shelter design is chosen by those voting for the People’s Prize and by the experts determining the winner of the Juried Prize, the People’s Prize will be awarded to the entrant who receives the second highest number of votes for the People’s Prize.

How to Enter - To participate in the contest, follow these steps:

• Download Google SketchUp and Google Earth for free. Both are available for both Windows and Macintosh computers.
• Use Google SketchUp to design a shelter for a particular location on the planet. Give your model a precise geographic location with Google Earth. (View the SketchUp tutorial page for instructions.)
• Upload your geographically-located SketchUp shelter to the Google 3D Warehouse.
• Export at least one (and as many as four) views of your model as JPEG images and upload them when you're submitting your entry. (JPEGs should be at least 235 pixels wide but no larger than 720 pixels wide.)
• Export an animation of your shelter as a video and upload it to YouTube. (The animation is optional. Keep in mind, though, that in Google Earth, viewers will only be able to see the outside of the shelter—an animation is a great way to present a more detailed view of your design.)
• Write a description (in English) of your shelter and how it integrates into the location where you placed it (limited to 70 words).
• Fill out the submission form on the Guggenheim Web site.
  

For more detailed instructions on how to prepare and submit your shelter, please download the submission guide (PDF).