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Sand art earns UH 2 awards

Architecture team tops college segment of sandcastle competition

By Jaqui Chan
The Daily Cougar

GALVESTON -- All the competitors in this year's American Institute of Architects Sandcastle Competition came home with sunburns and sand in their shorts -- but the team of UH architecture students was the only one to take away two awards.

The team from the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture won the College Challenge award, the top award for all collegiate teams, and the Let the Games Begin award, which honors sports-themed entries, in the contest Saturday at East Beach.

The group's sand sculpture, "Pool Shark," depicted a shark bursting through the surface of a pool table.

"I was really happy that we won both categories -- when you enter into any category, you always hope to win," said Michael Poscovsky, president of UH's AIA student chapter. "We thought everyone did a great job, and ... the award really reflected everyone's hard work."

The 37-member UH team faced an unexpected challenge three-and-a-half hours into the competition when the sand art began to crumble. The students revised the project's design and finished on deadline.

This year's UH team, more than twice the size of last year's, consisted of members from the AIA campus chapter and the Alpha Rho Chi architecture fraternity.

Photos of all the entries, along with a complete list of winners, can be found at www.aiasandcastle.com.
 

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