11th Arquine Competition : Faro of Satelite11th Arquine Competition : Faro of Satelite Category: International Type: Open Eligibility: All Students and Professionals Timetable: Registration Deadline: February 4, 2009 Submission Deadline: February 20, 2009 Entry Fee: $120 US Awards: PESO 190,000 Total Jury: Eduardo Vazquez Martin, Michel Rojkind, Dante Busquets, Juan Palomar and Raul Cardenas Design Challenge: On the 50th anniversary of the Satélite Towers (1958) designed by Luis Barragán and Mathias Goertiz, now in the process of being catalogued as National Artistic Heritage, ARQUINE announces its 11th International Competition, proposing the design of a “FARO of Satélite” in the plaza where the towers are located. At a moment when this milestone of Mexican and international modernity runs the risk of an assault by the government of the Estado de Mexico, in the form of a second level of the Periferico ring road, this call for new ideas proposes to depress the lateral circulation along the east of the towers and generate a pedestrian connection with Ciudad Satelite, extending the plaza and installing a parking area for 50 vehicles underneath the extension. The competition calls for the design of a FARO which would redefine the zone, giving programmatic content to a space that has been rendered incommunicado and generating a new public space. Theme: FARO (Arts and Crafts Factory) OF SATELITE dedicated to the production / promotion of: – pop & rock music – graffiti workshops Competition Website: http://www.arquine.com/ |
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… 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/ 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…  Aerial view of site – Courtesy National Finnish Museum When major cultural institutions in Finland plan a new building project, one can almost always assume that an open competition will be the vehicle by which the client settles on the building’s design. The only question is, will this be organized in a format open to local, Scandinavian, or international architects. In the case of the National Museum of Finland annex competition, it was open to architects throughout the world — resulting in 185 entries. Read more… |