110 Front Street, Suite #300
Jupiter, FL 33477

Judging Criteria

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Judging will be performed by three industry professionals using the following criteria.

Category appropriate: Entries that are obviously in the wrong category may be re-assigned or disqualified at the judges’ discretion.

Exterior:

  • Curb Appeal
  • Proportion and scale
  • Market relevance

Floorplan:

  • Use of space/flow
  • Sightlines
  • Consideration for logical furniture arrangement
  • Market relevance
  • Details

Functional Strengths:

  • How well the design meets client criteria and overcomes challenges as stated in the project description
  • Whether the design fills a particular niche or demonstrates innovation in its category

Presentation:

  • How well do the presentation materials (including documentation, description, and imagery) help the judges to understand and evaluate the project according to the criteria listed above

Green Design Category:

How the building is situated to benefit from environmental influences

  • What measures were taken to reduce the project’s environmental impact
  • How well were those measures carried out, and how did they impact the function and aesthetic of the project

Working Drawings Category:

  • How well do the working drawings communicate the details of the design to the tradespeople that will use them
  • Organization
  • Drafting technique and proficiency
  • Detail

Indoor Living Category:

  • Does the interior space’s design serve the space’s function in a particularly unique or pleasing way?
  • Whether the merit is in the work of the designer in terms of space planning, permanent finishes, and details rather than transient elements (such as furnishings) that may represent the tastes of a client or interior decorator.

Design Feature Category:

  • The purpose and function of the element, detail, or feature, as well as its aesthetic merit.

Healthy Home:

  • Judging for this category considers the creative nature of the “healthy home” solution(s) and their integration.
  • Resilient Design: Judging for this category shall take into consideration the aesthetics of the design, in addition to the resiliency of the structure.

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Program Chairperson:

Brandon Clokey, ARDA Chairman

Mr. Brandon Clokey formed a business at the age of 18 with the help of his father that included preliminary residential design and consulting. Local companies immediately sought out his services to help establish CAD networks and in-house instruction programs. After attending college in Cincinnati, Mr. Clokey relocated to Columbus, where he worked as an adjunct CAD Instructor in The Ohio State University landscape architecture department. The following year he became the youngest faculty member in the history of Columbus State Community College, where he taught Architectural Cad for several years. While spending over 20 years in Minnesota, Mr. Clokey has served as a CAD Visualization consultant on commercial projects with Best Buy, Target, The Duluth Children’s Museum, College of St. Scholastica, and the Bismarck, North Dakota International Airport.

This Year’s Jury:

Join us.

The ARDA Committee is still finalizing its jury. Click here to apply to be an ARDA judge.

Typically, the committee looks for three AEC industry professionals, each one representing a discipline, i.e., building designer, interior designer, builder, and architect.

Judging is done as a group virtually. An internet connection, a webcam, a microphone, and the ability to share your screen is required.

We will attempt to judge all the entries during two eight-hour online sessions from 9:00 am ET to 5:00 pm ET on June 26 and 27, 2023.

AIBD provides a $500 stipend to each judge for the approximately 16 hours of work, plus two complimentary tickets to the ARDA gala, to be held on August 5, 2023, at the beautiful Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, TN (travel and lodging on your own).

It’s preferred that judges not submit entries into the ARDA program. However, it is not prohibited under very limited circumstances.

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