Witters Competition

Established in 1993, the Witters Competition is endowed by Arthur G. and Beverley A. Witters for an interdisciplinary academic competition to foster better understanding among design, construction, planning and engineering students.

Each team will have students from disciplines in the College of Design, Construction and Planning and the Wertheim College of Engineering as well as other programs at UF. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to compete. As each student on the team provides input regarding his or her part of the project, the team learns more about the other professions and the issues affecting their work.

Spring 2023 Competition

The Spring 2023 Witters Competition is titled East Side Village: Fostering Education, Equity and Economic Development and will explore community needs and envision a mixed-use development in and adjacent to the Waldo Road corridor near Citizens Field and Walmart. Competition teams will propose an innovative mixed-use plan and parcel program to educate, empower, and engender social equity and economic development for residents and entrepreneurs in East Gainesville. More specifically, projects will showcase ideas that aim to reduce existing economic and educational disparity by integrating programs that:

Promote self-sufficiency through self-employment;
Provide entrepreneurial, STEM, vocational, and other educational programs;
Enhance the quality of life through cultural and social programs;
Serve as a catalyst for economic development that will further make East Gainesville/Alachua County an even better place to live, work, and play.

To learn more about T-Fan, visit https://www.teefan.org/.

Drawing on the strengths of multidisciplinary teams, students will be challenged to conceptualize a dynamic economic and cultural hub in a challenging location for an underserved population within our local community. Teams are encouraged to access and leverage local data and resources, such as the following:

This year’s competition will take place February 10 – 12, 2023 with finalist team presentations on February 14, 2023. Each team will have the opportunity to win prizes, including the Grand Prize of $4,000, as well as other prizes.

Last Year’s Competition

To learn more about the competition, click here to read our 2022 Witters competition recap.

You can also view each team’s work from last year on Miro
Miro Board
https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lWLRFzo=/?utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-updates&utm_content=go-to-board

Key Dates

January 9 to February 5, 2023 at midnight
Registration will be open during this time frame. For those who register individually, the Witters Organization Team will help connect you with others to form teams. Visit https://bit.ly/Witters2023 to register.

January 18, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.
Team forming kick-off and social event
Architecture Building Atrium

February 6-10, 2023
Site selection and preliminary analysis
Teams will be provided with partial Competition programming.

February 10, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
Witters Competition Kick-off
The John and Anne Sofarelli Family Gallery
Teams will be provided with full Competition programming.

February 12, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
Competition Ends and Team Pin-up
The John and Anne Sofarelli Family Gallery

February 13, 2023
Jury Members Meet to Select Finalist Teams. All Teams Will Be Notified After Judging is Complete.

February 14, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
Finalist Team Presentations and Winners Announced
The John and Anne Sofarelli Family Gallery

Teams

Each multidisciplinary team of students must include, at a minimum, one student from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and a minimum of three students that represent different disciplines in the College of Design, Construction and Planning, specifically: Architecture, Construction Management, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Sustainability and the Built Environment and Urban and Regional Planning. Engineering students that register for the competition can be matched with DCP students to complete teams.

Witters Competition Organization Committee

Nancy Clark, DCP Interim Associate Dean
Eric Du, ESSIE
Hal Knowles, SBE & URP
Mike Montoya, ARC
Genesis Okken, IND
Robert Ries, CM
Kevin Thompson, LA

Questions

Please review our frequently asked questions below. If you have additional questions about the competition, please contact the Witters Competition Organization Committee via email: witters@dcp.ufl.edu.

Each Witters competition team will comprise of a minimum of four students. Each team must include, at a minimum, one student from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and a minimum of three students that represent the different disciplines in the College of Design, Construction and Planning, specifically: architecture, construction management, historic preservation, interior design, landscape architecture, sustainability and the built environment and urban and regional planning. Six is the maximum number of students allowed on a team.

Yes, with a maximum of two per discipline and a total of six overall. The Witters Competition Organization Committee will help form Witters Competition teams. The goals are to have multiple disciplines and teams with similar numbers of members.

Teams or individuals looking to join a team: can register once registration opens up. Register here: https://bit.ly/Witters2023.

Registration will be open from January 9 to February 5 at midnight. Register here: https://bit.ly/Witters2023.

Please contact the Witters Competition Organization Team via email: witters@dcp.ufl.edu.