The Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has selected five design teams in a worldwide Architecture/Engineering Design Services solicitation to rehabilitate/renovate facilities that "represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, maintainability, art, culture, and construction execution."
Development corporation ADIM Nord with MVRDV and de Alzua+ have been announced the winners of an urban renewal competition in the French town of Villeneuve d’Ascq. Dubbed ‘The Beam’, the winning proposal will transform a cluster of disused parking lots and a former petrol station into a dense, pedestrianized haven, whose 15,000 square meters of offices, retail space and lodging will hover over the adjacent motorway as a icon of a larger urban regeneration effort for the town center.
More information on The Beam after the break...
The New York office of The Trust for Public Land recently issued an RFP for a feasibility study, framework plan, and conceptual design for the QueensWay--a potentially transformative 3.5-mile project which will enhance quality of life in central and southern Queens, New York by reclaiming the abandoned Rockaway Rail Line, a largely elevated rail corridor. The project, which includes a pedestrian and bicycle pathway connecting the communities of Rego Park, Forest Hills, Richmond Hill, and Ozone Park, will provide a new public green space, celebrating the cultural diversity of Queens with art, sculpture, and food from around the world.
There is a mandatory Pre-Submittal Meeting March 28, and the proposal submittal deadline is April 23. For more information, please visit here.
Adopted by the City of Green Bay in 2003, the Smart Growth Plan 2022 relied heavily on the participation of the citizens of Green Bay and provides city leaders with a guide to use while assessing policy and development proposals. The city of Green Bay Planning Commission is now accepting proposals for the Downtown Green Bay Master Plan Update. The selected firm must have a deep portfolio in results-proven city planning and design projects with an understanding of the urban redevelopment process. In demonstrating competence in developing and translating context-minded plans into actionable implementation strategies, the firm must be capable of creating an exciting and supportable vision for downtown that is grounded in local opportunities and realities.The deadline for submissions is March 25. To download the full RFP and for more information, please visit here.
Since its inception in September 2003, the journal Log has sought to present through writing the kinds of thinking and concepts that drive the making of architecture today. In Pursuit of Architecture, a special tenth anniversary issue of the magazine, will feature ten buildings that have contributed to architectural discourse between 2003 and 2013. They are inviting all architects age 59 and younger to submit one building project completed or started between 2003 and 2013 for publication in this celebratory issue. Temporary pavilions, installations, or competition entries are not included. The deadline for submissions is April 15. For more information, please visit here.
Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced the winners of the Mayors Challenge, a competition to inspire American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life – and that ultimately can be shared with other cities to improve the well-being of the nation. Out of the 305 cities that competed in this inaugural competition, Providence, Rhode Island, was presented the Mayors Challenge Grand Prize for Innovation and a $5 million implementation award for its “cutting-edge early education initiative”. Mayors Challenge innovation prizes also were awarded to Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and Santa Monica, all of which will receive $1 million to support implementation.
The City of Orlando's Mayor, Buddy Dyer, has challenged the community to develop a plan that would transform Orlando, within a generation, into one of the most environmentally-friendly, economically and socially vibrant communities in the nation. In an effort to do so, the city is introducing the Envision 2040 competition, which aims to illustrate what the city will look like in the future. Participants are being called to visualize what Orlando, the most sustainable city in the southeast, will look like in 2040. If all the goals and objectives of the plan were implemented today, what would our city look like in the future? The deadline for registration is March 18 and the deadline for submissions is April 15. For more information, please visit here.
Organized by Building Green Magazine, the MEA2013 Awards competition aims at highlighting projects that follow the principles of sustainability in architecture during the last five years in the Mediterranean zone, mainly through environmentally responsive passive design solutions. The goal is to enhance the exchange of ideas on environmentally conscious design, and enrich the ecological sustainability approach. MEA2013 covers all buildings that have been completed in the Mediterranean zone in the following categories: Civic, Urban, Residential, Healthcare, Cultural, Leisure, and Commercial Design Projects. The deadline for submissions is April 5. To apply, and for more information, please visit here.
The American Institute of Architects UK Chapter recently announced its call for entries in their annual Excellence in Design Awards. Entries are sought from architects based in Britain, and from architects throughout the world for built projects in the UK. Students of architecture who are currently enrolled in UK Universities are also strongly encouraged to apply. The winners of this year’s Excellence in Design Awards will be announced at the Excellence in Design Awards Gala Tuesday, April 23. The deadline for submissions is March 22 at 5:00pm. For more information, please visit here.
Curated by Bart Goldhoorn, publisher of Project Russia magazine, the Belgorod City Centre International Competition is asking participants to design a large urban block (around 300 x 200 m) in the heart of the city in order to replace the low rise buildings that now occupy the site with a more dense development. Though the construction of high towers is very popular in Russia with developers, the city would like to limit the maximum building height limited to 15-20 meters. The main task is to find the optimum between density and quality and offer the city a recipe for redeveloping the city center as a whole, making it at an attractive place to live and work. The deadline for submissions is May 10. To register, and for more information, please visit here.
Designed by the multi-disciplinary design team featuring John Thompson and Partners (JTP), Alan Dunlop Architects, and Gillespies, their proposal for the international tourist destination and ecological seaside resort on the Dapeng Peninsula made the final shortlist in the competition. Their design concept draws inspiration from the beauty, tranquillity and characteristics of the siteand learning lessons from examples and exemplars both in China and internationally. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Last year, we presented you Archipendium 2013 as part of our Books & Magazines section. Now, we can proudly tell you that we've partnered with Archipendium 2014.
Archipendium 2014 showcases great examples of modern architecture from all around the world. 365 different architectural studios have been featured over the past few years, including; BIG, Chaix & Morel, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, David Chipperfield, Delugan Meissl, Eisenman Architects, Foster+Partners, gmp von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Graft, Jean Nouvel, King Kong, Massimiliano Fuksas, MVRDV, OMA, Steven Holl Architects, Tony Fretton, UNStudio and Zaha Hadid. In order to get a unique view of modern architecture, every featured architect personally chooses which project to submit. Each project is presented as a main photograph, with additional text and drawings on the reverse.
More than just a calendar, Archipendium 2014 is a collector’s item. This calendar is an impressive overview of the latest trends in both modern architecture and design. Become part of the Archipendium architectural calendar that shows different contemporary architecture for every day of the year. Participation in this publication is free of charge.
Interested? Please send us an email with the following information attached after the break.
Architectural Competitions may be regarded as an opportunity or a burden. There are numerous architectural practices that gained significant attention for their submissions and winnings in highly publicized competitions, but the reality is that architectural competitions are expensive and do not guarantee reward. And yet, they are an opportunity to engage in a critical dialogue about the projects at hand, and may be approached with more creative and imaginative risk than when working directly with a client, which is probably why they are so popular and numerous. They are also an opportunity to bring the public into conversations about architecture in the public forum . These are just some of the considerations that The Architecture Foundation hopes to tackle in its new series, "And the Winner is...?".
Slant is inviting contestants to participate in this year's competition, themed 'Evoking Memories', which calls for a design for a show garden which, if selected will become part of SlantFest, their new on-line garden festival for summer 2013. Open to any global location of your choice, you may choose to represent a memory of a place or event, childhood memories, or opt to commemorate or to celebrate a person or persons, even a nation. It’s up to you to decide, and your inspiration could be either well known, or perhaps just personal to you. The deadline for submissions is May 20. For more information, please visit here.
Organized by the LIXIL JS Foundation, the 3rd LIXIL International University Architectural Competition invites university research laboratories from around the world for a site-specific challenge, with this year's theme of 'Retreat in Nature". The site is Memu Meadows in Taiki-cho, Hokkaido, Japan, which is composed of experimental sustainable projects including Même by architect Kengo Kuma. Calling for innovative solutions for sustainable architecture, the winning team is invited to construct the project on the site. The deadline for submissions is March 29. For more information, please visit here.
Terreform ONE is holding the annual ONE Prize event, which aims to explore the social, economic, and ecological possibilities of urban transformation and design. This years theme is 'Stormroof' with a call to deploy ecologically sound design to mitigate storm impact through urban interventions, protective parks, shorelines, alternative housing and public space models. The competition is open to students, professionals, and individuals of all backgrounds. The deadline for submissions is August 31. To register, and for more information, please visit here.
Architects, artists, and designers are invited to participate in the competition to Rethink the Post-Sandy Rockaway. MoMA PS1’s Young Architects program is seeking ideas for alternative housing models, creation of social spaces, urban interventions, new uses of public space, the rebuilding of the boardwalk, protection of the shoreline, and actions to engage local communities and to aid in the effort to rebuild from Hurricane Sandy. Judges will be selecting 25 proposals to be displayed on Rockaway Beach in April. The deadline for submissions is March 15. For more information, please visit here.
The 2013 Berkeley Prize Teaching Fellowship has officially been launched in the wide field of Universal Design education: teaching the social art of architecture. This is a competitive opportunity open to faculty members of undergraduate architectural design studios in accredited schools of architecture throughout the world. This year, to start this new effort, they will offer up to four, separate Teaching Fellowships for the most innovative and promising proposals that reflect their overall goals. The deadline for submissions is April 1. For more information, please visit here.