For the third year in a row the Georgia Institute of Technology won the NCMA Unit Design Competition. This year their winning design was the “Pivot Block” which consists of a block split into four segments pivoted around an axis in the center of the block.  Through various block rotations and bond variations, a host of architectural effects can be obtained.  The Georgia Tech team was sponsored by Block USA.

Second place went to the University of Southern California with their “Inverse Honeycomb Grassblock” pavers.  The system is composed of two complementing pavers that allow natural drainage through the units and an infinite array of innovative arrangements to suit any specific need.  The University of Southern California was sponsored by ORCO Block Company.

North Carolina State University took third place with their “Vlinder Ecoblock” which is a mortarless system where the units are locked together using Vlinder pins.  Features of the system include rapid construction and ease of disassembly.  Sponsors for North Carolina State University were Adams Products, Johnson Concrete Company and the Carolinas Concrete Masonry Association.

The NCMA Education and Research Foundation provided the funding for 2011 national competition while the local sponsors covered the local competitions.  The photos,  full presentations from all three teams, and details regarding next year’s competition are available HERE.  Contact NCMA Director of Technical Publications Dennis Graber at dgraber@ncma.org.  Over 250 architectural students participated in this year’s competition.