Runway for Your Imagination Sponsor/organizer: Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA)
Type: open, ideas (two categories)
Language: English
Fees: None
Timetable:
27 March 2020 – Submission deadline
Awards:
Open category
1st$5,000
2nd4,000
3rd3,000 Tertiary (student) category
1st$3,000
2nd2,000
3rd1,000 Design Challenge:
The site was Singapore’s second international airport from 1955 to 1981 and is currently used as a military airbase. The place holds many rich memories as a nation, being the birthplace of Singapore’s national carrier, Singapore Airlines, in 1971. It also hosted the historic supersonic Concorde between 1977 to 1980 when it was jointly operated by Singapore Airlines and British Airways. Many of the former airport buildings such as the passenger terminal buildings, control tower and aircraft hangars remain today, but have been re-purposed for other uses. The most distinctive feature of the airbase is the 3.8 km long runway. With the relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase from the 2030s onwards, the airbase and its surrounding industrial areas can progressively be transformed into a highly liveable and sustainable new town, built on its unique heritage as a former airport and airbase. The possibilities are immense, and we would like to hear how you envision this place to be in future, including ideas on how some of the former airport buildings and parts of the runway can be repurposed to celebrate the area’s rich aviation heritage. A selection of the ideas received will be exhibited for public viewing, and useful ideas and concepts from the competition will be distilled into design principles and used for the development of a planning brief for the future master planning of the area. - Topic 1: “Concept Master Plan”
Participants are to come up with a broad concept master plan and ideas for the redevelopment of the airbase and the surrounding industrial area. As an indicative guide, the study area is comparable to Tampines estate which has about 300,000 residents. The concept master plan should illustrate the vision of what the community of the future can be like in the next 20 – 30 years, with residents living in a highly liveable and sustainable town. The plan should include ideas for exciting new ways to live, work, play, learn and move. It should also include ideas on how the future Paya Lebar Town can develop its own distinct identity and unique sense of place anchored on its rich heritage and history. - Topic 2: “Transforming the Runway”
The runway is a distinctive feature in the landscape, at about 75m wide and 3.8km long, and orientated along Singapore’s prevailing North-East and South-West wind directions. In order to commemorate the aviation heritage of the future new town, parts of the runway can be retained and transformed into a new public space for everyone to enjoy. Participants are to develop concept proposals for the use of significant stretches of the runway as a multi-functional community space for people of all ages and abilities. The ideas should illustrate the programming of activities along the runway and how these relate to possible developments next to the runway. Design strategies to transform the re-purposed space into a significant landmark while retaining the memory of it as a former runway that served the airport should be included. - Topic 3: “Rejuvenating Paya Lebar Airport”
Participants are to develop concept proposals for the cluster of former airport buildings comprising the terminal building, control tower offices and hangers. These buildings are distinguished by their distinctive identity and architecture related to their former airport functions. Participants can propose a precinct master plan and design strategies for the re-purposing of the former airport buildings and structures to give them a new lease of life. Proposals can include the injection of new buildings and public spaces that integrate with the retained buildings to create a unique precinct identity within the future town.
Competition website:
https://www.ideas.gov.sg/public/Runway_for_Your_Imagination |
1st Place: Zaha Hadid Architects – night view from river – Render by Negativ
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… 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: accounting@phase1.de 
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… 
RUR model perspective – ©RUR
New Kaohsiung Port and Cruise Terminal, Taiwan (2011-2020)
Reiser+Umemoto RUR Architecture PC/ Jesse Reiser – U.S.A.
with
Fei & Cheng Associates/Philip T.C. Fei – R.O.C. (Tendener)
This was probably the last international open competition result that was built in Taiwan. A later competition for the Keelung Harbor Service Building Competition, won by Neil Denari of the U.S., the result of a shortlisting procedure, was not built. The fact that the project by RUR was eventually completed—the result of the RUR/Fei & Cheng’s winning entry there—certainly goes back to the collaborative role of those to firms in winning the 2008 Taipei Pop Music Center competition, a collaboration that should not be underestimated in setting the stage for this competition Read more… 
Winning entry ©Herzog de Meuron
In visiting any museum, one might wonder what important works of art are out of view in storage, possibly not considered high profile enough to see the light of day? In Korea, an answer to this question is in the making. It can come as no surprise that museums are running out of storage space. This is not just the case with long established “western” museums, but elsewhere throughout the world as well. In Seoul, South Korea, such an issue has been addressed by planning for a new kind of storage facility, the Seouipul Open Storage Museum. The new institution will house artworks and artifacts of three major museums in Seoul: the Seoul Museum of Modern Art, the Seoul Museum of History, and the Seoul Museum of Craft Art.
Read more… |
