Air Force Village Design CompetitionSponsor: Air Force Villages, San Antonio, TX Type: Open, 1-stage Language: English Eligibility:
This competition is open to U.S.-based licensed and aspiring architects, designers, engineers, landscape architects, and students enrolled in college-level design programs in any of these areas of study. Competitors may enter as individuals or as a part of a team. Multi-disciplinary teams are encouraged. Registration fee:
$25 per entry for students
$100 per entry for licensed and aspiring design professionals.
Entries may be authored individually or by a team.
Entries may be authored individually or by a team. Timetable:
October 13, 2009 – Registration Deadline
December 01, 2009 – Competition Entries Due
January 2010 – Winners Announced Jury:
Major General M. Gary Alkire, USAF Retired, President and CEO, Air Force Village
Deborah Berke, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Deborah Berke Architects
Craig W. Hartman, FAIA, Design Partner, SOM San Francisco
Chaplain William H. Jacobs, Head Chaplain, Air Force Village
Carlos Jimenez, Principal, Carolos Jimenez Studio Design Challenge:
The men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces devote their lives to serving our country and safeguarding the ideals on which our great nation is built. This competition is an opportunity for designers to show their gratitude to those who have devoted their professional careers to serving the nation. Air Force Village near San Antonio, Texas is a special community devoted exclusively to retired officers and their spouses, widowers, or widows. The Village is currently growing and as part of their master plan the community envisions a new chapel that can serve as a focal point for the campus and provide residents with a new place to gather and celebrate. The budget for the nearly 12,000 sq. ft. chapel is approximately $4,000,000. Additional money is available for site work. The program includes multi-denominational spaces for worship, supplemental community facilities, and offices that support the chapel’s work. The site is located on a 700-acre campus owned and operated by the Air Force Villages near Lackland Air Force Base. The core of the campus—known as Town Center—is demarcated by four, 8-story residential towers that are arranged around a collection of community services and amenities. The new chapel will be immediately west of the Town Center. Comprising 4.75 acres, the arc-shaped area designated for the new building is presently occupied by the main parking lot for the Town Center and three, single-story wings of a healthcare facility. Design proposals for the new chapel may explore reusing portions of the existing healthcare facilities or suggest that they be demolished. This new spiritual center must inspire parishioners at the same time that it creates a significant architectural landmark on the campus for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike. Submission Requirements:
Registered entrants are required to submit two competition boards, and other supporting material, that thoroughly documents their proposed design. Additional information about the submission requirements is provided in the competition brief, which is available upon registration. For more information, go to: http://www.afvchapelcompetition.com |
 Changdong Station winner – image ©D & B Partners Architects
Whereas international competitions for real projects have become a rarity lately, Korea is a welcome exception. Among the plethora of competition announcements we receive almost weekly, several have ended with foreign firms as winners. But the history of welcoming international participants does go back several years. One notable early example was the Incheon Airport competition, won by Fentress Bradburn Architects (1962-70).
Among the more recent successes of foreign firms was the Busan Opera House competition, won by Snøhetta (2013-) and the Sejong Museum Gardens competition, won by Office OU, Toronto (2016-2023).
Read more… Preparation and Organization of Design Competitions 
[phase 1] Benjamin Hossbach / Christian Lehmhaus / Christine Eichelmann
210 × 230 mm, 192 pp.
over 600 images
softcover
ISBN 978-3-86922-316-2 (English)
ISBN 978-3-86922-240-0 (German)
Dom Publishers
€48 in EU (For price abroad, see below)
Founded in 1998 in Berlin, Phase 1 has been a principal player in the organization and facilitation of design competitions, not only in Germany, but abroad as well. The accomplishments of the firm have been well documented in three volumes—The Architecture of Competitions—beginning in 2i006. Whereas these books mainly focused on the results of the competitions they have administered, the present work, Fundamentals of Competition Management, takes one from the very beginnings of the competition process to its conclusion. The authors envisioned the publication as “three three books in one: one „blue book“ with example projects, one „yellow book“ with statements and the „white book“ with the actual guideline to competition management.”
Although there have been a number of handbooks covering the administration of designcompetitions a study covering the entire process in such detail is a welcome addition to the the literature in this field. As a contribution to this important democratic process that has yielded exceptional design for decades, this volume is not only valid for Europe, but a current overview of the process for those globally who wish to raise the level of design by virtue of a design competition. -Ed Foreign institutions wishing to obtain a copy of the book will recieve a discount to cover the cost of foreign shipping.
To obtain a copy for that offer, go to: [email protected] 
1st Place: Zaha Hadid Architects – night view from river – Render by Negativ
Arriving to board a ferry boat or cruise ship used to be a rather mundane experience. If you had luggage, you might be able to drop it off upon boarding, assuming that the boarding operation was sophisticated enough. In any case, the arrival experience was nothing to look forward to. I recall boarding the SS United States for a trip to Europe in the late 1950s. Arriving at the pier in New York, the only thought any traveler had was to board that ocean liner as soon as possible, find one’s cabin, and start exploring. If you were in New York City and arriving early, a nearby restaurant or cafe would be your best bet while passing time before boarding. Read more… 
Helsinki Central Library, by ALA Architects (2012-2018)
The world has experienced a limited number of open competitions over the past three decades, but even with diminishing numbers, some stand out among projects in their categories that can’t be ignored for the high quality and degree of creativity they revealed. Included among those are several invited competitions that were extraordinary in their efforts to explore new avenues of institutional and museum design. Some might ask why the Vietnam Memorial is not mentioned here. Only included in our list are competitions that were covered by us, beginning in 1990 with COMPETITIONS magazine to the present day. As for what category a project under construction (Science Island), might belong to or fundraising still in progress (San Jose’s Urban Confluence or the Cold War Memorial competition, Wisconsin), we would classify the former as “built” and wait and see what happens with the latter—keeping our fingers crossed for a positive outcome. Read More… 
2023 Teaching and Innovation Farm Lab Graduate Student Honor Award by USC (aerial view)
Architecture at Zero competitions, which focus on the theme, Design Competition for Decarbonization, Equity and Resilience in California, have been supported by numerous California utilities such as Southern California Edison, PG&E, SoCAl Gas, etc., who have recognized the need for better climate solutions in that state as well as globally. Until recently, most of these competitions were based on an ideas only format, with few expectations that any of the winning designs would actually be realized. The anticipated realization of the 2022 and 2023 competitions suggests that some clients are taking these ideas seriously enough to go ahead with realization. Read more… 
RUR model perspective – ©RUR
New Kaohsiung Port and Cruise Terminal, Taiwan (2011-2020)
Reiser+Umemoto RUR Architecture PC/ Jesse Reiser – U.S.A.
with
Fei & Cheng Associates/Philip T.C. Fei – R.O.C. (Tendener)
This was probably the last international open competition result that was built in Taiwan. A later competition for the Keelung Harbor Service Building Competition, won by Neil Denari of the U.S., the result of a shortlisting procedure, was not built. The fact that the project by RUR was eventually completed—the result of the RUR/Fei & Cheng’s winning entry there—certainly goes back to the collaborative role of those to firms in winning the 2008 Taipei Pop Music Center competition, a collaboration that should not be underestimated in setting the stage for this competition Read more… |
