'Safe Trestles:' Coalition Launches Two-Stage Design Competition to Create Low-Impact Access to Trestles

www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/trestles

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Access to Trestles, one of
North America's most celebrated waves, is under threat due to safety and
environmental concerns. Currently, over 100,000 people each year follow
informal trails through marshlands and over active train tracks to gain access
to the surf breaks at Trestles. These impromptu manmade paths present a safety
hazard with passing trains and threaten the fragile ecosystem of Trestles.

In response, a coalition of concerned groups organized by the volunteer
non-profit organization Architecture for Humanity, are launching "Safe
Trestles," an open-to-all, two-stage design competition to create a safe
pathway to serve surfers, the local coastal community and day visitors to San
Onofre State Beach. This coalition is looking for cohesive designs that
eliminate the danger of crossing active train tracks, help to restore
marshlands that have been damaged by the present path, preserve and improve
vistas, and offer education about the history of the site and the beach marsh
environment. The new path should ensure continued access to the resources by
all members of our community and adhere to Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) standards.

Steve Long, senior adviser to the San Onofre Foundation -- a coalition partner
-- and retired state park superintendent stated: "The San Onofre Foundation
exists to provide the community of park supporters with a direct voice in
developing a vision for the future of San Onofre and Trestles. We encourage
the public to participate in this conceptual design process, offering their
ideas for appropriate low-impact trail improvements and at-grade or sub-grade
rail-crossing designs that will assure safe coastal access to Trestles for the
generations to come.

We salute Architecture for Humanity for recognizing the need and for creating
this forum which will no doubt lead to inspired solutions."

Cameron Sinclair, executive director and co-founder of Architecture for
Humanity said, "We are calling upon the creative world to define a vision of
safe and secure access to Trestles. By highlighting pragmatic solutions, we
can allow open access for California's coastal community and set a model for
environmentally sound access to our waters."

Phase One - Conceptual Design Begins:February 17, 2010

Registration Ends:March 17, 2010

Entries Due:April 17, 2010

Winners Announced:May 1, 2010 at Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Event

Phase Two - Schematic Design Begins:May 04, 2010

Winners Announced:September 1, 2010 at WTC Hurley Pro Event

Open To:Pros - licensed architects and professional designers. Amateurs -
students and non-design professionals

Entry Fee:$20 per entry (entry fee to support Surfrider Foundation, San
Onofre Foundation and Architecture for Humanity)

Design Awards: Stage-two finalists will receive $2,000 stipends to work
with local stakeholders to develop their ideas. Overall Stage Two winner will
be awarded design contract for Safe Trestles.

About The Competition

While Architecture for Humanity is placing no limitations on the originality
or imaginativeness of design ideas, we are looking for tangible low-impact
solutions that can actually be built at a future date. Ideally, the winning
entry will be sensitive to the remote and undisturbed nature of the area --
providing safe access without compromising the pristine environment and views
of this rare example of natural Southern California coast. Our stage-one
jury will select finalists, and we will award prizes for Most Innovative, Most
Environmentally Sensitive, and Best Educational Component. This stage-one jury
will take place during the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro at Trestles in April, and
People's Choice Awards for amateur and professional teams will also be
presented then.

Stage-two finalists will receive $2,000 stipends to work with local
stakeholders to develop their ideas before submitting revised designs for a
final jury that will take place during the Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles
surfing event in September. The winning design will require further review and
collaboration with the local community, Navy, Marines, transit district, and
local and state agencies. It is our hope that the selected plan will provide a
vision for the future of Trestles.

The $20 entry fee will contribute to ongoing efforts to raise awareness
around access to Trestles by Surfrider Foundation, San Onofre Foundation and
Architecture for Humanity.

Resulting entries will be available and accessible to all on the Open
Architecture Network. For more information or to register, please visit:
http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/trestles

Competition Partners:

Architecture For Humanity is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks
architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings design services to
communities in need.

San Onofre Foundationis a charitable organization whose mission is to provide
education, protection, and preservation for the California State Parks at San
Onofre and San Clemente State Beaches.

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated
to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for
all people, through conservation, activism, research and education.

Competition Sponsors:

Nike 6.0

Nike 6.0defines innovation and embodies the creativity of youth, united by
action. Nike 6.0 delivers footwear and apparel to support the new generation
of action sports athletes who are changing the worlds of surf, snow, ski, BMX,
wake and moto. Their unlimited potential and contagious energy deliver the
future through performance and lifestyle.

SOURCE Architecture for Humanity

Diana Bianchini of Architecture for Humanity, +1-310-288-0077,
press@architectureforhumanity.org