2019 AIA Design Slam

Knoxville makers join the fray at 2019 Design Slam

The Burlington community in East Knoxville will draw the attention of architects, designers and makers when Design Slam! Knoxville comes to Schulz Brau Brewing on Thursday, April 11. 

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Five teams – each consisting of two or three architects, a designer (landscape, interior or master planning) and a maker (craftsperson, artist or fabricator) – will present their proposals to solve a design challenge. 

The focus of the Design Slam! on Burlington stems from the Community Collaborative, a joint effort of the Knoxville chapter of the American Institute of Architects, UT College of Architecture and Design, Knox Heritage, the East TN Community Design Center and Keep Knoxville Beautiful. Each year the project focuses on an area of the city in need of intervention and redevelopment. Burlington is the focus of this year’s efforts. 

Here’s the rundown for the evening: 

  • Teams will receive the full project info upon arrival and have 30 minutes to develop a concept design. 

  • Then they’ll present their concepts to the judges and audience.

  • While the audience swigs some brews, the teams will have an hour to further develop their design concepts.

  • Teams will present their final projects and winners will be announced (both People’s Choice and Juried). Josh Shorey with Bapo Design is fabricating the design awards. 

As this was being written, the teams were still taking shape. Here’s what we knew at the time:

  • The McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects team includes Hedstrom Design and Justin Paulk of Paulk and Co.

  • The Barber McMurry Architects team includes Justin Hudson of Blue Lick Pottery.

  • The Sparkman & Associates Architects team includes CURB Studio and Logan Higgins of Jacks Avenue.

  • DIA Architects and Sanders Pace Architects were still forming their teams. 

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The Design Slam! is a free event open to everyone. It begins at 5:30. Come share some visioning and root for your favorite team. And enjoy some of Schulz Brau’s beers too.

The Design Slam! is just one of the ways the Knoxville AIA chapter is celebrating National Architecture Week. It begins on First Friday with an Art Salon at Free Service Tire on Jackson Avenue celebrating the works of art created by architects in East Tennessee. On Saturday, the Modernism Home Tour will feature a variety of midcentury and modern homes. Tickets are $20 in advance here or $25 the day of the tour, available at Mid Mod Collective on North Broadway. 

More AIA events coming up can be found here