“Bearden Place” Housing Design Competition Winners AnnouncedThe City of Minneapolis and the Builders
Outreach Foundation (BOF), the charitable arm of the Builders
Association of the Twin Cities (BATC), announce the winners of the
housing design competition, “Bearden Place: A Housing Competition in the
Artists’ Core,” part of the strategy and commitment to rebuilding
communities affected by foreclosure. The competition called for the
design of four to seven, live/work units for the site, located at the
northwest corner of Plymouth and Sheridan avenues North. The design of MSD/WhatWorx Collaboration (Ira A. Keer, Sandra Gay, Tim
Heitman, Gary Lampman, Robert Fischer, Donovan Hart, and Spencer
Finseth) was selected as the first-place winner in the housing design
competition that attracted 47 submissions from across the United States. The jury also recognized second-place winner Trace Jacques of ESG
Architects and third-place winner 4RM+ULA (Nathan Johnson, James
Garrett, Derek Williamson, Joseph Hang, and Kwadwo Boadi). The judges also acknowledged three honorable mentions: Shelter
Architecture (John Dwyer, Jackie Millea, Kurt Gough, and Colin Oglesby);
Cuningham Group (John Cuningham, Shawn Olson, Joel Brygger, and Melissa
Lockhart); UrbanWorks Architecture (Jeff Schoeneck, David Miller, and
Christopher Wingate). “Romare Bearden, famed African American artist for whom the development
is named, left a legacy of individual expression that reflects community
by imbedding diverse times, images and themes with distinctive character
and a physical presence using collage as his primary medium,” said
Roxanne Givens, juror and community member, entrepreneur and
philanthropist. “Bearden Place reflects Romare Bearden’s artistic
sensibility and MSD/WhatWorx Collaboration captured his essence without
fault,” she added. “There were many projects with exceptional ideas that merited discussion
by the jury, but the winning schemes covered the greatest number of
issues most completely,” said Tom Fisher, juror and Dean of the College
of Design, University of Minnesota. “We looked for projects that were
buildable within the budget, appropriate to the user group and location,
and capable of advancing new ideas about affordable housing,” he added. First place winner MSD/WhatWorx Collaboration will receive $10,000 in
prize money and will have the first opportunity to negotiate a contract
for project development services. Winning the competition does not
necessarily mean the team will be awarded the commission and contract
for development. Second place winner Trace Jacques will receive a $5,000 prize. Third place winner 4RM+ULA will receive a $2,500 prize. |
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.
Read more… |
