91ÊÓƵ

The American Institute of Architects‘ Portland chapter is seeking proposals from architecture students and young professionals for a design competition with cash prizes.

Registration for STITCH will open on March 17, and submissions will be due by April 28.

The goal is to gather ideas to share with the city of Portland about creation of an urban gathering space over part of Interstate 405, said Jonathan Dunn, AIA Portland board secretary and an associate in MulvannyG2 Architecture‘s Portland office.

“We’re just trying to get young designers energized and engaged in the city,” he said.

The competition will focus on a 200-foot-square block that I-405 slices through between downtown Portland and the Goose Hollow neighborhood. It is bound by Southwest Yamhill and Morrison streets and Southwest 13th and 14th avenues.

“It just seemed like an opportunity to mend a part of the city that has been underutilized,” Dunn said.

Contest submissions will be reviewed by a jury of Portland-area architects, and prizes will be awarded on May 16. The winner will receive $500, the runner-up will receive $200 and the third-place entrant will receive $100. Top-three placers also will receive architecture books from Princeton Architectural Press.

Top-three designs and any receiving honorable mention will be posted online and displayed locally, Dunn said.

The entry fee is $25 for students and unemployed architects or $50 for professionals.

More information about the competition is available at .