Lanzarote Dynamic Square Competition Sponsor: reTHINKING Competitions
Type: Open, international
Location: Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Spain)
Eligibility: All students and architects or related professions anywhere in the world can participate in the contest. Participation can be individual or in groups of up to 8 members. Team members can be from all disciplines (artists, philosophers, photographers, etc.), being mandatory, the presence of an architect. This competition is a pre-phase for the recruiting of the winner team for the realization of the project, therefore is IT IS INDISPENSABLE to have a qualified architect in the team. The architect must be Spanish or at least to be compromised to associate with a Spanish architect for the construction of the project.
Awards:
First prize € 6,000 + construction
Second prize € 4,000
Third prize € 2,000
Timeline:
8 February 2018 – Early Registration Deadline
1 March 2018 – Regular Registration Deadline
23 March 2018 – Late Registration Deadline
23 March 2018 – Submission Deadline
Fees:
Early Registration – 40 € + IVA
Regular Registration – 70 € + IVA
Late Registration – 90 € + IVA
(IVA: 21%)
Design Challenge:
The Cabildo of Lanzarote has been trying since 1989 to reactivate and enhance the cultural attractiveness of Arrecife. The main objective of this project is to convert the El Almacén plaza (Arrecife) into an urban point of culture and social meeting. And with this contest it is intended to take an important step for it since the proposal will be built. Objectives:
• Sustainability and energy efficiency. The square with an area of more than 1000 m² can be a source of solar use either for the activities that are going to be developed as a possible source of power for the El Almacen building.
• Environmental Protection. The intervention must be respectful with the Environment, proposing a sustainable use.
• Treatment of facades of the surrounding buildings. The dividing wall of the adjacent building will be used as a white screen of Video Mapping that of a changing aspect to the square.
• Shadow: Elements will be available to hang different elements that shade the square. In addition to the need to include vegetation.
• Accessibility: it must be accessible to all people with reduced mobility.
• Tours. Access must be provided for vehicles for loading and unloading at specific times. The rest of the time will be a pedestrian square (and environment).
• Polyvalence: the mixture and the different uses should be encouraged. The Cabildo of Lanzarote has a Budget for the execution of the same of 350,000 Euros For more information, go to:
http://rethinkingcompetitions.com/ |
©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… |
