COMPETITIONSWhat is COMPETITIONS? The Competition Project, Inc. founded in 1986, is a pioneering, non-profit corporation which serves as a clearinghouse for information and ideas on design competitions, both in the United States and abroad. Since 1990/91, it was the publisher of COMPETITIONS, a quarterly magazine dedicated exclusively to design competitions on an international scale and having a world-wide circulation. Starting in January 2011, the Competition Project has been publishing a monthly COMPETITIONS E-zine, reviewing past competitions and announcing upcoming design competitions in architecture, landscape architecture and planning. It is still supplemented by instant email notices about results and new competitions as they reach us. As part of an yearly subscription, our subscribers will also receive a comprehensive COMPETITIONS Annual in print format. This has provided our subscribers with a handy reference about competitions which have been covered by the E-zine over the course of the year. As such, the annual is a very affordable option as part of that subscription package. In some cases, we can also provide assistance in the preliminary planning and organization of design competitions. For a list of experienced competition advisors, visit the Architect Selection section of our website. If you would like to publish an announcement for an architectural, landscape, or planning design competition on the website or in the magazine, please email your competition brief to hotline@competitions.org. Please see the News page for guidance on your announcement’s layout. All announcements are published free of charge, but are subject to an evaluation process before publication. BACK ISSUES INDEX For a complete index of back issues of COMPETITIONS magazine, visit our webstore at Order Competitions. Back issues are now available to purchase. Some of those no longer in print are available in PDF format. Competition participants featured in the magazine may purchase copies for $10.00 an issue, plus shipping if an overseas order. The discount for shipping will not appear in the webstore, but will be applied before credit card processing. EDITORS G. Stanley Collyer, Editor-in-Charge (Louisville, KY) Dan Madryga, Editorial Assistant (Louisville, KY) EDITORIAL BOARD Carlos Casuscelli (Miami, FL) Bill Liskamm (San Rafael, CA) William Morgan (Providence, RI) George Thomas Kapelos (Toronto, Ontario) Paul D. Spreiregen (Washington, DC) Frederick Borck (Berlin, Germany) |
Six Firms Competed to Rethink the Future of a Major Museum  Aerial view of winning design ©Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos (courtesy Malcolm Reading Consultants) The history of the Dallas Museum of Art’s expansion has been punctuated by several moves, culminating in a new building designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes in 1984. The importance of this move to a new, somewhat desolate location in the city cannot be underestimated: it has led to the revitalization of what is now called the “Arts District,” with the relocation of various arts institutions to new facilities: the opera house (Foster and Partners), Dee and Charles Wyly Performing Arts Theater (REX/OMA), Nasher Sculpture Center (Renzo Piano), and I.M. Pei’s Meyerson Symphony Center being among the most significant. 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/  View from Congress Square of Lever Architecture entry showing new wing on left A New Wing to Accommodate a Museum’s Burgeoning Holdings, New Programs, and Rise in Attendance The passage of time has seen most art museums adding on new wings, or even deciding on a brand new building. The Portland Museum of Art (PMA) has followed this pattern, having commissioned the new Charles Shipman Payson Building by Harry Cobb of I.M. Pei and Partners in 1981. This building served the community well for decades; but numerous gifts to the museum have necessitated the expansion of exhibition spaces well beyond the limited capacity to be found in the existing building. Adding to this is an evolving mission of the PMA in its interaction with the community. Read more…  Courtesy Malcolm Reading Consultants, ©Kengo Kuma & Associates A UNESCO World Heritage Site Again on the World Stage How does one approach a challenge when creating a design worthy of a park with a history dating back to antiquity? This was what four design teams faced when shortlisted for the design of a Visitor Center for the Butrint National Park in Albania. The park’s history is illuminating in this regard.
Read more…
Chungji National Heritage Museum Competition

Image ©Ona Architects + Jongjin Lee architects + Laguillo Arquitectos
For those unfamiliar with Korean Heritage and its symbols, the choice of the jury for a new complex to house artifacts, now located at various scattered sites, would seem to beg more information, especially when one views the designs of the non-selected finalists—all quite modern. Some of this can certainly be explained by the subject matter of the new museum’s holdings, another by the site in broader terms. Some might say that emphasis placed on the heritage element in the design brief fostered an interpretation leading to the choice of the winning design: “The site chosen for the new Chungji National Museum is logical: Chungju, located in the central part of the Korean Peninsula, is the center of the so-called ‘Jungwon culture,’ which has played an important role geographically and historically since ancient time. Jungwon culture developed around the Namhan River, which runs through the central region from east to west, and the relics showing this are currently scattered and stored in various museums.”
Read more… University of Florida’s College of Design Construction and Planning’s New Addition 
Development phase image courtesy ©Brooks + Scarpa
If architects have had one complaint concerning the planning and realization of a project, it has been with planners and especially construction managers, both of whom often display a lack of knowledge about architecture. The survival of a well-conceived design can hang in the balance when there is a knowledge gap at the planning and realization end.
Read more…
|