Espoo City Hall and City Centre BlocksEspoo City Hall and City Centre Blocks Open, international, RfP Espoo, Finland 01 Apr 2008 – Registration Deadline 01 Apr 2008 – Submission Deadline SPONSORS: City of Espoo TYPE: Open, international, RfP LOCATION: Espoo, Finland LANGUAGE: English, Finnish TIMETABLE: 01 Apr 2008 – Registration Deadline 01 Apr 2008 – Submission Deadline ELIGIBILITY: Licensed architects worldwide JURY: Not yet announced AWARDS: Design Commission FEE: None THE COMPETITION: Espoo City Hall has reached the end of its technical and functional lifespan. In various studies of the need for repairs, the level of repairs needed in the renovation of City Hall varies between 100% and 110%. In practice, the fundamental improvement of City Hall at its current site would mean building a new building. Therefore, it is worth studying what benefits the possibility of moving the building from its present location and form would bring from the point of view of the whole adjoining office complex area. The first phase of the renovation will be followed later by the renovation of office building 1 and the partial renovation of office building 2, the possible construction of residential units near the office complex, and the rearrangement of parking partly as underground parking. On 21 March 2007, the Department of Industry and Employment decided that an international idea competition on the office complex area will be organized to develop the office complex. The aim of the first phase of the design is to find a solution to the basic question of how City Hall will be renovated. The competition will also seek a long-term overall solution and implementation path for the office complex, which is in need of change. The area will be developed and renovated for the people of Espoo as an area of blocks in the city centre that offer versatile municipal and commercial services and where residential housing plays a key role. The office complex to be renovated is being developed in phases over a long period of time and many sub-phases are needed to complete the design process. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Torsti Hokkanen, Director of Centre Project Espoo Centre Development Project P.O. Box 49 02070 City of Espoo Finland Tel: 358 (0) 50 413 2163 http://english.espoo.fi/ |
Pedestrian perspective
The result of an effort from a professor at the TUM (Technische Universität München) to restore the Budludzha Monument in Bulgaria, located in a remote location on a mountain top in that country, we discovered that it originally was the result of a 1959 design competition won by the young Bulgarian architect, Georgi Stoilov. Read more… Young Architects in Competitions When Competitions and a New Generation of Ideas Elevate Architectural Quality
by Jean-Pierre Chupin and G. Stanley Collyer
published by Potential Architecture Books, Montreal, Canada 2020
271 illustrations in color and black & white
Available in PDF and eBook formats
ISBN 9781988962047
What do the Vietnam Memorial, the St. Louis Arch, and the Sydney Opera House have in common? These world renowned landmarks were all designed by architects under the age of 40, and in each case they were selected through open competitions. At their best, design competitions can provide a singular opportunity for young and unknown architects to make their mark on the built environment and launch productive, fruitful careers. But what happens when design competitions are engineered to favor the established and experienced practitioners from the very outset? This comprehensive new book written by Jean-Pierre Chupin (Canadian Competitions Catalogue) and Stanley Collyer (COMPETITIONS) highlights for the crucial role competitions have played in fostering the careers of young architects, and makes an argument against the trend of invited competitions and RFQs. The authors take an in-depth look at past competitions won by young architects and planners, and survey the state of competitions through the world on a region by region basis. The end result is a compelling argument for an inclusive approach to conducting international design competitions. Download Young Architects in Competitions for free at the following link: https://crc.umontreal.ca/en/publications-libre-acces/ A Flawed Plan Leads to Budget Issues
Competition rendering of project looking south to Mies museum ©Herzog de Meuron
Once considered on the forefront of modern architecture in post-WWII Europe, Berlin has had its share of questionable decisions concerning important urban projects in recent history. Beginning with the rebirth of the Berlin Palace (Humboldt Forum) on the Spree by Italian architect, Franco Stella, and now followed by Herzog de Meuron’s controversial addition to Mies’s 20th Century Art Museum, the times when one could look to Berlin as a signpost of architectural innovation can only be viewed in the rear view mirror.
Read more… Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Competition
Image: ©KPMB Architects
Not to be outdone by other Canadian provincial capitals, Halifax has chosen to make its own ambitious museum statement on the city’s waterfront. New museums in Vancouver, BC, Calgary and Fredericton, New Brunswick, the latter two by KPMB Architects, are either in development or already under construction. Saskatoon’s Remai Modern by KPMB and OMA’s Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in Montréal were more recently completed, and Vancouver’s new Art Museum by Herzog & de Meuron is still under development. Read more… Urban Adaptation Competition
Image ©Francesco Allaixand Julio Orduña
Recently we are beginning to see a resurgence of wood as a primary building material, not only for detached residential housing, but also for multi-family and commercial urban structures. Masonry, steel, and composite materials are still the bread and butter of the construction industry; but wood may be making serious inroads into the future of commercial buildings. Yes, we have seen the use of wood in interiors of large buildings: one of the more impressive projects being that of the Christ the Light Cathedral by SOM in Oakland, California. Read more… |
