Colombia’s National Museum of Memory International Design CompetitionSponsor: The National Centre for Historical Memory (NCHM); Colombian Society of Architects
Type: Open, international
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Languages: Spanish
Awards:Â The winner of the competition will be awarded COP 670 million Colombian pesos ($265 000). In addition to the contract for the development of the project, a sum of COP 3.2 billion Colombian pesos ($125 million) will be provided as a fee to develop the project design. Second Prize will be awarded COP 134 million Colombian pesos ($53 000). Third Prize will be awarded COP 89 million Colombian pesos ($35 000) Timetable: 19 June: Registration Deadline 29 July: Reception of Project Proposal Deadline 13 August: Winner Announcement Design Challenge: The competition will select a proposal for the master plan and the preliminary architectural design of Colombia’s National Museum of Memory, located in the city of Bogota. The National Centre for Historical Memory will sign a contract with the winner of the competition to execute the architectural design, the technical studies, the architectural and technical coordination, and other required activities.
The National Museum of Memory is a project of great urbanistic and political transcendence for Colombia. For this reason, it must integrate a special component formed by sensitive contents, which will put into context and encourage participants to understand those who will inhabit and fill the Museum with life, in particular the victims.
This international competition will award the three best proposals that meet and comply with the requirements to express the memories of what happened and the voices of resistance, while combining through the different areas of the Museum the expectations and demands of the citizens that contribute to the construction of a better country.
For more information, go to: http://scabogota.org/ |
A Flawed Plan Leads to Budget Issues 
Competition rendering of project looking south to Mies museum ©Herzog de Meuron
Once considered on the forefront of modern architecture in post-WWII Europe, Berlin has had its share of questionable decisions concerning important urban projects in recent history. Beginning with the rebirth of the Berlin Palace (Humboldt Forum) on the Spree by Italian architect, Franco Stella, and now followed by Herzog de Meuron’s controversial addition to Mies’s 20th Century Art Museum, the times when one could look to Berlin as a signpost of architectural innovation can only be viewed in the rear view mirror.
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/ Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Competition  Image: ©KPMB Architects Not to be outdone by other Canadian provincial capitals, Halifax has chosen to make its own ambitious museum statement on the city’s waterfront. New museums in Vancouver, BC, Calgary and Fredericton, New Brunswick, the latter two by KPMB Architects, are either in development or already under construction. Saskatoon’s Remai Modern by KPMB and OMA’s Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in Montréal were more recently completed, and Vancouver’s new Art Museum by Herzog & de Meuron is still under development. Read more… Urban Adaptation Competition  Image ©Francesco Allaixand Julio Orduña Recently we are beginning to see a resurgence of wood as a primary building material, not only for detached residential housing, but also for multi-family and commercial urban structures. Masonry, steel, and composite materials are still the bread and butter of the construction industry; but wood may be making serious inroads into the future of commercial buildings. Yes, we have seen the use of wood in interiors of large buildings: one of the more impressive projects being that of the Christ the Light Cathedral by SOM in Oakland, California. Read more…  Aerial view of site – Courtesy National Finnish Museum When major cultural institutions in Finland plan a new building project, one can almost always assume that an open competition will be the vehicle by which the client settles on the building’s design. The only question is, will this be organized in a format open to local, Scandinavian, or international architects. In the case of the National Museum of Finland annex competition, it was open to architects throughout the world — resulting in 185 entries. Read more… |