Rise in the City: An Affordable Housing Competition in Lesotho
Wining entry “Creating Spaces” by Tanmoy Dey (all images courtesy RISE)
The Rise in the City Housing Competition in the African country of Lesotho presented many similarities with student competitions that have occurred over the past decades, the main link being the presence of mentors as advisers to the team(s) who were designing the entries. One of the most famous examples of this was the winning design for the Vietnam Memorial Competition by Maya Lin, who was enrolled at the time in a studio course at Yale University. In that case it was also a case of students competing against professionals. Lin’s design just happened to find favor with the jury. In the case of the Rise in the City Competition, the competition was limited to students and recent graduates in the field of architecture. The Rise in the City program, supported by Bond Events, is not only involved in the administration of the competition itself, but aspires to build the winners of the competition. As part of this project, local, unemployed youth (in loco) are trained in construction methods in the effort toward the realization of the project—with assistance provided by architect professionals. One element of the competition, which differs from most such events, is the sponsorship of each participating designer by outside firms, most of which are not architectural firms. Of the listed mentors mentioned, it is notable that many came from high-profile firms, i.e., Perkins+Will, HKS, MAD, Eskew Dumez Ripple, Perkins Eastman, HGA, AECOM, SOM, as well as others from midsized forms of note such as Terreform, Chris Munro, etc. The jurors for this competition had many roots in Africa, though scattered around the world. They included: - Peter Rich, architect and Principal, PRDesign, located in South Africa
- Mariam Kamara, Architect, founder of united4design, and Adjunct Professor at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Mphethi Morojele, architect and founder of MMA Design Studio in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Nadia Tromp, Principal at Ntsika Architects, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Sam Óghale Oboh, Principal, AECOM Canada Architect Limited and President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
The Challenge Since there has been a huge migration to the cities in all of the African countries, especially in the sub-Sahara region, the need for housing has been one of the most serious priorities facing all of the countries in the region. Thus, it can come as no surprise that sustainability was high on the list of issues determining the winner(s) in this competition. As listed in the competition brief, the jurors were asked to follow the following guidelines in the adjudication process, where (no surprise) budget was a determining issue: - Use of local materials specific to Lesotho (Maseru)
- Unique and feasible designs that can be implemented immediately
- Low cost sustainable design incorporating autonomy
- A design that celebrates IDENTITY of a people
To nobody’s surprise, there were a number of approaches to the participants designs, from the more metropolitan look to the small-village version. In conclusion, although there were a number of entries from around the world, including from North America and Europe, it was of great interest to view entries from architects from developing nations, who had also received their degrees in their home countries. Who might one also have wished to see on the jury? Possibly Francis Kéré, one of Africa’s most well-known architects, originally from Burkina Faso, who is currently heading up his own firm in Berlin, but is still very much involved in the design and implementation of projects in his home country. Winner – Block #77: “Creating Spaces” led by Tanmoy Dey who graduated in 2015 in BArch from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology in Bangladesh.
Their mentor is Samuel Herpin from Remson Haley Herpin Architects in Louisiana, USA. Sponsor is Revel Partners. 
 
 
Images courtesy RISE, © Tanmoy Dey
Block #87: “Four by Four Times Three” by Amanda Saputri who graduated in Architecture in 2018 from Parahyangan Catholic University in Indonesia.
Her mentor is Chris Munro from Fusion Design Consultants in Massachusetts, USA. Sponsor is Fender Katsalidis Architects.    
Images courtesy RISE, © Amanda Saputri
Block #83: “House of Timing” by Sixin Liang who is currently studying MArch at the University of Ferrara in Italy.
Her mentor is Victor Mirontschuk from EDI International in New York, USA. Sponsor is Simply Oak.       
Images courtesy RISE, © Sixin Liang
Block #96: “Inside and Outside” by Gogo Zhu who is currently taking a BArch at Virginia Tech in USA. Her mentor is David Ling from David Ling Architects in New York, USA. Sponsor is Revel Partners.     
Images courtesy RISE, © Gogo Zhu
Block #25: “Lelapa” by David Kwantwi-Mensah who graduated from BSc in Architecture in 2016 from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Ghana. His mentor is Christopher Rose from Christopher Rose Architects in South Carolina, USA. Sponsor is Revel Partners.  
Images courtesy RISE, © David Kwantwi-Mensah
Most Promising Design & People’s Choice Award – Block #47: “New + Old” by Tumelo Lerata who graduated with a Diploma in Architectural Technology in 2016 from Lerotholi Polytechnic.
His mentor is Benjamin Porto from Snarkitecture in New York, USA. Sponsor is The Durst Organization.   
Images courtesy RISE, © Tumelo Lerata
Comment
Interesting comment you make about our choice of judges. We did invite Francis Kéré to be on the panel but unfortuantely he was too busy. Sam Oboh one of the other judges is working with him on a project and one of our lead architects Luca Astorri also works with him on his workshops at Mendriso University and we often show his work in Lesotho through the monthly film screenings and discussions we host so we are a great admirer of his work and hold him as an examplary role model for the young architects in Lesotho. Daniela Gusman, Founder
rise – Relationships Inspiring Social Enterprise |
Completed IMEX by Tuck Hinton Architects. Photo courtesy Anecdote
It is not often that we look back to a competition that occurred three decades ago that was also covered in detail by COMPETITIONS (Vol. 4, #4; pp. 14-27). What made the Chattanooga IMAX different back in 1994 was that the article covering that competition was authored by Prof. Marleen Davis, then Dean of the University of Tennessee’s School of Architecture and a member of the jury panel. This was not just a short article, covering the high points of the competition with a few talking points about the winning design. This 4,000+ word document also described in detail the jury’s observations about all the finalists, including the honorable mentions—one of the few times we have gained such a detailed glimpse in this country from the inside of the competition process. Read more… Preparation and Organization of Design Competitions 
[phase 1] Benjamin Hossbach / Christian Lehmhaus / Christine Eichelmann
210 × 230 mm, 192 pp.
over 600 images
softcover
ISBN 978-3-86922-316-2 (English)
ISBN 978-3-86922-240-0 (German)
Dom Publishers
€48 in EU (For price abroad, see below)
Founded in 1998 in Berlin, Phase 1 has been a principal player in the organization and facilitation of design competitions, not only in Germany, but abroad as well. The accomplishments of the firm have been well documented in three volumes—The Architecture of Competitions—beginning in 2i006. Whereas these books mainly focused on the results of the competitions they have administered, the present work, Fundamentals of Competition Management, takes one from the very beginnings of the competition process to its conclusion. The authors envisioned the publication as “three three books in one: one „blue book“ with example projects, one „yellow book“ with statements and the „white book“ with the actual guideline to competition management.”
Although there have been a number of handbooks covering the administration of designcompetitions a study covering the entire process in such detail is a welcome addition to the the literature in this field. As a contribution to this important democratic process that has yielded exceptional design for decades, this volume is not only valid for Europe, but a current overview of the process for those globally who wish to raise the level of design by virtue of a design competition. -Ed Foreign institutions wishing to obtain a copy of the book will recieve a discount to cover the cost of foreign shipping.
To obtain a copy for that offer, go to: [email protected] 
Winning entry by Luca Poian Forms Image ©Filippo Bolognese images
Good design seldom happens in a vacuum. And so it was with an international competition for a new mosque in Preston, U.K. A mid-sized city of 95,000, and located in Lancashire near the west coast and almost equally distant from London and Glasgow, Preston has a storied past, going all the way back to the Romans and the late Middle Ages, where it was the site of significant battles. During the Industrial Revolution, the city prospered, and it was not until after World War II that Preston experienced the British version of the U.S. Rust Belt. In the meantime, the city has experienced an upswing in economic activity, with an unemployment rate of only 3%. Aside from the appearance of new industries, the city has benefitted from the establishment of Central Lancashire University (CLU), which employs over 3,000 faculty and staff, and, as such, is one of the regions major employers. Any new university requires new facilities, and one of the most outstanding examples of this at CLU was the new Student Centre and Plaza, a result of a 2016 RIBA-sponsored competition won by Hawkins/Brown
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Whereas international competitions for real projects have become a rarity lately, Korea is a welcome exception. Among the plethora of competition announcements we receive almost weekly, several have ended with foreign firms as winners. But the history of welcoming international participants does go back several years. One notable early example was the Incheon Airport competition, won by Fentress Bradburn Architects (1962-70).
Among the more recent successes of foreign firms was the Busan Opera House competition, won by Snøhetta (2013-) and the Sejong Museum Gardens competition, won by Office OU, Toronto (2016-2023).
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Arriving to board a ferry boat or cruise ship used to be a rather mundane experience. If you had luggage, you might be able to drop it off upon boarding, assuming that the boarding operation was sophisticated enough. In any case, the arrival experience was nothing to look forward to. I recall boarding the SS United States for a trip to Europe in the late 1950s. Arriving at the pier in New York, the only thought any traveler had was to board that ocean liner as soon as possible, find one’s cabin, and start exploring. If you were in New York City and arriving early, a nearby restaurant or cafe would be your best bet while passing time before boarding. Read more… 
Helsinki Central Library, by ALA Architects (2012-2018)
The world has experienced a limited number of open competitions over the past three decades, but even with diminishing numbers, some stand out among projects in their categories that can’t be ignored for the high quality and degree of creativity they revealed. Included among those are several invited competitions that were extraordinary in their efforts to explore new avenues of institutional and museum design. Some might ask why the Vietnam Memorial is not mentioned here. Only included in our list are competitions that were covered by us, beginning in 1990 with COMPETITIONS magazine to the present day. As for what category a project under construction (Science Island), might belong to or fundraising still in progress (San Jose’s Urban Confluence or the Cold War Memorial competition, Wisconsin), we would classify the former as “built” and wait and see what happens with the latter—keeping our fingers crossed for a positive outcome. Read More… 
2023 Teaching and Innovation Farm Lab Graduate Student Honor Award by USC (aerial view)
Architecture at Zero competitions, which focus on the theme, Design Competition for Decarbonization, Equity and Resilience in California, have been supported by numerous California utilities such as Southern California Edison, PG&E, SoCAl Gas, etc., who have recognized the need for better climate solutions in that state as well as globally. Until recently, most of these competitions were based on an ideas only format, with few expectations that any of the winning designs would actually be realized. The anticipated realization of the 2022 and 2023 competitions suggests that some clients are taking these ideas seriously enough to go ahead with realization. Read more… |
