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. For more information and to register:
https://www.forgeprize.com/ |
SWA/Balsley Wins Paveletskaya Plaza Landscape Competition
Aerial view at night – courtesy SWA/Balsley 5+ Design
Of the nine railway stations in Moscow, Paveletskaya is the largest and one of the last of those that opened around the turn of the century. Compared to other Moscow stations, Paveletskaya, designed by Alexander Krasovsky and opened in 1900, represented a lower-key presence in its sprawling configuration, similar to palaces such as a Sans Souci without the ornamentation. The original site for the recent competition included a small park facing the station, bordered on one side by the Ring Road. Post WWII, the site was bifurcated by a road, thus separating the front entrance of the station from the grassy area facing it. 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/
Image Courtesy Network Rail
From Grand Central Station to King’s Cross in London, railway stations have often represented some of the major architectural accomplishments of our times. But those edifices have been primarily located in great cities. In the U.K. there are over 2,000 stations located in medium-sized, small, and rural communities. Most of those are ‘quick stop’ locations, and not the destination terminals where space requirements often result in state of the art design. In July of last year, U.K.’s Network Rail, in collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) launched a competition to identify a concept for a design that would be suitable for the medium to small-sized rail stations, at the same time updating the program to fit the modern needs of such a facility. The competition was open internationally and received 213 entries from 34 countries last September. Read more… The Urban Confluence Silicon Valley Competition
Urban Confluence Silicon Valley winner: ©SMAR Architecture Studio
After several stops and starts over an extended period of time, the winner of the Urban Confluence Design Competition was named in early March, 2021. SMAR Architecture Studio’s The Breeze of Innovation, which prevailed over two other shortlisted finalists from the original 963 entries, won with a novel tower-like structure consisting primarily of hundreds of rods, generating energy while swaying in the wind. Read More…
Pedestrian perspective
The result of an effort from a professor at the TUM (Technische Universität München) to restore the Budludzha Monument in Bulgaria, located in a remote location on a mountain top in that country, we discovered that it originally was the result of a 1959 design competition won by the young Bulgarian architect, Georgi Stoilov. Read more… 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… |
