HLWSF Low Impact Development Design Competition HLWSF Low Impact Development Design Competition Sponsors: Houston Land/Water Sustainability Forum with co-sponsors including AIA-Houston, ASCE-Houston, Mischer Investments, Bayou Preservation Association, Harris County/Precinct 2, City of Houston/TIRZ 15 Type: 2-Stage, open Language: English Eligibility: Integrated design teams which include an architect, a landscape architect and a civil engineer Registration Fee: $250 Awards: $15,000 in each of three design challenge categories Timetable:
October 31, 2009 – Registration Deadline
December 14, 2009 – Submission Deadline
January 11, 2010 – Finalists
January 27, 2010 – Finals Event & Awards Ceremony Jury:
Stage 1 (80% of total final score) Arthur Storey PE, Executive Director, Harris County Public Infrastructure Division, Houston TX
Dana Nunez-Brown ASLA, Principal, Danos landdesign inc., Baton Rouge LA
Larry Coffman, President, LNSB LLLP Stormwater Services Group, Chesapeake Beach MD
Greg Papay FAIA, Principal, Lake-Flato Architects, San Antonio TX
Stephen Costello PE, Principal, Costello Inc., Houston TX Stage 2 (20% of total final score)
Finals Jury Panel will be made up of leading local developers and key local political influencers Design Challenge:
Each design challenge represents an actual property for which the owner has an interest in developing utilizing Low Impact Development methods. In an effort to provide the opportunity for the broadest professional participation and to demonstrate to local developers and political influencers the benefits of LID, entries will be accepted in the following three Challenge categories: Suburban Residential,
Urban Redevelopment, Green Roadway Submission Requirements:
At least one, but no more than two foamcore presentation boards (30”x 40”), on which the team’s key concepts and elements of the design are presented visually, including a summary of the economic and hydrologic modeling results. An electronic submission package must be provided on CD or USB drive, in Power Point (PPT) format, limited to 30 pages, including: All images and data contained on the presentation boards, images of all drawings, plans and details, written overview, presenting the design team’s concept, justification for the hydrologic/drainage modeling used to develop design conclusions, an explanation of project costs and an economic comparison with the same project if developed using traditional methods, submission plan sets must include at a minimum: Site Plans, Drainage Plans, Landscape and Irrigation Plans, Elevations, Details. For more information, go to: http://www.houstonLWSforum.org
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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/
Night view of the memorial tapestry from Independence Avenue, with Gehry’s sketch of the Normandy cliffs.
Explaining the contributions of a World War II hero and later President of the United States on a very modest site on Independence Avenue just off the Washington Mall is tantamount to asking an author to describe the life of this person in no more than one paragraph. But on September 17th, after a long and bumpy journey, lasting almost 20 years and navigating a warren of the DC approval processes and public scrutiny, the Eisenhower Memorial finally was dedicated and opened to the public. Designed by Frank Gehry, it has received mixed reviews, the majority being more positive. But most have pointed out that the memorial is more impressive at night than in full daylight. This is due primarily to the illumination of an almost block-long metallic tapestry—featuring a sketch by Gehry, which depicts his interpretation of the cliffs of the Normandy coastline where the Americans landed on D-Day. Read more…
Professional winner: Brooklyn Bridge Forest (image © Pilot Projects Design Collective)
While looking for new adventures on a visit to New York City, friends suggested that I take time to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge—certainly a New York icon. For those intending to undertake this trek across the bridge for the first time, the bridge consists of layers, with a large platform for pedestrians on top of a lower level for cars and the metro system. Traversing this connection for the first time between Manhattan and Brooklyn is not just about getting from one place to another, but experiencing a great scenic view of both boroughs and occasionally interacting with other bridge crossers. As for the latter, they provide a flavor of the city’s demographics, as opposed to similar experiences one might have of the city’s inhabitants when riding the city’s subway system. Read more… Another Competition for Moscow’s Expanding Subway Network
Image © Zaha Hadid Architects
Even under Stalin, Moscow subway stations represented the crown jewels of the city’s projects when it came to design. In more recent years, the emphasis placed on modern design in the city’s expanding metro rail network has resulted in some major new projects, and this year’s competitions for two stations was no exception: the Klenoviy Boulevard Station 2 won by Zaha Hadid Architects (London), and the Prospect Marshala Zhukova station, won by the ASADOV Architectural Bureau (Moscow). Read More… Hangang District Urban Design International Master Competition
1st place entry by Dominique Perrault Architecture (image ©Dominique Perrault Architect)
China’s planning priorities for their urban areas experienced a sharp turn after the post-Mao reforms took place. During the early post-WWII period, when Soviet influence in the early urbanization of China dominated, industrial development took precedence over all other issues, with heritage, conservation, residential planning, and the amenities associated with it, being almost entirely neglected. Read more…
Winning design by ©Moreau Kusunoki /Genton
Although one might normally assume that local firms participating in a competition might have a clear advantage over foreign competitors, this has seldom been the case: just see Sydney’s Opera House, won by a Danish architect, and Toronto’s City Hall, won by a Finn—as evidence that well devised competition briefs as adequate documentation can create a level playing field for potential competitors, regardless of their location.
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