Des Moines Water Works ParkitectureSponsor: Des Moines Water Works Board, Iowa State University College of Design Department of Landscape Architecture
Type: Open, two-stage
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Language: English Fee: none Eligibility: Open to teams in architecture and related fields.
Timetable: June 8, 2011 – Registration open August 1 – Registration deadline October 3 – Submission deadline October 24 – First Stage winners announced November 7-11 – First Stage winners visit Des Moines, IA December 16 – Second Stage submission deadline December 30 – Second Stage winner announced
Awards: Each first stage winner (the jury will select 3-5 teams) will receive $10,000 dollars for the second stage of the competition for design and travel. Payment will be issued after second stage submittal has been received. Jury: 1. Des Moines Water Works Director of Water Distribution
2. Des Moines Water Works Board Member
3. Iowa State University College of Design Department of Landscape Architecture Faculty
4. Iowa Landscape Architect
5. Nationally recognized Landscape Architect
6. City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department Director
7. Des Moines Art Center Director
8. Des Moines Community Member
9. Des Moines Community Member
Design Challenge:
For nearly 100 years, Des Moines Water Works has supplied water to the residents of Des Moines from Water Works Park, located along the Raccoon River. Parallel to the river is a 3-mile-long infiltration gallery, which early in its history provided the entire water supply for the city of Des Moines. This gallery, one of the largest in the United States, was built in the 1920s and ’30s and is a historic example of urban infrastructure. Today, the concrete access structures are a visual reminder of the park’s history and stand as sculptural objects defining the character of today’s park. The challenge for design teams is to create a comprehensive vision plan for the 1,500-acre park in addition to meeting current demands of the public open space, responding to historic functions of flooding and urban watershed protection, and attesting to the park’s future use. The winning design proposal will integrate the ecological and social functions of the park and river into a unified landscape that performs in all manners associated with the word. The winning design proposal should operate at the scale of the watershed, the city and the site, exploring diverse functions and uses for all its constituents. Finally, the winning proposal will transform and reshape the park to inspire the community. Submission Requirements:
First stage design proposals will be presented in both electronic and physical format to the competition jury as well as in public exhibition. Submissions must be in the form of stand-alone board presentations that can be displayed online and published in print as part of the competition documentation. Submissions must communicate ideas in a clear and compelling manner and express the unique character of the design and design team. The format for the second stage will be announced at the conclusion of the first stage submission. First stage finalists should be prepared to meet with the jury and discuss developing their submission in both board and electronic format. |
The Makasiiniranta South Harbor Competition
 Helsinki South Harbour and Tori Quarter Suomen Ilmakuva Helsinki. Image credit/ Tietoa Finland, Janne Hirvonen
As a prelude to a competition for the design of a new Architecture and Design Museum to be located in Helsinki’s South Harbor, the City of Finland staged an open competition to establish a roadmap for the future redevelopment of the Makasiiniranta harbor area, the last old harbor area to be transformed for public use in Helsinki. The competition for the museum is scheduled to take place later this year; but the entire surrounding area has come up with a plan to review improvements for the entire harbor environment.
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/ Vltava Philharmonic Hall Design Competition 
View to Concert Hall from bridge ©BIG
Classical music is still part of a vibrant musical scene in Prague, with at least four principal venues hosting concerts, ballet and opera. As a modern European city, the only missing venue from these choices is a state of the art concert hall. Other European neighbors have also recently staged competitions for such projects: Munich, won by Cukrowicz Nachbaur Architekten of Bregenz, Austria; Belgrade, won by AL_A of London; and Vilnius, Lithuania, won by Arquivio Architects of Spain. It should be noted, however, that one of the most important competitions for a concert hall, not only in Europe, but the world, was the 1961 Berlin Philharmonic hall competition, won by Hans Scharoun (below). It was the interior of that building, in particular, that served as a model for many others that followed, one of the first being Los Angeles’ Disney Hall by Frank Gehry. Read more… Budapest’s Nyugati Rail Station Competition 
Image courtesy Budapest Development Agency ©Grimshaw
Completed in 1877, Budapest’s Nyugati Railway Station has witnessed many of the twists and turns of Hungarian history: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, revolutions of post-World War I and 1956, and various shades of expansion and shrinkage in their territory. Its important location in Europe’s history as a contested land in southeastern Europe has not only served as a path for armies of conquest, but as a matter of great interest for major powers. Amid all the changes it has experienced, Hungary, and Budapest in particular, has retained a fascination for outsiders, making it one of Europe’s high profile tourist attractions. Read more… A Quest for that Elusive Connective Formula 
First Place: Pedestrian perspective from Parliament – Zeidler Architecture in association with David Chipperfield Architects
How do you find a common thread that can connect an eclectic collection of buildings, visually as well as physically, all located within a one-block site, located just across from Canada’s Parliament building in Ottawa. To identify this common thread that could tie everything together, the client turned to a design competition for answers. With the aid of consultants, [phase eins] from Berlin and experts from Canada’s’ own Université de Montréal’s School of Architecture, the client turned to an invited international format to finally settle on six teams that could rethink the site. Read more… Vilnius Railway Station and Public Square Competition 
Vilnius Station competition Image: ©Zaha Hadid Architects
In European cities, recent history has seen their central railway stations become the subject of upgrades, or totally new projects, many of them springing up in Eastern Europe. In most cases, the focus on this phenomena occurred several decades after earth-shaking political events. In Germany it was the construction of a new main central station (Hauptbahnhof) shortly after the reunification of Germany and Berlin. in Estonia, and now Lithuania, it has occurred after the independence of those countries in conjunction with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. And in Hungary, it was the subject of a recent competition encompassing a large area surrounding the station. Read More… |
