LAGI 2019 Sponsor: LAGI (Land Art Generator Initiative) Type: Open, one-stage, international Location: Masdar City, Abu Dhabi The 24th World Energy Congress will be the venue for the awards ceremony and the exhibition of 25 shortlisted projects designed for Masdar City. The 2020 World Future Energy Summit will host a second exhibition and book launch. Eligibility: Professionals, students Fees: None Language: English Timetable: 12 May 2019 – Submission deadline Awards: First Prize -US$40,000 Second Prize – US$10,000 Design Challenge: The sponsor seeks an iconic work of art for a landmark site within Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. The artwork will use renewable energy technology as a medium of creative expression and will provide on-site energy production consistent with the master plan of the city. The goal of LAGI 2019 is to bring forward a portfolio of feasible concept designs that push the boundaries of what is possible using today’s renewable energy technologies. To ensure that the proposals are constructible, this will be the first LAGI design competition that will provide a capital cost restriction as a part of the design brief. The cost per watt of installed nameplate capacity is meant to provide guidance and steer proposals towards technologies that are ready for implementation. The limit has been set to coincide with the approximate cost per watt of installed solar photovoltaic panels as it existed in 1992, the year of the first United Nations Framework on Climate Change meeting (the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro). Since then, the cost of installed solar has fallen more than 85%. Celebrating this achievement that has placed solar at parity with fossil fueled electricity, you are asked to reinvest this cost margin into the artistic elements of your design. You are free to use any renewable energy technology, as long as your estimated cost per watt installed does not exceed $20 USD. For more information and to enter: https://landartgenerator.org/competition2019.html |
 ©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… |