Open Fort 400 Ideas CompetitionSponsor: Housing Corporation Ymere, Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) Type: open, international, 2-phase Language: English Eligibility: registered architects, designers, landscape architects and other cultural practitioners Awards:
1st Prize (maximum of 5) – 10,000EUR each Timetable:
31 July, 2009 – registration deadline
12 August, 2009 – submission deadline
12 September, 2009 – winners announced Jury:
Mels Crouwel, architect at Benthem Crouwel (chairman)
Ronald Rietveld, landscape architect at Rietveld Landscape
Renny Ramakers, co-founder and co-director of Droog Design
Saskia Bos, Dean of the Cooper Union School of Art
Russel Shorto, author and a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine.
Thijs Asselbergs, architect at Architecturecentrale Thijs Asselbergs
Pieter Klomp, urban designer and supervisor at Noordwaarts Design Challenge:
Just as in 1609 in the New World, in 2009 there is again a need for a fort that facilitates the development of a society. Such a fort is now planned for Amsterdam North: not a closed bastion but an open operating base and breeding ground for the creation of knowledge and international relations. The 2009 edition of the Ymere NAI Open Ideas Competition focuses on the tip of Grasweg in Amsterdam North. This location next to the IJ is in the heart of a post-industrial area which is undergoing considerable transformation. With the erection of new office and apartment buildings, as well as it being the site of the New Filmmusuem of Amsterdam, the area and its significance for the City of Amsterdam is on the rise. The Open Fort 400 competition is the occasion to add to these developments by means of a strong architectural vision for a place with a strong cultural character and public responsibility.
With respect to the programme, the competition holder assumes a mixed-use development consistingof a maximum 60% residential and minimal 40% workspace. It is the express objective that participants come up with ideas for a programming that relates to the character of the area and the ambition
of the competition holder to use the competition to enhance the cultural, social and economic development of Amsterdam North. Submission Requirements:
CD ROM
– Two files (all files must include registration number in their name):
1. For printing: all design files in high resolution JPG format
2. For the jury: PDF of maximum two A2-format posters including a site sketch, max. 150 DPI.
(T idea/design/proposal can be presented in any way on this.)
– Project motivation/explanation (maximum 1000 words) as Word document (.doc)
Poster(s)
– Copy (or copies) on hardened cardboard, horizontal A2 format (with the registration number on the back)
– Printed project motivation/explanation (maximum 1000 words) For more information, go to: http://www.openfort400.nl/ Email: openfort400@nai.nl |
©Bauen+Wohnen
 An article, Trois tourettes et un jardin (Three Turrets and a Garden) by Swiss landscape architect, Valérie Hoffmeyer, in Werk, Bauen + Wohnen, is another recent example highlighting the value of green space in the design of mid-rise residential buildings. At a time when developers endeavor to maximize their profits by turning to highrise buildings, even when higher density is at stake, referencing the Garden City concept has been turning up as a more frequent theme.
Read more… 
Aerial view ©Grimshaw Architects
After the conclusion of the second stage of the Nyugati Railway Station Competition, Grimshaw Architects has been declared the winner. This conclusion was reached by a jury after twelve teams had been shortlisted from the initial stage of the competition in an RfQ process. 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/ 
Boardwalk photo: Courtesy Atlantic Beach
Boardwalks, especially on oceanfront locations, have a pretty universal look. But how they fit into their local context is another matter. Topography, real estate and commerce all play a role in their function, and to some extent, design. In the case of Miami Beach, it’s primarily a promenade; Brooklyn’s 2.7 mile Coney Island boardwalk stretching all the way to Brighton Beach is a mixture of promenade and commerce, with the latter at both ends. In the case of Atlantic City, it’s mostly about retail.
Read more… 
Winning entry – Hyunjoon Min Architects Office
National Library of Korea Data Preservation Center Competition
Retrofitting existing buildings is nothing new. The abandonment of old factory structures, especially in the northeast of the U.S., has been occurring at a rapid pace ever since those businesses ceased to be profitable in the face of foreign competition. However, in North America, retrofitting those structures has seldom been the subject of a design competition. In Korea, the recent plethora of design competitions for all types of projects has also included several for providing a new life for abandoned buildings. Read more… Countryside Dilemmas – New Rural Planning 
1st Place – ©Tianjin University Team
Planning used to be at the bottom of Chinese students’ lists of design priorities. One western architect, whose firm was at the forefront in the design and implementation of numerous planning projects in China, surmised that planning was an area that received little attention in the university curricula. So when planning for a major metropolitan area has occurred, the Chinese have almost always turned to outside international firms for ideas and implementation. Read more… The Chicago Architecture Club Shines the Spotlight on Another Endangered Landmark 
Public Pool Image: ©Perkins&Will
What do Bertrad Goldberg and Helmut Jahn have in common? Besides having high-profile buildings threatened by demolition, both served as subject matter for two competitions sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Club (CAC)—raising public consciousness about their impending fate. They both produced buildings in a city famous for its architecture that have been abandoned: Goldberg’s Future Prentice Women’s Hospital, demolished in 2014 after a valiant effort by preservationists to save it from the wrecking ball; and Jahn’s Thompson Center, now the object of a similar effort by the State of Illinois to sell it to a developer. Read more… |
