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Throughout history, the coast has spawned various architectural types of public infrastructure which enabled and enhanced the coastal experience. The British invention of the marine pier for instance was an architectural innovation that allowed the first coast tourists to walk on water, as it were, only without getting wet or seasick. The seafront promenade in turn was the public place to be for the well-to-do dawdler, but at the same time also an integral part of coastal defence as well as an efficient real-estate instrument along which the first prestigious ‘Grands Hotels’ could be erected. Lastly, the modern installations balnéaires in Ostend, Knokke, and Blankenberge integrated showers, changing rooms, luxury cabins, ticket sales, and steps leading to the beach.

A new exhibition, opening later this month in London, aims to examine the varying ways that cities and communities have been re-imagined in the aftermath of natural, or man-made, disasters. Including work by Yasmeen Lari, ELEMENTAL, OMA, Shigeru Ban, NLÉ, Toyo Ito, Metabolism (Kenzo Tange and Kurokawa Kisho) and Sir Christopher Wren, who redesigned London in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1666, the exhibition will primarily explore contemporary responses to earthquakes and tsunamis. Posing questions about the fragility of architecture, our relationship to nature, and the power of architects to instigate change, it will ask whether we are facing a paradigm shift in the way that cities and communities recover from destruction.

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.

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UPDATE: THIS COMPETITION IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS.

Honda is launching a new supercar in Europe, the Honda NSX, and we would like to create a special Dealer Showroom Display for this special car within our current Car Dealers.

Explore the creative universe of Lella and Massimo Vignelli, two of the most influential and well-known designers of all times. With interviews from luminaries in the world of design—from architects Richard Meier and Peter Eisenman to graphic designers Milton Glaser, Michael Bierut, and Jessica Helfand—this film takes the viewer into the Vignellis’ world, capturing their intelligence and creativity as well as their humanity, warmth, and humor.

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The third annual Architecture Business Plan Competition is open for free registration. Five finalists are brought to Philadelphia just prior to the 2016 AIA National Convention to present their full business plan. The grand prize winner receives $10,000! The competition is open to licensed architects in the United States and Canada owning a firm less than 10 years old, or planning to start a firm within the next year.

Described by Elizabeth I as ‘the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England’, St Mary Redcliffe is both an ecclesiastical jewel and a dynamic, living church – a beacon of positivity, helping the least-advantaged and marginalised within the city of Bristol.

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Today over 3 billion people live in urban areas, composing 50% of the world population. By 2050, it is estimated that the world population will grow to between 9 and 11 billion people, and over 70% will be living in urban areas. This means within 35 years, we will need to house an additional 3 billion people within cities by the most conservative estimates. Even if we could build large apartment complexes that house 500 people each, we would need to construct 500 buildings each day every day for the next 35 years to meet that demand.

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ArtHouse Artistic Director Theaster Gates and project leadership seek qualifications from artists and designers interested in creating temporary, original, site-responsive public artwork(s) for ArtHouse, an underutilized 15,000 square foot facility undergoing renovations in downtown Gary, Indiana. The re-imagined space will be ushered by two public art commissions, Illumination and Surface, each appealing to the catalytic power of art.

Socrates Sculpture Park and The Architectural League invite designers and architects to help shape the physical setting in which the park fulfills its mission as an environment for art, creative expression, social programming, and education. Socrates, located in Long Island City, Queens, is distinctive for its combination of waterfront setting, accessibility, and community-driven programs.

In previous years the Folly program investigated the intersection between sculpture and architecture with temporary structures that intentionally served no utilitarian purpose. This year, marking the program’s 5th and the park’s 30th anniversaries, the competition instead asks entrants to fuse form with utility, creating designs that explore the intersection of art and architecture while durably addressing and improving the conditions of the park.

Update: The deadline has been extended to January 4, 2016. 

The creation of the Erie Canal was a paradigm shift for American progress in the 19th century, leveraging hundreds of miles of canal networks capable of generating cities out of swamps and ushering in a new era of exchange. Over a century later, what was the Erie Canal through Central New York has been capped over with urban development and sprawl. We are now presented with the opportunity to reposition Erie as the vehicle for a globally relevant, ecologically turbocharged urban corridor. The Elevating Erie ideas competition seeks proposals that consider our current global biodiversity challenges in urbanized regions by developing solutions specific to the Erie Canalway Trail along Erie Boulevard East connecting DeWitt to Syracuse.

Presented by StorefrontMB and The Forks, Cool Gardens is an exhibit of contemporary garden and art installations that offers a shift of sensation for the summer—cooling—as a general theme for public projects in Winnipeg and Brandon. The 2016 Competition seeks creative proposals from designers, architects, landscape architects, and / or artists who are interested in challenging and celebrating the interface between urbanism, landscape, and design. Engage the urban design culture of Winnipeg or Brandon! Register today!

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.

The Tainan City Government in Taiwan has launched an international design competition for its Tainan Public Library Project, a key factor in the cultural development of Tainan.

Since the merge of Tainan County and Tainan City, the current Tainan Municipal Library is no longer satisfying the needs of the local population, thus necessitating the new Tainan Public Library, which will be constructed at the site of the old Yongkang Artillery School. The site, at 15,000 square meters, will house about 35,000 square meters of floor space.

What does it mean to build? Traditionally, building has been defined as the assembly of parts or materials toward the creation of a whole. While to build is often perceived as an Apollonian pursuit, to destroy appears to be its Dionysian counterpart. Understanding that our built environment is the product of many forces, it can dialectically be reduced to the tensions between creation and destruction, addition and subtraction, and erection and demolition.

Al-Kindi Society for Engineers will be holding its annual engineering forum in London, titled “Iraq Architecture and Planning 2016”.