Green Square Town Centre Library and Green Square Plaza International Competition
The city of Sydney has launched an international design competition as part of the the Green Square Development Project for a new Library Centre and Plaza at the heart of a 278 hectare area south of the city centre. The Green Square Development project is an initiative to redevelop a 278 hectare area south of the city centre of Sydney, Australia by bringing in diverse functions of housing, open spaces, offices and facilities that contribute to a vibrant, sustainable community. The library will be designed as a community centre and hub and used as an educational and creative resource, as well as a lounge. The project is allotting $40 million for the design and construction of the new facility and should be an integrated whole between the library and plaza which will also be a host to public arts, community events and markets. Stage one entries close on August 21st. Visit the official Green Square Library website to learn more.
More details on the competition and the project after the break. (more…)
Designing for Adaptable Futures Winners Announced
The 2012 results for the DAF (Designing Adaptable Futures) International Student Design Competition are in! A joint first prize, a third prize and five honorable mentions were awarded among 150 submission from 26 countries. The competition asked students to present an architectural proposal that had a transformable quality that could make the physical or experiential space change over any given span of time. The prompt embraces what Adaptable Futures is about. The organization looks at the value of longevity in architecture through the adaptability of the built environment. It challenges notions of monumental architecture and architecture as a symbol of its time. It asks, instead to design with the context – the present – and its “temporal reality” – the changing and evolving future – in mind. After the break, take a look at the projects that were selected for best embodying the ability for architecture to adapt. (more…)
What’s in a Number?
What do you think of the number 300? Mayor Michael Bloomberg found the number to be just the right amount of square feet necessary to attract a younger demographic to live in the city. In a city-sponsored competition entitled adAPT NYC, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development is inviting developers to submit proposals for a new construction project in Kips Bay, Manhattan. The challenge is to design what Bloomberg calls “micro-units”, between 275-250 sqf of living space, complete with a place a kitchen and a bathroom, but no closet is necessary. “Developing housing that matches how New Yorkers live today is critical to the City’s continued growth, future competitiveness and long-term economic success,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “People from all over the world want to live in New York City, and we must develop a new, scalable housing model that is safe, affordable and innovative to meet their needs.”
More about the competition after the break. (more…)
eVolo 2013 Skyscraper Competition
eVolo is pleased to invite students, architects, engineers, designers, and artists from around the globe to take part in the eVolo 2013 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious awards for high-rise architecture. It recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the implementation of novel technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution. It is a forum that examines the relationship between the skyscraper and the natural world, the skyscraper and the community, and the skyscraper and the city.
The participants should take into consideration the advances in technology, the exploration of sustainable systems, and the establishment of new urban and architectural methods to solve economic, social, and cultural problems of the contemporary city including the scarcity of natural resources and infrastructure and the exponential increase of inhabitants, pollution, economic division, and unplanned urban sprawl. More information on the competition’s official website.
2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is inviting nominations for the 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize. The prize will be awarded to a design professional or firm in recognition of innovative design solutions that preserved or saved a modern landmark at risk. Established in 2008, the goal is to raise public awareness of the contribution modernism makes to contemporary life and the important and influential role that architects and designers play in preserving modern heritage. Nominated projects should have enhanced a site’s architectural, functional, economic, and environmental sustainability while benefiting the community, and must have been completed in 2007 or after. Nominations must be submitted by July 31, 2012. More information on the competition after the break. (more…)
2012 AIM Architecture Competition
The Architects in Missions (AIM) recently launched their 2012 architecture competition with the topic, “Shengsi Islands: Renewing China’s Traditional Village Lifestyle.” In setting their sights upon the eastern gate of China: Shengsi Islands, participants are challenged in guiding the island villages toward a diversified economy through sustainable tourism development. Over the course of this society’s development, the unique fishing village, its products, and its lifestyle, represent a cultural resource that cannot be replicated. With the premise of helping the local population of the Shengsi Islands integrate into modern life, how can the ecology and residential environment of this archipelago be protected? The submission deadline is August 31. For more information, please visit here.
Bridging the gap between management & design
It is quite controversial that in general terms 80% of architects are entrepreneurs. This potentially could be the highest share in comparison to other professions. Yet if you think about it, it is still true that architects don’t receive special training in managerial skills & that the market is already is prepared for an evolution. IE School of Architecture & Design is keen in being at the edge of this reinvention. In 2010 IE was ready to launch its unique Master in Architectural Management & Design, a blended format program that combines online & onsite periods taking place in Madrid & London in collaboration with the Royal College of Art. Since then IE has been leading debates with top practitioners worldwide about bridging the gap between management & design.
Great leaders such as OMA, SCB, Aedas, Zaha Hadid, SOM, Foster & Partners are part of the structure of the master program, among others top tier global practices in a module called “The Architect’s Backstage” (brief video below). Each one of these practices excels in coupling their management and design strategies and share with students their experience in the necessary back office work to achieve outstanding design. IE School of Architecture & Design started an unexpected shift in education that has been recognized by the Design Intelligence Report of 2010 where it is ranked as “Hidden Gem of Global Architecture” (among few non-US schools to receive mention).
More after the break.
HOME Design Competition
With less than a week left to register, the HOME design competition, hosted by Building Trust International, seeks to find well designed homes for the elderly or homeless within some of the World’s richest countries. The growing rate in single occupancy households has led to increased numbers of young and elderly people affected by poverty being forced to live in substandard living conditions & in the worst cases sleeping rough. They We are asking designers, engineers, architects and house builders to provide a solution to the housing crisis by offering sustainable, affordable small homes that give those that are alienated or marginalized within society a safe place to live. For more information, please visit here.
Daegu Gosan Public Library Competition
As a main event of the 2012 Daegu Architectural Culture Biennale, the committee just launched the International Architectural Competition for a Public Library in Daegu, Korea. Open to all unregistered or registered architects and students of architecture schools from all over the world, the winning prize money for 1st place is USD $30,000 with the opportunity to join the further design development of the library after the competition. All participants must register by July 30 with submissions due September 10. For more information, please visit here.
Dominique Perrault Wins Competition for Esplanade Tower in Fribourg
Dominique Perrault Architecture, the French practice recently awarded with the opportunity to build a tower called The Blade in Seoul as part of Daniel Libeskind’s master plan, has now been announced as winner of a concept/construction international competition for the Esplanade Tower in downtown Fribourg, Switzerland. The high rise is part of regeneration project of the Swiss Federal Railways at the site of the former Pilettes Station.
More after the break.
Challenge: REskin an Aging Building in NYC
In a call for a Sustainable New York City, Mayor Bloomberg stated: “Given that buildings account for more than 80 percent of all municipal greenhouse gas emissions, constructing buildings with energy-efficient features is essential to reducing those emissions, and DDC plays a critically important role in that work.”
This is a great idea for new construction, but what about the existing, aging buildings? Most older buildings were built in a time when energy costs were low and the exterior walls were used less for energy performance and more for structural integrity. Knocking these buildings down to start over would cause a greater environmental impact due to the tons of waste material that would need to be discarded. So, what is the solution? REskin. DesignByMany‘s challenges you to cleverly reskin a decaying urban building on the corner of Broadway and Reade St in New York City. Submissions can range from a focused investigation to an entire reskinning of the building.
The REskin challenge is sponsored by Autodesk and media partners ArchDaily. Winners will receive a full license of Autodesk Revit Architecture 2013. Check out the building and learn more after the break! (more…)
CLOG: National Mall – Call for Submissions
CLOG is currently seeking submissions for its fifth issue, CLOG: National Mall, which will be published in November 2012. In an election year when America is debating and deciding its trajectory, it’s time to critically discuss the space that perhaps more than any other reflects what the nation was, is, and wants to be – the National Mall. Visited annually by approximately thirty million people, the Mall is also a victim of its own success as its grounds and monuments have been steadily eroded by overcrowding in addition to budgetary and administrative pressures. Submissions are due on July 20, 2012 by midnight. For more information, please visit their website here.
DETAIL Prize 2012 Competition
In collaboration with the BAU 2013 trade fair and sponsored by Josef Gartner GmbH, DETAIL is currently inviting submissions for the DETAIL Prize 2012 competition. The aim of the award is to strengthen the importance of architecture in social discourse, to strengthen the role of architects in public life and to strengthen the network of architects, industry, clients and the world of politics. Out of all the entries submitted, DETAIL will nominate a selection of outstanding projects, from which the jury and the DETAIL readers will then select the respective winners. Submissions are due no later than July 31. For more information, please visit here.
Winners selected for round two of the Moscow City Agglomeration Competition
The international team, lead by well-known Russian urbanist Andrey Chernikhov, and including McAdam Architects, Tower 151, Georgi Stanishev and Ginsburg Architects placed first in round two of the Moscow City Agglomeration Development Concept competition. The winning consortium sparked debate by suggesting Moscow officials should consider redeveloping the abundant brown field sites and other available infill spaces within the existing city boundaries before proposing new development. They highlighted vast areas occupied by goods railways and disused industrial sites from Soviet times as prime areas for regeneration and expansion, as well as a re-thinking of transport networks to alleviate pressure on existing systems.
Continue after the break to learn more. (more…)
Transforming Seattle’s 520 Floating Bridge 2012 International Design Ideas Competition
RETHINK REUSE, an independent group whose goal is to inspire discourse on the topic of reuse is inviting all to participate in their Transforming Seattle’s 520 Floating Bridge 2012 International Design Ideas Competition. The goal is to envision new, innovative reuse strategies. The 520 bridge will be decommissioned in 2014 due to high maintenance costs, damage, and the need for additional lanes. The Washington State Department of Transportation is requiring of the new bridge’s design-build team that it be reused or recycled in a sustainable fashion; current trends for the reuse of pontoons have been floating docks, breakwaters and piers, but what else could be done with such a feat of engineering? More information on the competition after the break. (more…)
Williams Tsien and Davis Brody Bond selected for new U.S. Embassy in Mexico City
The Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has announced the selection of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Davis Brody Bond to design the New Embassy Compound (NEC) in Mexico City, Mexico. After an intense round of presentations and interviews, the duo was selected from a talented shortlist of nine architectural/engineering teams. As reported on the Latin American Herald Tribune, the jury believed that “their portfolio of work is compatible to the local culture and shows sensitivity that highlights their connection to the character of the site.”
The Mexico City project is the first solicited under OBO’s Design Excellence program. It will embody a holistic approach that values the balance of aesthetics, cost, constructability and reliability. The design phase is expected to take place over the next 20 months and a construction contract is expected to be awarded in 2015.
Reference: Latin America Herald Tribune
Grimshaw and Gruen win Union Station commission
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has selected L.A.’s Gruen Associates and London’s Grimshaw Architects to design the new master plan for Union Station in Los Angeles. The pair was awarded with the commission over some of the biggest names in the profession, such as Norman Foster and Renzo Piano (view the other five fantastical proposals here). They will transform the historic 1939 station and its surrounding 40 acres into a world-class, 21st century transportation hub that will host the future high-speed rail system that plans to connect L.A. and San Francisco.
The master planning process could take as little as 24 months. No surprise, considering both Gruen and Grimshaw have a great amount of experience with transit related projects. Gruen recently worked with Metro on the first phase of the Expo Line, while Grimshaw has extensive resume in Europe and is involved with the forthcoming Fulton Street Transit Center in Lower Manhattan, which is planned for completion in 2014. (more…)
Top Firms Shortlisted for European Research Centre
Five international consortia of architecture and landscape firms have been shortlisted in a competition to design the future research centre of the European Spallation Source (ESS)- a Partnership of 17 European Nations committed to the goal of collectively building and operating the world’s leading facility for research using neutrons by the second quarter of the 21st Century. The 21st century, large-scale science centre will focus on sustainability, creating an attractive working environment and integrating well into its surroundings. It will be built in southern Sweden and is planned to open in 2019.
Continue after the break to view the complete shortlist. (more…)
Take the Mayors Challenge and Improve American City Life
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is searching for bold ideas that can “make government work better, solve a serious problem, or improve city life” in the United States. The Mayors Challenge encourages local architects and professionals to team up with their city officials and propose an innovative local solution that could be applied to a national problem.
Each city of 30,000 or more residents can submit one innovative idea under the direction of the mayor. As Architectural Record points out, there is nothing preventing architects from proposing a concept to their city leaders and working out a deal with them to prepare a submission. They can even negotiate some type of bonus if that idea wins! Those details will be left completely up to you.
However, the goal of the competition is to identify a need, solve a problem and share your knowledge so that other cities and citizens may benefit. Five boldest ideas with the greatest potential for impact will win funding as well as national and local recognition. The winning city will receive a $5,000,000 grand prize and four other cities will receive $1,000,000 to help implement their ideas.
Submit your RSVP by July 16th, 2012 and apply by September 14th, 2012. Find more information on mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org.
Think Space: ‘Alejandro Zaera-Polo Never Planned to Win Yokohama Port Terminal’ Competition
As part of the 2012 cycle of competitions curated by Adrian Lahoud, Think Space is calling for entries in its Yokohama Port Terminal competition. Simply put, the Yokohama project actually started around the possibility of generating organization from a circulation pattern, which is basically a hybridization between a shed – a more or less undetermined container – and a ground, thus inventing a unique architectural/urban typology, one that would go on to influence a generation of architects. More images and information on the competition after the break. (more…)
AECOM’s Urban SOS Student Competition
AECOM recently shared with us their 4th annual Urban SOS student competition brief. Created to engage students in urban planning and design, architecture, landscape architecture, environmental restoration, and engineering and allow them to propose solutions for the issues that are confronting modern cities, and viewed by established professionals in their field. The theme for this current year is Frontiers. AECOM is seeking proposals that engage urban sites that are currently facing chronic liveability challenges that are largely the result of a city’s location on a natural, political, cultural or economic border. Submitted proposals should fall under at least one of the following criteria; “On a political border,” Ports and trade,” Migration and population shift,” Transnational destinations,” and “Shifting geo-political conditions.” The winners have the potential for their project to be engaged by a local organization to assist in advancing the project.
Unlike many international competitions, there is no entry fee. There is, however, a sizable cash prize! The final deadline for submission is August 31, 2012. For more information regarding the details and competition brief visit AECOM’s site here.
