Second place team Neighbors before “Vs for Victory”.  Photo by Julie Chen

Why would someone pay to work round the clock for three straight days, toiling in makeshift workspaces on temporary installations? Thirty-two people enlisted to do just that in this year’s Common Boston Common Build. Some were drawn by the thrill of competition. Others came out of a desire to connect and contribute to community.  But CBCB offers competitors an opportunity beyond mere sweat and skill: the chance for anyone to be a “designer.”

Artist Janet Echelman and Metropolis Magazine contributing editor Ken Shulman view the CBCB project gallery at the BSA Space. Photo by Julie Chen

People of all backgrounds and experience levels participate in the competition, with results that showcase dynamic partnerships drawing on multiple disciplines. This year’s “Neighbors” team included graphic designers, engineers, carpenters, and aspiring business school students. Their project, a series of iconic V-shaped structures, vied for first place. Brian Jaffe, a new admit to MITs Sloan School of Business, joined the team on his first weekend in Boston; at the CBCB Awards Ceremony, he confessed that his second weekend in the city couldn’t possibly measure up.

The first place Common WIT team with its winnings. Photo by Julie Chen

In addition to the accelerated design-build experience, CBCB requires active and immediate community engagement. All of this year’s teams spent significant time with the Fenway’s gardeners, gleaning information, opinions, and ideas. “We learned how to cut roses and grow sunflower seeds from the gardeners,” says Margaret Jackson, team captain of Common WIT. “It was a very pleasant surprise to see how invested this community was in our work.” The community investment was visible in the team’s first place “Social Roots” project, a real life social media space where gardeners could exchange ideas, seedlings, or simply socialize—activities that the existing spaces did not foster.

Enthusiastic Studio G-Force in front of their thirde place work: “Lost and Found”.  Photo by Julie Chen

Inspired by the happy outcomes, many jurors joked about forming a team for next year’s competition; they too wanted a chance to have a direct and positive impact on a community—an opportunity not always offered to designers. “This competition highlights the need to involve designers at the very outset of a project,” says juror Peter Kuttner, President of Cambridge Seven Associates.  “Our creativity and perception can be a powerful community tool.”

Team Gensler with “Share Point/ Seed Bank”. Photo by Julie Chen

Valerie Fontana Shulman acted as 2012 CBCB Planning Director and has been involved with the Common Boston since 2009. She is an Intern Architect at Carr Lynch and Sandell, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.