JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest

2008 Winners Announced

2008-06-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

The suspense is over! Congratulations to Jennifer Gilmore of University of Maine at Augusta and Michelle Pyne of Virginia Tech, who entered the winning designs in the 2008 JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest. Michelle and Jen will each receive a $3,000 scholarship. Their designs were chosen by a panel of judges from among a record-breaking 349 entries from 289 students at 89 colleges, based on suitability of the design for today’s architecture, creativity, uniqueness and attention to detail.

Organic Inspiration
Jen’s winning tree door design puts the environment at the front and center of a home, showing that sustainable design can incorporate nature with technological advances to soften the division between home and the outdoors. One judge commented that this design works well, both conceptually and aesthetically: “I especially like her thoughts about the reflection of the tree silhouette.”

Contemporary Style
Michelle’s modern door design was specifically inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright’s residential design in Chicago for Ward M. Willitts. She was struck by the simple, beautiful proportions of the stucco squares and the long beams of wood. So were the judges. “I love the simplicity and spareness of this design,” said one judge. “The contrasting splines show off the wood's beauty. The balance between glass and wood feels right.”

Judges included top editors at leading design publications: Ruth Altchek, senior editor at domino!; Leslie Ensor, editor of Custom Home; Linda Lentz, products editor from Architectural Record, and door experts from JELD-WEN. Thank you to the judges, and best wishes to every contestant.

Winner Jen Gilmore, Maine

2008-06-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

I began my design process by brainstorming ideas, focusing on using rails and stiles in a more expressive way than one typically sees. After coming up with a number of ideas that seemed feasible I then perused the current JELD-WEN catalog to see which of my designs might complement or add to the existing options. I narrowed my designs down to two, continued developing both of them, and entered them both. Both designs are based on natural themes - one based on a tree, the other sunrays.

My inspiration for entering the JELD-WEN contest was actually a field trip to Boston. After visiting the Genzyme building, I researched the architects behind it, Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner. I was fascinated to learn that most of their business comes from competition entries. Upon learning this, I decided that I should get into the habit of entering contests. I didn’t think I would win, but I wanted to be sure that I started entering contests to get experience and add to my portfolio.

JENNIFER GILMORE
Freshman Architecture Major
University of Maine at Augusta

Winner Michelle Pyne, Virginia Tech

2008-06-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

After discussing the JELD-WEN door design competition in my design studio, the first place I looked for my inspiration was an old architectural history book. I flipped through the pages and paused on a few that I liked. There was one page I kept going back to - a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902. The house was designed for a rising businessman, Ward M. Willitts on Chicago’s South Side. It had a symmetrical façade of stucco accented by thick wooden beams. This particular house was not one of Wright’s famous public works but it had a simple design quality that I was striving for with my door. The beautiful proportions of the stucco squares and long beams of dark wood were striking. In my design the thick beams were replaced by thin strips of lighter wood that accent the proportional divisions in the door. The stucco to wood contrast is altered with a glass to wood contrast in the door design. The sleek cold feeling of the glass is offset by the warm traditional feeling of the wood, making it suitable for both contemporary and traditional homes.

MICHELLE PYNE
Junior Interior Design Major
Virginia Tech

winning advice and encouragement

2008-02-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

There is something really special about seeing your ideas come to life; something that came from your imagination and creativity. It is truly phenomenal!

For all those who think it is too late to develop a design: IT ISN'T!! You still have a few more weeks. Speaking from experience, I thought of my design months before the deadline, but didn't get a chance to develop it until a few weeks (actually, maybe a week) before the deadline. So it can be done. Some of the best ideas are the pure, simple ones and are so brilliant you wonder why it didn't take you longer to think of it. Those are the great ones! This contest is a wonderful opportunity and should be taken advantage of by everyone. Encourage your classmates to submit entries as well. Get your professors involved even. Get creative and get involved!!

Anna McCorvey
Howard Universty School of Architecture
JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest Winner

announcing our judges for 2008

2008-01-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

We're pleased to welcome our newest judge in the JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest: Ruth Altcheck, senior editor and sustainable living expert at Domino, a style magazine centered on the home.

Welcome back to Leslie Ensor, editor of Custom Home, a magazine devoted to the needs, art and craft of the professional custom home builder. In addition to judging our Student Door Contest, Leslie spent a morning with us last fall at Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in Maryland, one of the beneficiaries of the JELD-WEN Reliable Lighthouse Restoration Initiative. To get inside Leslie's head, check out her editorials in Custom Home.

Rita Catinella Orrell, products editor for Architectural Record , the definitive trade publication for architects, returns as one of our distinguished judges. Rita and Leslie have already shared their insight on earlier blogs. Each of their fine publications can be a great source of inspiration and information for residential and light office door designs.

JELD-WEN has received some great entries already! Be sure to write your essay and upload your most fabulous contemporary door designs on our online entry form on or before February 29.

entry drawings

2008-01-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Steven Santander, I am an architecture student at the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT. I have a question about the student door contest. I was wondering what was the requirement for the entry drawings. I realize that we may submit as many drawings as we need, but should they technical drawings, sketches, conceptual ideas, rendering, etc? Should the drawings show the assembly of the door and construction details or just inital design ideas? Can you please respond as soon as possible, thank you very much.

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Thank you for voicing questions that many fellow contestants may have as entries are refined before the February 29 deadline.

Drawings should communicate a door concept to the best of your ability to show that the design meets all the judging criteria, including suitability for contemporary architecture, usability as a functioning entry door or entry system, creativity, uniqueness, and thorough attention to detail.

Take a look at previous winners’ drawings for format ideas. The online entry form should also help clarify. Drawings must fit in one electronic file that can be uploaded with the essay and information. Best wishes to every contestant as you prepare and upload your entries.

multiple entries; tools for ideas, info

2007-12-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Kyle from OSU (is that Ohio, Oklahoma or Oregon State?!) asked about multiple entries. While there's technically no limit on the number of entries by a single student, quality might be better than quantity. Focus on a few of your best ideas and really refine them, do some research, even polish your essay.

Free, online resources on jeld-wen.com might help refine or spark an idea.
1) Our exterior door designs by material (wood, fiberglass, steel) and style.
2) JELD-WEN's Architectural Toolbox enables you to search our products by style and collection for line art photos or links to the product descriptions, availability, 3D drawings and some CAD files.

Check out these tools to understand the "anatomy" of doors, windows and door systems so you can see what's been done - and take it beyond! The February 29 deadline is approaching, so get your ideas down on paper or computer when inspiration strikes! After reading our blog, if you have further questions please ask studentdesign@jeld-wen.com.

inspiration 1 mile and 63 years apart

2007-11-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to Racine, Wisconsin, I had the pleasure of experiencing the entrances and the environments of two very different buildings. A mile away from each other, they dramatically demonstrated 63 years of design evolution.

We had just installed a classic, four-panel custom fiberglass door to protect Wind Point Lighthouse, built in 1880 and designed by Orlando Poe. Wind Point had won a new door and windows as part of the JELD-WEN Reliable Lighthouse Restoration Initiative. Opening this strong, protective door was like opening a cover to a Victorian novel: it felt like traveling centuries back in time. The door guarded the lighthouse tower, just as the beacon at the top protected mariners from the shallow peninsula.

About a mile away as the seagulls fly is Wingspread, the 14,000 square foot home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Herbert Fisk Johnson in 1938-39. Rows of one-panel glass and cypress doors and windows were barely noticeable, an almost transparent transition from the streamlined interiors through the building to the patio, pool and park-like grounds beyond. The door design blended perfectly with the windows, the interior and exterior living spaces, the lawn and the woods.

Little more than 60 years separated these doors, yet light years in design terms. Another 60 years has elapsed since Wright designed Wingspread, yet his door designs are almost identical to today's swinging patio doors.

Little more than 60 days remain at this writing to enter the JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest. Please visit other sections of this site for guidelines and to upload your entries by February 29!

Lynne Butterworth
Communications Manager, JELD-WEN

judging is a door-opening experience

2007-11-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

Judging the JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest for the past two years has shown me that a door isn’t just a door. The student competitors in this event have re-envisioned what a door can look like, what materials it can be made of, and how it can function both aesthetically and practically. You might say it’s been an eye-opening and door-opening event. From my perspective, the entries that rise to the top exhibit not only the principles of good design—pleasing proportions, good use of materials, and appropriate utility, but they also show that the designer was able to think beyond our usual conception of what a door is and does. They are able to expand what we think a door should be while still giving the door all the functionality and beauty we expect of it.

Leslie Ensor, Editor
Custom Home and Custom Home Outdoors
Hanley Wood Business Media

thoughts from a 3-time judge

2007-11-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

It’s an honor to be asked again to serve as a judge for Jeld-Wen’s Student Door Design Contest. As Products Editor for Architectural Record magazine for over 8 years, I’ve seen a lot of door designs come and go, but it has been refreshing to be able to see what inspires today’s design students and how they manifest those concepts into a product that is as functional and, at times, mundane, as the front door. This year, I’m hoping to see students deal with concepts such as sustainability, security, and universal design in a range of styles. Of particular interest would be someone willing to take on the challenge of helping design a door that is both attractive and storm-resistant!

Rita Catinella Orrell
Architectural Record

tips from a winner

2007-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

When my third year professor proposed the idea of entering the JELD-WEN competition, I was immediately intrigued. I had seen posters throughout our building advertising it, but thought that I would never have time to take on another project on top of the work I already had. Fortunately for me, I was given two weeks to design the door. The prompt for the competition was taken one step further by my professor and it became a “replacement” door for a famous building that we could choose from a list he created.

I chose the Jacobs House by Frank Lloyd Wright because his Usonian architecture had always interested me, and I thought that a very unique and interesting door could result from this building. The ability to open individual doors stemmed from two ideas: the classic Dutch style door, and all the French doors and clerestory windows in the Jacobs house that were designed to open for ventilation and increase in space. I also thought that this would allow the user many different options in utilizing what is often seen as a “standard” architectural element, and enjoy the variation that results. The size and number of individual doors came from the measurements of the board and batten wall system. The frames were the “battens” and the glass the “boards.” The wood colors also came from the natural cypress that Wright used for the exterior.

The overall result pleased me: it did not compete with the existing building and integrated itself nicely into the façade, yet at the same time was its own entity and did not rely on the building to be a good door.

Nathan T. Williams
Virginia Tech
4th year Architecture major studying abroad in Switzerland

who can enter?

2007-10-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

Any student enrolled in an accredited college or university in the United States may enter the JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest. It doesn't matter whether you are a freshman or a graduate student. Two winners will each receive a $3,000 scholarship to their institution of higher education.

We've received several inquiries from students still in secondary school or enrolled in colleges in other countries. High school students must wait to enter until they are actually enrolled in an accredited college or university. At this time, the contest is open only to students in higher educational institutions in the United States of America. JELD-WEN is a leading global manufacturer of windows and doors, and it's possible that the competition may extend to other countries in future years.

format for drawings

2007-10-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Several of you have asked whether you can express your ideas by hand or on computer. The answer is - either! Wherever your creative juices flow best. When you upload your entry, the final file must be in one of these compatible formats - PDF, JPG or DWF. The online form and complete instructions are linked on our home page as "Enter Contest". Remember to tell us what inspired your design!

We'll answer other frequently asked questions on this blog. If you have more questions or suggestions or inspiration to share, let us hear from you!

surprising classics

2007-09-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

Professors have been lecturing about Egyptian, Greek and Roman architecture since your great-grandparents were in college. They’ll probably still be talking about it 100 years from now, too. Classical architecture has almost become a cliché. Or has it?

Classics are classics for a reason. They hold the key to good design, and studying these structures can surely be inspiring. That doesn’t mean you have to interpret them in traditional ways. Brunelleschi’s dome is remembered in the Fuji broadcasting center. The Transamerica building calls to mind an elongated ancient pyramid. Rules and principles can be reshaped to form something fresh.

What do you think of classical architecture? What are some interesting ways familiar shapes are being used today? This isn’t a class discussion or a test. We hope it is inspiration.

design in america

2007-09-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

The AIA America’s Favorite Architecture project is a good way to get inspired by the United States’ most renowned architecture, while also seeing what inspires other people. On the project’s site you’ll find images of 150 American structures or buildings, which you can peruse before voting for your favorites. Once you’ve picked your top five, you’ll see how your selection compares with other voters. It’s fun and interesting. See for yourself.