A: We are excited to bring back the opportunity for students to work in teams of two for the 2022 Student Design Competition. Please note that prizes awarded to teams of two will be split between both team members.

Q: I registered as an individual, can I add a teammate?

A: Absolutely! Log into your Submittable account, navigate to your registration for the competition, and click “Edit“ towards the top right-hand side to request access to edit your registration. It may take up to one business day to gain access to edit your registration, you will receive an email notification once it is open for editing.

A: Yes, this is an international competition. Undergraduate and graduate-level college students from all over the world are invited and encouraged to participate.

Q: Registration requires a school-issued email address, but my school doesn't give students email accounts, what should I do?

A: If your school does not issue students personal email accounts, please register with your personal email address. If we require further verification of your school enrollment, we will send you a message through Submittable.

Q: What units of measurement should we be using?

A: As an international competition, we understand that students from different parts of the world learn and design using different units of measure (metric or imperial). As long as all size requirements outlined in the competition brief are met, you may use the units of measure that you are most comfortable and familiar with. If you need a metric conversion calculator, you can find one here.

Q: Is there a required width for the pop-up guest experience? The brief outlines the length requirements but there is no mention of width. 

A: No, there is not. Currently, the City Relief bus pulls up next to the sidewalk or to a designated area within a park, and then they will use tables and/or tents to expand the service area. Not all service areas will have the same amount of available space in regards to width, because of this, we highly recommend you design with flexibility in mind.

Q: On page 9 of the brief it states we're required to include a multitude of service areas, but they must fit in 2,000 cubic feet of space, which I can simply understand as a 10’*20’*10’ foot space. How can this small space contain that many functions or do we not have to include all of the functions listed in the requirements?

A: You must include all required functions. Your design should pack up into 2,000 cubic feet of space, once unpacked it can occupy more space. The key here is flexibility. Remember it will open up to at least 150 linear feet of a sidewalk or 1,500 square feet of open space (preferably more).

Q: Are we required to only consider New York as the environment where our project will exist?

A: No. Currently, City Relief primarily operates in New York and the surrounding areas. We hope that with the help of your mobile/pop-up design, City Relief can one day take their services on the road to areas where they are needed most. As long as your environment aligns with the brief’s requirements and City Relief’s mission and is located in an area where their services are required, you may choose any location.

Q: In the brief, it states that the current assembly is 30 minutes. Does that mean each individual station should take up to 30 minutes to set up or the entire service area?

A: Currently, it takes City Relief 30 minutes to completely set up or break down the entire service area.

Q: Should we consider a project budget or the use of more inexpensive materials considering the client is a non-profit organization?

A: Yes, buildability, sustainability, and materiality should be taken into account, and should not deter you to create a good design aesthetic while being responsible to the clients’ needs.

Q: Should we take COVID-19 and the global pandemic's safety guidelines into consideration in our design?

A: The key term is flexibility, as we are moving through the ever-changing regulations, your design should take into account all situations of safety regulations, but also a design that addresses a new way of engagement with City Relief guests – thinking about universal design principles, sustainability, culture, and aesthetics. How do we create a design intervention that adapts to the changing guidelines and social constructs of safety?

Q: Can you confirm that the Food Service operates from within the City Relief bus as shown on their YouTube video?

A: Yes, currently the Food Service operates from within the vehicle. You are not required to keep food service inside the vehicle. You are welcome to get creative and offer a better solution through your design.

Q: How do modular shelters play into the organization's daily operations? Are the modular shelters supposed to serve City Relief's guests from morning to afternoon only or will they be left on-site for an extended period?

A: Correct, the modular shelters will be used to expand the service area when space allows, providing temporary shelter while the guests eat, socialize, and meet with service providers. Each day City Relief rolls in, sets up, serves the community, packs up, and heads back to HQ. The modular shelters would not be left at a site for an extended period of time.

Q: Are the modular shelters only to protect the guests from the elements during the time of service or are they meant for sleeping? ​

A: The modular shelters will be utilized to protect guests and volunteers from the elements during the pop-up service period. They are not meant for sleeping.

Q: What will the display fixtures be used for, exactly? What things do the organization put on display?

A: Frequently, City Relief partners with other agencies, organizations, and retailers to serve the community. City Relief and their partners may need display and/or storage during their pop-up.

For example, companies like Bombas, cell phone providers, food pantries, or retailers may provide products for the guests such as hygiene kits, clothing, technology, books, food, etc. Your fixture(s) will show how you would accommodate a situation where a retailer/organization might collaborate with City Relief, but also how City relief can use the fixture(s) in the future for all pop-ups – so considerations to storage, flexibility, but also design aesthetics.

Q: How do I submit my project/acess the project submission form?

A: To access your project submission form, please login to Submittable.com and navigate to your submissions dashboard. Click on your submission titled "PAVE GLOBAL - 2022 PAVE Student Design Competition in collaboration with City Relief." Once open, you should now see the project submission form. Click the "continue" button and follow the prompts to submit your project. You will receive in an email in 1-2 business days confirming that your project has been accepted for review. 

Q: What is the maximum number of pages I can submit?

A: Your project should not exceed 12 single-sided pages. Reference pages are not counted towards your page count.

A: Yes, of course! Please take a moment to check out all of the past winning projects here.