When the University of Houston College of Architecture decided to latch onto its sponsor's motto "whatever it takes" for the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Sandcastle Competition, the team had no idea how well the motto would fit the task.

The UH Cougar sandcastle team, supported by Concept Engineers, celebrated the college’s first double win at the June 5 competition in Galveston, taking home the winning trophy for the 7th Annual AIA College Challenge and the “Let the Games Begin” award for the best sandcastle with a sports theme. Its sand sculpture was entitled “Pool Shark” and featured a shark busting through a pool table.

The UH College of Architecture, along with the college’s participants from the American Institute of Architecture Students and Alpha Rho Chi, an organization for students studying architecture and related arts, looked forward to this year’s competition, as Concept Engineers’ sponsorship funding allowed UH to more than double the team’s size. As it turns out, every one of the 37 members was needed to achieve its mission. Three and a half hours into                                                     the  competition, the pool table under the shark began to crumble.

With only an hour and a half left before judging, the Coogs were faced with a serious dilemma. Their response to the crisis was to innovate and do “whatever it takes” to ensure their entry would be well received. Instead of having the fish laying on the pool table, as originally planned, they would have it busting through the table. A double-winning piece of art was the result.

"When the table first started to break apart, we weren’t sure what to do,” said UH student Michael Poscovsky. "But, when we made the adjustments, our final design ended up being even better than the one we had originally planned.”

Houston-based structural engineering firm Concept Engineers was behind the team the whole way, cheering “whatever it takes!” from the sidelines while the structure was rebuilt and celebrated as the team took its both wins.

“We are very proud to have been a part of this great day for the University of Houston,” said Concept Engineers President Yogi Sharma. “The team illustrated its commitment to excellence and showed a true winning spirit.”

Linda Wise
Contributing writer