2020 Forge Prize: Vision in Steel for Architectural Excellence and Speed
Sponsor: American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Type: open, ideas, two-stage Eligibility: U.S. and Canadian architects within 10 years of licensure or pursuing licensure.
Participants must be working professionals in any of the following firm types: Architecture Firm; A/E Firm, but submitting as an emerging architec; Design-Build Firm, but submitting as an emerging architect Fee: None Language: English Process: During Stage One, a jury of experts will convene to identify up to three conceptual submissions that will be awarded a $10,000 stipend to continue onto Stage Two Timetable: 25 January 2020 – Submission deadline February 2020 – Stage One Finalists Annoounced May 2020 – Stage two Submissions deadline Spring 2020 – Final winner announcement and event Awards: Three finalists each receive $10,000 for their participation Winner receives and additional $10,000 for a total of $20,000
Jury: TBD Challenge: The design submissions may be for any type of conceptual building structure and should represent creative, technical, or innovative approaches to solving a specific design challenge or challenges (i.e. environmental, economic, social, logistical). Additionally, all submissions will be judged on how much they contribute to the reduction in time it takes to design and build. The design approach and resolve of the challenge(s) should be clearly identified in a narrative that includes an overview of the role played by the utilization of structural steel in the design to achieve the resolution. If submitting as a team, only one team member is eligible to present at the live Presentation and Critique Session. The cumulative package consisting of a narrative, drawings, and live presentation should be developed to convey evidence of understanding and process of design consideration given to context, structure, aesthetics, and real-world feasibility.
Regarding site selection for the proposed building structures, participants must select an actual and existing site but have the discretion to locate it anywhere in the United States. Existing sites that are currently occupied with existing buildings may also be utilized to introduce the new proposal; however, participants must note this replacement in the narrative. The site must be prominently identified as part of the drawing submittal.
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:
If one were to search for a railway museum in the U.K., London would seem to be an obvious choice. But, as it happens, its location is in the northeastern city of York, far from the major cultural and economic centers of the country. But despite its distance from the major metropolitan areas to the south and west, York has managed to become the focal point of research into the history of rail in the U.K., supplemented by a major museum. Here we are not just talking about some posters, but sheds replete with a large collection of vintage trains.
Foundation non-profits are no strangers to good architecture. Ford Foundation’s forward-looking headquarters in New York City by Roche Dinkeloo was an early example of a non-profit using architecture as a vehicle for serving to brand it as a progressive institution. In 2001 the California Endowment went one step further, staging an invited competition for their new headquarters in Los Angeles.
Master plans have been around for ages; but master plans for very large cities with all their support systems are relatively new. Milton Keynes (MK), located in Buckinghamshire in southern England, and begun in the late 1960s, is one of the most successful of the new cities, now having a population of almost 250,000. Its success lies mainly on the lessons learned from the establishment of the planning which generated the new towns in the U.K. during the 1940s and 50s, many of which have not fared well in the test of time. MK’s success was based primarily on the careful separation of high density from residential where the influence of the “garden city” could be seen. Here the idea of a live/work environment was even incorporated.
The updating and modernization of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport has been well overdue. Aside from occasional problems caused by Chicago’s winter storms, congestion at the airport has led air travelers to avoid the airport when catching a connecting flight is on the agenda. So Chicago, noted for its modern architecture and the home of several high-profile architecture firms, decided to turn to an invited competition for a solution to these issues.
Competitions in Chicago in the recent past have been anything but encouraging, especially when transparency is an issue. During the competition for the Obama Center on the South Side, the Obama Foundation, which was responsible for the administration of that “competition,” was anything but a model of transparency; and to this day, none of the finalist designs, other than that of the winner, have seen the light of day. In the case of the O’Hare project, videos submitted by the five finalists teams were on public display, and the public was even asked to vote for their favorite.
In these times when political emotions run high and gun violence is the norm, not the exception; and when emotions no longer are held in check, but encouraged by our leaders, minorities become easy targets for those who adhere to ideologies based primarily on exclusivity and hate.
The LGBT community has long been the target of various segments of our society; but the massacre that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, a favorite hangout for gays, elevated this phenomenon to a new level. After an event that claimed the lives of 49 victims, injured 68 others, and left hundreds permanently traumatized, it should come as no surprise that a memorial to this tragedy has been front and center in the minds of the community ever since. Because the very nature of this event has drawn nationwide attention, the community wanted to get it right. So it was only logical that they would turn to a competition as the most viable vehicle for arriving at a solution for the design of a memorial, as well as a museum. For this, the onePULSE Foundation was formed, to memorialize this tragedy and “ensure that Pulse”s legacy of love, acceptance and hope will never be lost.”
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