We came, we saw, we conquered!! Well not really, but we came pretty close (or we like to think so). This was BRAVE / ARCHITECTURE’s third time to participate in the AIA Sandcastle Competition held in Galveston every year. The first and second time we participated, we were very ambitious and unfortunately, unable to finish the original design within the given time frame; therefore, the main objective this year was just to finish. We also teamed up with Teal Construction this year so there was more help all around!

Like any other design project, this was not a walk in the park and required multiple sessions to brainstorm. We wanted something simple that would stand out and create contrasting shadows. The final design was a portion of a square rotated 5 degrees. With that, we created a half-scale foamcore prototype and set off to Galveston to test it out!



[above] Prototype 1.0 ready to go!



[above] Testing a third form with a different sand/water method



[above] Four completed forms



[above] An attempt to make a full-scale triangle with no formwork



[above] Final result

After the trip, we consulted Teal Construction with the obstacles we encountered and they provided formwork through Formwork Services.



[above] Formwork being set up



[above] Improvising finishing tools



[above] Trial number 2



[above] Finished products

With two weeks left until the big day, we finalized our method in creating the forms. We were ready! All that was left to do was make our team shirts which we silk screened ourselves.



[above] Silk screen with our shirt design



[above] Our finished team shirts

The day finally came and the members of B/A, Teal Construction, and Formwork Services had a great time! It was not scorching hot, so we were able to work in the sun to complete our design. And finish we did! We were very proud of ourselves. And although we did not win in our category (Most Complex), we did take home the Bronze Shovel! Check out the photos to see how the day was like!

And if you are wondering how the other sandcastles turned out, Houston’s Local ABC 13 network gallery can be found here and Houston’s Khou 11 gallery can be found here.