Low Tech Solutions for Developing Countries: The Moving School Project in Burma
by Stanley Collyer Winning entry by Amadeo Benneta and Daniel LaRossa
Children are often the ones suffering most when they become refugees. Not only do they undergo the physical deprivations common to many of the most serious scenarios affecting refugees, they often miss out on the intellectual stimulation provided in their previous educational environment. Because of the relatively recent flow of those Burmese refugees over the Thai border fleeing persecution in their native Burma, the situation of the children has become increasingly precarious. After visiting the Mae Sot refugee camp on the Tai/Burmese border, Louise McKillop and David Cole of the U.K. non-profit, Building Trust International, decided to make an attempt to rectify this, even though if only on a modest scale: they decided to stage a competition for the design of a low-tech, sustainable school module that could be easily dismantled and moved back to Burma when conditions dictated it was safe to do so.
Read more… Low-tech as High Value De-Materializing Seattle Center: The Triumph of the Idea
by Clair Enlow Winning entry by ABF
The most ambitious urban plans often don’t materialize beyond the drawing board. Usually, it’s a funding issue, or local politics, or simply the lack of will on the part of those who are calling the shots to take up a brand new idea. Seattle, no stranger to grand urban schemes, seems to be one of those rare exceptions—the sweeping Olympic Sculpture Park by Weiss/Manfredi being a recent example. A new plan by Field Operations (James Corner) for the Seattle waterfront could well turn out to be a worthy addition. So staging an ideas competition for an underused site near Seattle’s urban core—Seattle Center—would seem like an attention-getter and harbinger of great things. As was the case with this competition, initiating a discussion about a site without imposing strict programmatic limitations can sometimes get the ball rolling. Wasn’t this how New York’s High Line got started, first raising the bar with an ideas competition until it developed into a real project?
Read more… Sponsor: Japan Sport Council Type: RfQ, open, international Languages: English, Japanese Location: Tokyo, Japan Eligibility requirements: Laureates for any of the following: Pritzker Prize, AIA Gold Medal, RIBA Gold Medal, UIA Gold Medal, Honor of Prince Takamatsu and Architects who have shown the ability to design and complete a Read more… Sponsor: AIAS Students Type: Open, architecture students Timetable: 14 October 2012 – Registration deadline 29 November 2012 – Submission deadline Total Awards: $7,725.00 Challenge: With the steady advent of new technologies, libraries are becoming more urbanized, collaborative community spaces as well as massive repositories of online data Read more… Sponsor: Kingspan Type: Student, open Fee: None Language: English Eligibility: Students presently enrolled in an accredited university program in the U.S. or Canada Timetable: 31 October 2012 – Submission deadline online 7 November 2012 – Online voting deadline Awards: • Judged Winner – selected by the Read more… Sponsor: Philadelphia Center for Architecture Type: Open, International Fee: None for pre-registration; $50 for final entry Language: English Eligibility: Open to all college and university students who are matriculating during the competition period. Students may enter as teams or individuals. Timetable: Pre-Registration Deadline: 11:59PM, October 4, 2012 Read more… Sponsor: The Battery Conservancy, New York City Type: Open, but restricted to professionals and students residing in the Americas Eligibility: Professional designers and students residing in North and South America Language: English Fees and timetable: Early registration – US$50 (individuals); US$75 (teams) to October 1, 2012 Late registration Read more… Type: Open, international Location: Armilla (Granada), Spain Language: Spanish Fee: None Eligibility: Licensed architects Jury: TBD Timetable: 4 September 2012 – Submission deadline Design Challenge: Se pretende la construcción del Centro Granadino del Alzheimer, cuyo objetivo es ser un lugar de referencia asistencial y social, Read more… Sponsor: Gowanus by Design Type: Open, ideas, one-stage Language: English Location: New York City Eligibility requirements: Professionals and students of architecture/landscape architecture Fees: $50 for students; $75 for professionals Timetable: 19 October 2012 – Registration deadline 16 November 2012 – Q & A deadline Read more… Aging in Place—Kitchens First Place Preservation through Creation Tony Zhang, Daniel Gehr, Richard May Advisor: Erica Cochran 2nd year students, Carnegie Mellon University Second Place Staying Young in Old City: Securing Independence through Adaptable Design Jason Klinker, Madeline LaPlante Recent Graduates, Ball State University Third Place Read more… |
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