B.A.L.E. (Building Accessible & Liveable Ecologies) 2015: A Mixed-Income Housing Design CompetitionSponsor: Bases Conversion & Development Authority (BCDA) of the Philippines Type: Open, international, 2 stage Location: Philippines Eligibility:
Maximum of five (5) team members per team. Each team must have at least one (1) Registered Architect in the Philippines as a member. Teams are encouraged to be multi-disciplinary. Fee: None Awards:
The Grand Winner will receive (USD) $40,000.00 and the winning design will be considered for implementation. Short-listed entries will each receive (USD) $3,000.00 for further refinements for the Final Stage of the Competition. Timeline:
5 June, 2015 – Registration Deadline
3 July, 2015 – First-Stage Submissions Deadline
13 July, 2015 – Announcement of Short-listed Entries
12 August, 2015 – Final-Stage Submissions Deadline
14 August, 2015 – Announcement of Winner Design Challenge: B.A.L.E. (Building Accessible & Liveable Ecologies) 2015: A Mixed–Income Housing Design Competition is being organized by the Bases Conversion & Development Authority (BCDA) of the Philippines as part of its Clark Green City (CGC) project. The Clark Green City is a 9,450-hectare development that is envisioned to be the first smart and sustainable city in the Philippines. Per the Clark Green City Concept Plan, the ideal employee/population ratio is 50-80%; hence the 800,000 projected employees for the CGC at full development in 50 years. In order to address the need, BCDA plans to provide mixed–income and affordable housing units, particularly for the low and middle income individuals/families who wish to live and work in the area. To complement the Phase 1 development of 254 hectares, BCDA will be allotting an adjacent 25 hectares for a rental housing community. Another 5 hectares will be allotted as housing for the 200 families that will be affected by the Phase 1 development. These two non-contiguous pieces of land make up the competition site. B.A.L.E. 2015 calls for a design and business case proposal for BCDA’s Mixed–Income Housing Development at Clark Green City. The competition will be a Two-Stage Process wherein all registered participants can submit for the First Stage of the Competition. Short-listed participants will be invited to proceed to the Final Stage of the Competition. For more information, go to: http://clarkgreencityphils.com/competitions/bale/ |
©Bauen+Wohnen
 An article, Trois tourettes et un jardin (Three Turrets and a Garden) by Swiss landscape architect, Valérie Hoffmeyer, in Werk, Bauen + Wohnen, is another recent example highlighting the value of green space in the design of mid-rise residential buildings. At a time when developers endeavor to maximize their profits by turning to highrise buildings, even when higher density is at stake, referencing the Garden City concept has been turning up as a more frequent theme.
Read more… 
Aerial view ©Grimshaw Architects
After the conclusion of the second stage of the Nyugati Railway Station Competition, Grimshaw Architects has been declared the winner. This conclusion was reached by a jury after twelve teams had been shortlisted from the initial stage of the competition in an RfQ process. 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/ 
Boardwalk photo: Courtesy Atlantic Beach
Boardwalks, especially on oceanfront locations, have a pretty universal look. But how they fit into their local context is another matter. Topography, real estate and commerce all play a role in their function, and to some extent, design. In the case of Miami Beach, it’s primarily a promenade; Brooklyn’s 2.7 mile Coney Island boardwalk stretching all the way to Brighton Beach is a mixture of promenade and commerce, with the latter at both ends. In the case of Atlantic City, it’s mostly about retail.
Read more… 
Winning entry – Hyunjoon Min Architects Office
National Library of Korea Data Preservation Center Competition
Retrofitting existing buildings is nothing new. The abandonment of old factory structures, especially in the northeast of the U.S., has been occurring at a rapid pace ever since those businesses ceased to be profitable in the face of foreign competition. However, in North America, retrofitting those structures has seldom been the subject of a design competition. In Korea, the recent plethora of design competitions for all types of projects has also included several for providing a new life for abandoned buildings. Read more… Countryside Dilemmas – New Rural Planning 
1st Place – ©Tianjin University Team
Planning used to be at the bottom of Chinese students’ lists of design priorities. One western architect, whose firm was at the forefront in the design and implementation of numerous planning projects in China, surmised that planning was an area that received little attention in the university curricula. So when planning for a major metropolitan area has occurred, the Chinese have almost always turned to outside international firms for ideas and implementation. Read more… The Chicago Architecture Club Shines the Spotlight on Another Endangered Landmark 
Public Pool Image: ©Perkins&Will
What do Bertrad Goldberg and Helmut Jahn have in common? Besides having high-profile buildings threatened by demolition, both served as subject matter for two competitions sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Club (CAC)—raising public consciousness about their impending fate. They both produced buildings in a city famous for its architecture that have been abandoned: Goldberg’s Future Prentice Women’s Hospital, demolished in 2014 after a valiant effort by preservationists to save it from the wrecking ball; and Jahn’s Thompson Center, now the object of a similar effort by the State of Illinois to sell it to a developer. Read more… |
