School's Competition 2021

Yes it’s back at last, - and this year it’s a Pop Up Parklet!

We think everyone on the Island would agree this last year has not been great, so it’s time now to look forward and join in our School Teams Competition for this year, to design and make a mini pop up parklet model.

Rest, Relax, Rejuvenate - Yes its time to reimagine St Helier in GREEN!

The AJA celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2021 and we would like to make this a year of action, a year to look at our Island and look to the future, a future where we can make a change towards a sustainable and balanced lifestyle. The AJA want to engage with primary and secondary school pupils on what makes a place or space inviting, inspiring and interesting, what does our Island and our Town Centre need for the future?

We would like you to design a Parklet.

Parklets come in all shapes and configurations, styles and designs, quite literally, but they are generated from a simple idea - to replace a car parking space with a mini park, a place to meet, to socialise, to have fun, relax or just to enjoy the outside.

Specifications:

As each actual individual parking spaces generally measures 2400mm by 4800mm we are proposing to group the bases in eights so that they represent a third size scaled version of a single physical parking space. The models will therefore be one third actual size.

The base board of the parklet models for the competition will measure 400mm x 400mm. The ideas of what you want to put on that base is up to you. There is no fixed design brief for this years competition, we want you to be as wild and wacky in your designs and ideas as you want. The only request would be to build your design within the edges of the base board, as the bases will be assembled together like a much larger chess board as a collage of ideas together at the end of the competition.

Base boards composed together in groups of eight to represent a third scale version of a parking space

Teams can consist of 1 - 8 pupils.

Teams will have the opportunity to prepare and test out ideas before the competition as much as they like, and unlike other years due to current restrictions the construction of the model parklet will have to take place prior to the submission date.

The submissions can be individuals and each person can construct a single base, but they can work within a team of eight and produce eight panels as shown above, or more than one person can work on a single base board, it is up to you.

Materials:

In the spirit of recycling and reuse of materials, this competition aims to reuse materials as much as possible, so please collect any recyclables at home that you think would be able to be used to bring your ideas to life. You can also paint the parklets if you wish to add a splash of colour to really bring the ideas to life, it is all up to you.

The 400mm x 400mm base board will be provided by the AJA to all participating individuals or teams, what goes on to the base board is entirely down to you. This base board will be a simple flat board of 6mm mdf.

Categories:

The competition as usual will be split into two judging categories, one for Primary School Pupils and one for Secondary School Pupils

Category A Primary Schools

Category B Secondary Schools

Judging Committee:

Judged by a group of at least four.

President of the Jersey Association of Architects

Representative of the Jersey Structural Engineers

Representative of Romerils as our competition event Sponsor

Special Guest connected with Parks and Gardens

Assisting Participants:

Education Staff/Team’s respective teachers /Construction professionals including Architects / Structural Engineers and Construction Professionals will be available to assist the competition teams with the task, providing advice, support and guidance if necessary.

Judging Criteria:

This year it is going to be a little harder to judge the submissions, and not testing the designs against chocolate bars!, so we are going to have to judge the design submissions on three different criteria with three prizes in each category A and B.

Prizes will be awarded in each category judged by our committee for:

(1) The most extravagant design with the most ambitious of design ideas

(2) The greenest design with the most ideas for planting and

(3) The most colourful and artistic design solution

We would like all teams to accompany their designs with a paragraph of words just describing their design ideas so that this can form part of the exhibition and can be provided with the base boards. Ideally one copy attached to the base of the board with the school and team name and a second copy to hand to the judges at the competition.

We don’t want to destroy the designs this year, we want to celebrate these and showcase the ideas and their potential, that a little imagination and inspiration could transform the way we want to experience our Island in the future. The designs will be assembled together and presented as a short exhibition as part of the AJA60 Celebrations.

We all know the main attraction of this competition is the CHOCOLATE, so don’t despair, there will be a chocolate prize for all participants!

Diary dates and competition deadlines:

The Schools competition is launched by the end of June 2021, with teams ideally arranged just before or over the summer holidays. Teams are asked to collect materials and test out ideas during the holidays, just for fun!

At the return of Schools in early September teams/individuals are to be confirmed and the number of base boards requested for each school submission. The Base Boards will then be arranged to be delivered to each School at the end of the first week back in September to give at least three weeks construction time for the finished design for the competition. In early September if requested, members of the AJA can attend schools and provide some help to teams participating.

The competition is to form the conclusion of AJA 60 celebrations and submissions are requested to be delivered for this event on revised date of Friday 12th November 2021.

Location for judging event:

The Parish of St Helier have kindly offered the Town hall as the venue for this years competition.

So put the revised date in the diary 12th November 2021 at 12.00pm to 3.00pm at The Parish Town Hall, St Helier.