Winners of Mason Street design contest to be chosen Friday

Note to Reporters: A high-resolution image is available at http://col.st/3caXN.

The winners of a design competition for improving Mason Street between Mulberry and Laurel streets in Fort Collins will be announced at 6 p.m. Friday at Galvanize Fort Collins.

The “Off the Rails” contest, held by the UniverCity Urban Lab, targets the two-block stretch of Mason from sidewalk to sidewalk, excluding the railroad easement. The segment is both a navigational and visual challenge to residents, businesses, travelers and planners.

The UniverCity Urban Lab — a partnership among Colorado State University’s Institute for the Built Environment, the City of Fort Collins, the Downtown Development Authority, professionals and citizens — advocates for high-quality urban design and a livable city through community involvement and collaboration. It challenged architects, artists, urban planners, designers, students and others to submit their ideas to enhance the area for all users, whether traveling by car, bus, bicycle or foot.

Cash prizes of $3,000, $1,500 and $500 will be awarded for the top designs in the three-stage competition, which was launched this spring. The first round of the competition was held in August, and after Urban Lab received more than 30 entries from nine countries, nine designs were selected as finalists. On Friday, a distinguished panel of four final jurors (Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell, Spiral Experiences CEO Ed Goodman, Hood Design Studio principal Walter Hood and Studio Luz Architects principal Hansy Better Barraza) will review the final designs.

The public is invited to attend the Oct. 7 event, which is part of First Friday Art Walk. Galvanize is located at 242 Linden St. in Fort Collins.

For more information, visit http://urbanlab.colostate.edu/off-the-rails-design-competition/. The Institute for the Built Environment is in CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.