July 28, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO - What will the future look like? Let's explore the possibilities with structural steel--from the imaginations of the emerging architects who will build tomorrow's real world!

The American Institute of Steel Construction is now accepting entries for its fifth annual Forge Prize competition.

The Forge Prize, established by the American Institute of Steel Construction in 2018, recognizes visionary emerging architects for design concepts that embrace steel as a primary structural component and capitalize on steel's ability to increase a project's speed.

"The future belongs to those who will build it, and structural steel will continue to empower those who push the boundaries of sustainable, efficient, and captivating design," said Houston-based AISC Senior Structural Steel Specialist Alex Morales, Associate AIA, EDAC, LEED Green Assoc. "The Forge Prize provides a unique opportunity for emerging architects to dream big, then collaborate with an expert structural steel fabricator to explore how the real-life advantages of steel could help bring that vision to life faster, more economically, and with elegance."

Three finalists will each win $5,000 and a chance to highlight their work before the steel and AEC industries. They'll work with a steel fabricator to refine their concept before stepping into a global spotlight to present their concepts live to the judges--and to the public--on YouTube. 

The winner will take home an additional $10,000 and be invited to present his/her design to the industry at the Architecture in Steel conference, which is incorporated in NASCC: The Steel Conference, in Charlotte, N.C. next April.

U.S.-based architects who are either currently seeking licensure or have been licensed for fewer than 10 years may enter online at forgeprize.com. 

Entries are due by Nov. 30, 2022. 

About the 2022 Forge Prize

Vincent Yee Foo Lai of Adjaye Associates and Douglas Lee of the University of California, Berkeley wowed the judges with a concept to build a striking steel housing block atop the existing Riverton Square development in Harlem, N.Y. The design includes plenty of public space to deliberately foster communities within and between the two sections of the building, with the "Common Sky" area connecting the two serving as a focal gathering point. High-quality photos of the winning design are available for press use here.