The first i2a Biennale will focus on the important territorial transformations currently underway in Switzerland, with more than 20 invited experts from various disciplines participating in a series of encounters and debates. The 3-day event aims to stimulate a dialogue between insiders and citizens, in order to place the transformations of the Swiss territory within a historical, social and political context.
By examining the history and science of play—including 40 notable examples of playground design by international leading experts—this exhibition will explore how designers translate play objectives into innovative environments. Curated by Design Museum Boston, the exhibition highlights include public programs with playscape design experts, workshops for adults and children, and a Playground Passport that will promote play spaces in the neighborhoods of Boston.
The Bespoke* Access Awards 2016 is an international design competition, which seeks original ideas to improve access and provide an enhanced experience for hotel guests, particularly for those with disabilities. Peers in the UK House of Lords initiated the competition. It aims to employ good design to re-imagine the welcome that hotels extend to guests with physical disabilities and learning difficulties, with the aim of making the hotel experience more joyful and inclusive. The scope of the competition is wide-ranging. It seeks to reward the most creative and original ideas in architecture, interior design, product design and service design. Ideas could address the experience from the front door to any room or service within a hotel, and the process that has to be undertaken before a visitor arrives or at check out. The competition is international and open to everybody. Individuals, groups and design professionals of any age are all eligible. The competition organisers welcome particularly entries from designers and architects with disabilities. Entrants should demonstrate that they have engaged with ‘service users’, including disabled people, in framing their proposals. Entries will be assessed anonymously. A prize fund of £30,000 will be available at the judges’ discretion. An overall winner (if one should be selected) will be awarded the Celia Thomas Prize**, worth £20,000. Other prizes may be offered at the discretion of the judges.
Author of "ConcreteConcept: Brutalist Buildings Around the World" Christopher Beanland will take us on a journey through some of the most iconic as well as some of the unknown treasures of Brutalist architecture around the world. Why were they built, what do they mean and how are they seen today? Are some of the things we'll get to find out about some of the Brutalist Beasts featured inside Beanland's new book.
Concordia University’s CoLLaboratoire invites young creative practitioners, be they students or recent graduates, to consider the role of public art and design in increasing awareness of, and engagement in, issues around climate change at the local level. This design competition is part of a series of activities conducted by the Montreal-based not-for-profit CoLLaboratoire initiative, whose main objective is the realization of a series of art-based interactive installations that address some critical theme of sustainable living in the city.
If we are to prevent catastrophic global warming, buildings need to perform better. BSRIA and Designing Buildings Wiki are running an ideas competition to improve the performance of buildings in use. The competition is very simple to enter. You don’t need to write an essay, we are just looking for ideas, which might only take a paragraph, or even a sentence to explain. The more innovative and far-reaching the idea the better.
How To Architecture! is a design competition which invites students to reflect on contemporary culture and to do it with architecture. Leafing through headlines, lists, captions, zooming in and out of feeds, bold fonts, and articles made of images: we participate in the age of the listicle. Culture flashes before us—an extension of ourselves: the superabundant reel. As the cycle of consumption whirs on, architecture still stands. What does architecture say; how does it feed you? Tell us what you think! Tell us How To Architecture!
The Society of Architectural Historians is now accepting abstracts for its 70th Annual International Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, June 7–11. Please submit an abstract no later than June 6, 2016, to one of the 32 thematic sessions, the Graduate Student Lightning Talks or the open sessions. The thematic sessions have been selected to cover topics across all time periods and architectural styles. SAH encourages submissions from architectural, landscape, and urban historians; museum curators; preservationists; independent scholars; architects; and members of SAH chapters and partner organizations.
Aileen Kwun and Bryn Smith, two New York writers and designers, introduce a panel of lifelong luminaries in their fields, whether it’s architecture, graphic design, or criticism, all in their ninth decade. Their book, Twenty Over Eighty, delves into what's changed, what's stayed the same, and what brought these legends in their fields to their current stature--don’t miss an expansive conversation the history of design! Panelists will include Seymour Chwast, Jack Lenor Larsen, and Jane Thompson.
This event frames embodied energy—defined as the sum of energy required to produce, transport, assemble, and dispose of any building element—in the context of broader design ecosystems and architectural issues. Opening keynote by Michael Specter (The New Yorker), closing keynote by Paola Antonelli (The Museum of Modern Art), and 3 panels featuring international experts from universities and private practices. The event is organized by Columbia GSAPP professor David Benjamin (The Living, NY), who also directs the GSAPP Incubator.
matterbetter.com has initiated an international open ideas competition for architecture students and young architects to research new housing concepts for the future of post-war Syria. The civil war in Syrian Arab Republic, which started in 2011, has created the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. According to UNHCR, over 4,300,000 people have left the country and fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and now Europe. While world leaders are looking for an international solution to the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis, many Syrians are looking forward to the opportunity to come back home as soon as the war is over.
This is a competition to design an entrance gate for Järfälla’s Public Park. The competition is aimed at young designers from the fields of architecture, design and social media.
Edmonton’s Infill Design Competition is an opportunity to encourage productive conversations about infill and help the public and development community understand what’s possible for infill design. The competition should demonstrate that infill can augment, rather than detract from the character of our established neighbourhoods. The City of Edmonton is excited to promote and celebrate innovation, context sensitive design, and advance the design ethic for infill development in Edmonton.
The Lisbon Architecture Triennale is delighted to announce the opening call for Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Début Award, framed in the context of its 4th edition – The Form of Form. Targeted at international emerging architects, the Début Award boosts the recognition of young professionals or recently established practices. This distinction awards outstanding work, critical ideas, and encourages their career with a monetary prize.
Gender inequality in the architecture profession has continued to be a cause for concern, with a recent survey from the AIA showing that women feel that little to no progress has been made with overcoming gender obstacles. Following the recent passing of Zaha Hadid, a powerful pioneer and role model for female designers, The New York Times launched an online survey asking women in architecture about their experiences in the profession. Read some of the excerpts from the two hundred responses they received after the break.
Located along the shore of the Golden Horn in Fatih, Turkey, the Bulgarian Church of St. Stephen is no ordinary basilica. Unlike most churches of its time, St. Stephen’s is constructed entirely out of cast iron, explains Atlas Obscura in their article "Bulgarian Iron Church." This method of construction was cost-effective and efficient for the time, but never became popular.
A new article by Chris Holbrook for The New York Times, "Airports, Designed for Everyone but the Passenger," points out a black sheep among architectural typology: the airport. Though built for one of the most delicate and stressful human situations, airports are notoriously hostile to the travelers that occupy them.
Collective Habitat is a competition for students and professionals which seeks to produce ideas to densify areas in or near the centers of 5 Chilean cities with collective housing. The goal is collect innovative architecture proposals that offer access to housing for middle and lower class families in well-served urban areas of Iquique, Valparaíso, Santiago, Concepción and Puerto Montt.