Open to students and professionals in architecture and design fields, the Adream 2012 competition, a European competition in architecture and design realization in eco and agro materials, the aim of the competition is to support the sustainable management of natural resources by modern designs, as the potential of sustainable and organic materials on their current use extends. Jointly organized by the Free State of Thuringia and the Picardy region organized a European project to promote new developments, hope that with their research, companies and universities in the area of these materials will increase steadily to their use in their construction and product culture. The deadline for submissions is July 31. For more information, please visit their website here.
The Sky Light Pavilion, designed by Nimbu for the Architecture Pavilion Competition sponsored by the Serbian Arhitekton Magazine and the company, Kingspan, is universal, timeless and spaceless. The architects believe that a pavilion shouldn’t be connected with the idea of conceiving one construction that is meaningless. Instead, an architecture pavilion, to be contemporary, should be a construction that demonstrates the pursuit of the architecture itself. Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa says that the renewal, whatever it is, means rediscovering its deepest essence, and that architecture is a direct expression of the existence, of the human presence in the world. More images and architects’ description after the break.
MAD Architects recently launched their 2012 Travel Scholarship, which provides mainland Chinese students with an opportunity to travel abroad and research an architectural topic of their choosing. Established in 2009, and with the support of long-term sponsor VERTU, this year, 5 students will have the opportunity to travel for 7-10 days in their chosen city or region of independent study. Following their trip, the students will give a public presentation of their experience. The application deadline is June 30. For more detailed information, please visit their website here.
Taking place at the Architectural Association (AA) on May 11, the ‘Translate the Intangible’ symposium addresses the challenges of communicating dynamic aspects of contemporary design methodologies through static mediums such as text and images. As current design-oriented fields have amplified the implementation of computational and generative tools for various motives, the process of documentation and representation of the design process has become more difficult to express.
Constructed from non-architectural artifacts, Yevrus 1, Negative Impression is a disposable architecture of literal references that calls into question the contemporary architectural vogue for digital complexity and abstraction. The cast impressions of 1973 Volkswagen Beetles and speedboats unite to form a strong structural whole that serves as a lookout tower in the SCI-Arc Gallery. More information after the break.
Hosted by RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), the ‘Towards a new re-construction after 311 tsunami in North-East Japan’ Symposium will take place in London on May 8, where they will present a culmination of over a year’s work by dedicated Japanese architects working closely with local communities in areas worst affected by the disaster. Ideas and proposals will be shared for building a safe and sustainable future for those whose lives and communities were devastated on 11th March 2011. For more detailed information on the event, please visit here.
CULBURB’s Shaping Cities Symposium + Workshop, which takes place at the Centre for Central European Architecture May 22-23, asks what the nonprofit organizations are today and questions their role in the creation of city space. Are they non-elected groups of interest promoting their own interpretation of public good? Or do they represent a litmus paper of the level of democracy in the society? who can shape the life and form of the city? How and why? a unifying web database of such organizations from whole Europe will take place on the ground of the event. For more information, please visit here.
With Istanbul as the immutable intersection of vast and diverse mobilities, the rich design byMVRDV + ABOUTBLANK for the Yenikapı Transfer Point and Archaeo Park offer a unique possibility to combine and transpose contemporary transportation intelligence with a remarkable historical heritage. Layers in time will be combined with numerous lines through the city of Istanbul, a myriad of interactions of time and space. More images and architects’ description after the break.
This new issue of MONU will explore how cities of the “Next Eleven” countries are already different and will be different in the future, from the cities of the “BRICs”, but also from the ones of the “MEDCs”- the more economically developed countries – in terms of their politics, their economies, their geographies, their cultures, their social aspects, their technology, their ecology and in the relation to their physical structures, such as their architecture. To investigate what kind of urbanism the cities of the “Next Eleven” countries might develop, this call for submissions for MONU texts, comparative analysis, critical surveys, scientific studies, photo essays, and data-based infographics and research on the topic of “Next Urbanism”. Submissions are due before June 30. More information after the break.
RIBA Competitions recently announced the launch of a new Invited Design Competition on behalf of King’s College London. Expressions of Interest are sought from architects or architectural practices for the redevelopment of the Quadrangle and its associated buildings at the College’s historic Strand Campus in London WC2. This £20 million project to design and redevelop the Quad site will provide an additional 3,700 square meters of teaching space and student facilities. King’s is committed to appointing an architect based on their ability to bring innovative thinking to a significant historical site in order to revitalize a learning community. The deadline for receipt of Expressions of Interest is June 1. More information on the competition after the break.
Zagreb Society of Architects just launched the new Think Space 2012 cycle of competitions with its annual theme, Past Forward. Devised by this year’s guest curator Adrian Lahoud, a former winner in the 2011 Borders Cycle, this programme cycle aims to repeat three competitions that radically transformed architectural culture The Peak (1982), Yokohama Port Terminal (1995), and Blur Building (1999), with participating architects in the original competition acting as jurors in the current one: Zaha Hadid & Patrik Schumacher (jurors for The Peak), Alejandro Zaera-Polo (juror for Yokohama Port Terminal) and Ricardo Scofidio & Charles Renfro (juror for the Blur Building). Each competition starts and ends on the same date, so competitors may make their choice and decide on participating in a single or more competitions. More information after the break.
Praksis Architects recently won the competition for new housing for researcher workers in the old Carlsberg city in Copenhagen. On the occasion of brewer JC Jacobsen’s 200 year anniversary, the Carlsberg Foundation in 2011 announced an invited competition. The building of approx. 13 mill. euro will be located next to JC Jacobsen’s garden and the listed buildings, the Hanging Gardens and Mineral Factory as neighbors. The building of approx. 3,200 m2 must have 6 floors and contain 22 various types of apartments. The ground floor will contain exhibition and shopping facilities. More images and project description after the break.
Taking place May 3, the “Consumed” Architecture + Urbanism Symposium, put on my the University of Manchester’s School of Architecture, the event looks to explore the theme of consumption in the urban built environment through a selection of invited speakers from a variety of locations and professions. Current speakers include; Joseph Grima Editor of Domus Magazine, Mario Minale of Mario Minale Designers, Berndt Jespersen and Mette Skobjerg of Kalundborg Symbiosis, and Gavin Elliott of BDP is to Chair. More speakers are to be confirmed in coming weeks. The event is taking place in Manchester, at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation. For more information, please visit their website here.
suckerPUNCH recently announced the winners of their Robot Workshop competition. The past few years have seen an exciting rise in the fascination with robotics. Simultaneously, the ability to develop and build robots capable of complex and experimental applications has become easier and more accessible to the general public. From hardware like Arduino to open source programming like Processing, there now exist inexpensive and even free ways to dabble with robotics. With the site located in an open lot in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the Robot Workshop will be a place people can come to work on their projects, utilizing shop facilities while simultaneously interacting with fellow robot enthusiasts. More images and descriptions on the winning proposals after the break.
Modern Atlanta (MA) and Manifesto Architecture is pleased to announce the second annual MA Prize competition. The 2012 MA Prize entries will be carefully selected by a prestigious international jury of practicing designers and scholars and will be displayed at this year’s MA12 “Design in Human Week” in Atlanta. This year the prize calls for designers to submit projects that critically consider today’s notions of sustainability as applied to the modern dwelling. This award aims to highlight projects of all scales, that showcase a critical investigation into sustainable design practices in the home as well as projects that thoughtfully deal with the unique geographical, social, political or cultural conditions. The submission deadline is May 7. More information on the competition after the break.
Drawing inspiration from Geelong’s history and from a future with strong visions of sustainability and independence, the ‘Sea Dragon’, designed by JOH Architects, is a wind driven sculptural sea monster in the heart of Geelong, a bay orientated port city with a history of both farming and industry connections. This industrial machine like creature will guard the Geelong harbour like nothing in this proud city’s history while remaining fearlessly independent drawing energy from the harbor’s natural environment. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Christensen & Co. Architects + Rørbæk & Møller architects were recently announced as winners of the competition for a 40.000m2 laboratory building at Technical University Denmark. The new research and educational building assembles the three institutes in one clear architectural concept, creating an open building with space for knowledge sharing and collaborations across the various subjects. More images and architects’ description after the break.
