On the 20th anniversary of its MSc Urban Design Program, the METU Faculty of Architecture is organising an international symposium on urban design to be held between the 4th and 5th October 2016 in Ankara, Turkey: 'Designing Urban Design: Towards a Holistic Perspective'.

60 million people the world over have fled their homes. The dimensions of the refugee movement are becoming a major challenge for big cities in particular, where these displaced persons must be accommodated and provided for, given work and integrated into society in large numbers and in a short time. For this reason, it is necessary to quickly create adequate living space and interfaces between this living space and the urban realm in order to facilitate participation in urban life from the outset.

The Global Summer School (GSS) is a platform defined by ambitious, multi-scalar investigation on the implications of emergent techniques in our planned environments. Each year, international teams located in key cities around the globe explore a common agenda with projects that are deeply embedded in diverse local conditions.

Drawing Futures, a new the international peer-reviewed conference on speculative drawing for art and architecture has launched a call for works.

The architecture drawing gallery Tulpenmanie invites talented young authors (max 30 years old) from all over the world to submit an unpublished drawing about architecture, landscape and the city. During the next Salone del Mobile Milano 2016 the best works will be part of the exhibition 30<30.

Active Public Space is seeking case studies regarding existing public spaces with particular interest in new “active” forms that emerge from the technological advances of the Information Age. The call is aimed at detecting and mapping existing successful examples of active-smart public space in terms of design, technology, management and occupancy by citizens.

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KONSTRUKT is a competitive assembly that endeavours to recognize and honour niche aesthetic design to simple functional innovation, from student to architect or civil engineer. It is their first ever chance in Eastern India to showcase their skills and get accolades from the stalwarts.

Alejandro Aravena’s statement “Reporting from the Front” for the 15th Biennale di Architettura di Venezia invites the national pavilions to share experiences about architecture that through intelligence, intuition, or both at the same time, are able to escape the status quo - presenting stories that, despite the world's difficulties, have proven successful.

The head of Urban Harmony-Egyptian Ministry of Culture has announced that "REFRAMING BACK//IMPERATIVE CONFRONTATIONS" has been selected to represent Egypt at the Biennale di Venezia 2016. The project team, led by Architect Ahmad Hilal and composed of Eslam Salem, Gabriele Secchi, Luca Borlenghi and Mostafa Salem, is trying to explore various stories of Architecture narrating the difficulties and challenges in the Egyptian built environment.

Bauhaus Lab 2016: Desk in exile. Apply now! Desk in exile – the transatlantic journey of Bauhaus furnishings

UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design is now accepting applications from prospective participants in the 2016 Summer [IN]STITUTE in Environmental Design. This six week intensive summer program gives students the opportunity to test their enthusiasm for the material and culture of environmental design.

The Alvar Aalto Foundation is seeking a Director for the Alvar Aalto Academy. The post is for the term 1.4.2016–30.8.2018 (or by agreement). The Director works in Helsinki.

The Alvar Aalto Academy is an international forum for environment culture, particularly contemporary architecture, product design and relevant research, as well as education, and is part of the Alvar Aalto Foundation. It produces symposiums, seminars and other architecture events of international significance, and runs continuing education in architecture. The Academy also coordinates publication and research on Alvar Aalto.

Roses are red, violets are blue; we'd love to receive a valentine from you!

We have long admired our reader's creativity, so we wanted to celebrate this Valentine's Day by featuring the most lovely, architecture-themed cards submitted by our readers. Whether you're looking for Mr. Wright or you love someone Gehry much, we hope you will share your witty and beautiful valentines with us. <3

Alejandro Aravena's proposal for the Architecture Biennale 2016, "Reporting from the front”, invites each country to share experiences and moments of crisis that architecture has experienced in recent years. The proposal calls for a reflection on the mistakes in order to share solutions that may allow other countries to anticipate and avoid similar situations.

During the last period of economic growth in Spain, construction became the main driving force of the economy. Today, reality reveals us the built presence and the unfinished remains of what once was the largest edificatory enterprise in Spanish history, leaving behind a difficult situation in which to deal with partially constructed large volumes which are not consolidated.

Under the title "Unfinished", the exhibition in the Spanish Pavilion for the Venice Biennale 2016 draws attention to these unfinished architectures in order to discover virtues that can become design strategies. Robert Venturi, referring to the Farnsworth House, points out how architects are highly selective in determining those problems they want to solve often giving up solving others.

The University of Oregon John Yeon Center for Architecture and the Landscape and Design Week Portland invite proposals to define, design, and bring to life Portland’s proposed “green loop”—a six-mile pedestrian/bike urban promenade linking the city’s east and west sides.

Driving urban infrastructure modernization, improving citizen life by means of technology, sustainable innovation, wide band, Big Data… These are some of the subjects that will be discussed at the International Conference on City Sciences, that will take place at Santiago de Chile on the 16th and 17th of June.

ABOUT ::
[TRANS-] is a critically-reviewed academic journal published in print and online, inviting expressions of interest for submitting works of design, writing, or multi-media on the topic of design process and design communication for Vol. No. 2 to be published in May 2016.

The 6th annual AZ Awards is now open for submissions! The competition is open to architects, landscape architects, interior designers, product designers, clients, manufacturers and students for work completed before December 31, 2015. Entries will be juried by a panel of international design experts. (Keep an eye open for the jury announcement soon!)

The Ninth European Prize for Urban Public Space (2016) has officially issued a call for entries. The biennial honorary award “has been offered since 2000 in order to recognize, encourage, and publicize examples of good practice in the ways in which the public spaces of European cities respond to the many challenges they presently face.”

The Prize seeks interventions that recover or improve the democratic quality of urban spaces that are endangered by “segregation, inequalities, unchecked urban construction, unsustainable squandering, and serious shortfalls in making effective the right to the city.”

The City of Portland, Maine is seeking proposals from qualified Design Teams for the schematic phase re-design of Congress Square, a 1.3 acre public open space and traffic intersection in the heart of the city’s Arts District in downtown Portland, Maine. The project includes the Congress Square Redesign and the commissioning of works of Public Art, presenting a unique opportunity for collaborative urban design and public art; the redesign concept will be developed in tandem and integrated with the public artwork. One design team will be selected with the artist to be chosen simultaneously; the fee for this schematic design phase is $50,000 and the submission deadline is Thursday, January 28, 2016 by 3:00pm EST.

It's that time of year again! At ArchDaily we clearly appreciate holiday cards with an architectural spin, and we want to see your card designs. Whether that involves a modernist menorah, a christmas tree cross-section or even a Mies van der Ho-Ho-Ho, you're invited to submit your own architectural holiday card to be hung above ArchDaily's impeccably postmodern mantle.

We thoroughly enjoy the creativity of our readers and look forward to viewing your submissions. 

The students of the MA Architecture + Urbanism invite contributors to participate in their forthcoming symposium FRONTIERS OF RESPONSIVE ARCHITECTURE to be held in summer 2016. If you feel that your Research / Practice responds to the mission statement outlined in previous posts in English / Italian / French / Chinese / Turkish / Arabic we would love to hear about it from you.

CANactions School, the first school for urban studies in Ukraine, has launched an international call for applicants for
STUDIO #2: “Tackling the Future of Ukrainian (Post)industrial Cities." The seminar will take place from February to May 2016.

Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics) and the Italian Trade Commission are proud to announce the 2016 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition Call for Entries. Now in its 23rd year, the contest is open to North American architects and designers who use Italian ceramic tiles in their institutional, residential and commercial/hospitality spaces. From corporate headquarters with ventilated porcelain facades and hospitals utilizing antibacterial ceramic floors to summer homes using decorative ceramics, Ceramics of Italy is looking for all types of inspiring projects featuring Italian ceramics.

In 2016 PUBLIC ideas go into action with FORM’s PUBLIC Platform taking creativity for the common good out into the streets and laneways. PUBLIC Platform invites you – the diverse creative minds from all parts of our community – to create installations and activation prototypes to enliven Claremont town centre during PUBLIC’s annual takeover on 2 & 3 April. Prototypes for citizens and by citizens will reimagine our public spaces and activities, and engage the public to participate, explore and play in their own city. Your big idea could bring our streets to life. Entries are due by January 25, so sign up now by emailing platform@form.net.au for more information or to attend a briefing.