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/

Recent Competitions

Don’t miss these on-going open competitions, now posted to the website:

 

 

 

• Design Competition: Unification Culture Center

 

 

• Low Rise: Housing Ideas for Los Angeles

 

 

• 2021 Steel Design Student Competition

 

 

• Antwerp (Belgium) WWII Memorial on the Scheldt quays in Antwerp

 

 

• National Museum of Romanian Jewry and the Holocaust in Romania

 

 

• Day Care Center for 80 Infants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Professional winner: Brooklyn Bridge Forest (image © Pilot Projects Design Collective)

 

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Image © Zaha Hadid Architects

 

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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.

 

 

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Powerhouse Precinct at Parramatta

 

 

 

 

 

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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