Technology Makes Sense,$50,000 for Design Team

Technology played a key role in the winning redevelopment proposal in the sixth annual Urban Land Institute Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. But members of the first place University of Pennsylvania team say it wasn’t to dazzle the judges.

They used technology to meet the challenges of urban design. “We feel good design should evolve to a point where a sustainable and better tomorrow is the central goal in the use of technology and process,” explains team leader Shachi Pandey.

Technology can make a significant contribution in helping building and design firms create more livable environments, she says. The judges apparently agreed. They selected a plan drafted by Pandey’s team to redevelop a site in Dallas over proposals submitted by other competition finalist teams from the University of Michigan, the University of Texas at Austin and another team from the University of Pennsylvania.