Press Releases
15 January 2010
Auburn Students Take First Place in Volkswagen Design Challenge
UT Knoxville, Georgia Tech Win Second and Third Prizes
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations today joined RiverCity Company and the Chattanooga Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in announcing the winners of the student design competition held to generate solutions to the challenge presented by the 700 foot pedestrian bridge for Volkswagen's new $1 billion production facility under construction in Chattanooga.
Students at six Southeastern universities submitted designs for the pedestrian bridge, which will connect Volkswagen's on-site training facility with the plant and serve as the major entry point for both employees and visitors. The competition was intended to offer students the opportunity to address a challenging real-world situation, while generating ideas for Volkswagen’s team of professionals to draw from when designing the bridge as it will be built this year.
Winners were: First Place – Auburn University, Second Place – University of Tennessee Knoxville, Third Place – Georgia Tech. There were also Honorable Mentions for Auburn (2), UT Knoxville and Georgia Tech. The AIA Chattanooga award, presented jointly by AIA and Rivercity went to Auburn.
"As an exercise to generate fresh, creative design ideas, the competition was very successful," said Dr. Jan Spies, general manager of project engineering for the Chattanooga plant. "In fact, there were so many interesting ideas that many of my favorites didn’t even make the jurors list of winners, but we still intend to use those ideas as well if they work to improve the final design," Spies said.
"The professional excellence and innovation reflected in these creative--and sometimes thrilling designs, is very much in keeping with the Volkswagen culture of creating passion and building relationships through quality design, said Frank Fischer, CEO and Chairman, Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations. "Not only does the bridge physically connect employees and visitors with the plant, it symbolically connects Volkswagen with the community. I want to congratulate the students for their innovative design solutions and the universities for the excellence on display in these designs," Fischer said.
A jury composed of design and engineering professionals selected the winning design that reflects the corporate values of Volkswagen and the traditions of the community. Prizes range from $500 to $2,500.
"Volkswagen has established strong leadership and precedence in bringing the young talent of the region together to address an interesting and challenging design problem," said Jon Coddington, Director of Urban Design and Planning, RiverCity Company. "The competition will not only enable Volkswagen to build an inventive, memorable, practical, and sustainable bridge for their workers and visitors, but with this competition Volkswagen has also truly built a "Bridge to the Future," Coddington said.
Volkswagen design professionals will now evaluate the designs with an eye toward incorporating design elements into the final bridge design which will begin construction later this year.
About Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, the world's third-largest automaker and the largest carmaker in Europe. It houses the U.S. operations of a worldwide family of distinguished and exciting brands including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, as well as VW Credit, Inc.
Founded in 1955, the company's headquarters are in Herndon, Va.
Volkswagen Group of America brings to the U.S. vehicles that marry the science of engineering and the art of styling, with the goal of offering attractive, safe, and environmentally sound automobiles that are competitive and set world standards in their respective classes.
The company has approximately 2,500 employees in the United States and sells its vehicles through an 800-strong dealer network. With increasing popularity for its brands in the U.S., the company has set the goal of reaching one million car sales in the country by 2018.
For more information, visit www.volkswagengroupamerica.com.
About RiverCity Company
The RiverCity Company is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to ensuring a vibrant and attractive downtown that is the economic, social and cultural centerpiece of the Chattanooga region by developing downtown real estate, making and programming great urban spaces and employing creative urban design.
Recent projects include the $120 million 21st Century Waterfront development in partnership with the City of Chattanooga. Currently, the company is developing a new movie theater that will bring 400,000 people downtown. It will be the first theater in the United States to meet LEED sustainability standards.
About AIA-Chattanooga
The Chattanooga Chapter of the American Institute of Architects was organized on December 4, 1953, and includes 17 counties. Its mission is to serve members by providing a collective voice while promoting the profession of architecture in Chattanooga.
