CENTRAL SHORE COMPETITION Sponsor: City of Mariupol, Ukraine Type: Open, international, RfQ Project: With the importance of revitalizing Mariupol’s seafront in mind, the municipality is investing in an ambitious reconstruction and regeneration project planned for 2024-2025 Eligibility: architects, planners, etc. (Must include a local Ukrainian architect, planner or landscape architect on team) Languages: English, Ukrainian and Russian Fees: none Timetable: 30 July 2021 – Expressions of Interest deadline (In Stage I a shortlist of three (3) teams will be invited to proceed to the design phase.) 26 September 2021 – Stage two design submissions Jury: TbD Compensation: – Each of the three finalists will receive USD2,000 for the completion of their design proposals. – First prize winner will receive USD5,000 and the right to negotiate for the design implementation process. Design challenge: Through the International Ideas Competition for Reconstruction of the Central Shore, Mariupol municipality is seeking a proposal that will enhance the city’s coastal identity and values and take into consideration the needs of locals and visitors alike. The open call is structured around five conceptual pillars, detailed in the competition guidelines below: Vision, Integration, Identity, Continuity, and Regeneration. The new design for the Central Shore will need to demonstrate a longitudinal, adaptive Vision embedded within the local culture and urban fabric. Applicants will be expected to incorporate participatory practices in their proposals. The Competition Brief calls for Integration of preexisting programs — ranging from recreational infrastructure to popular fishing spots and resting places — and developing new ones. The diverse spatial designs will need to accommodate different activities throughout the seasons, allowing for spontaneity and flexibility when needed. Mariupol Central Shore has a long and fascinating history, marked by its ascendance as a pivotal Eastern Ukrainian seaport, an important locus of industrial steel production, and a regionally significant resort town. Through sensitivity to existing structures and artifacts, as well as innovative new design elements, participants will be expected to spotlight this unique identity. The competition calls for ease of movement ensured by continuous pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure along the seafront. Proposals must also provide beach access and suitable crossing points that account for the city’s historic railroad, which spans the full length of the shore and runs in parallel to it. The Competition participants will have to take into account beach restoration projects that are already underway and address them through ecologically sensitive and innovative landscape design solutions. For questions: info@mariupolseashores.com.ua For more information and to enter: https://mariupolseashores.com.ua/central |
Chungji National Heritage Museum Competition

Image ©Ona Architects + Jongjin Lee architects + Laguillo Arquitectos
For those unfamiliar with Korean Heritage and its symbols, the choice of the jury for a new complex to house artifacts, now located at various scattered sites, would seem to beg more information, especially when one views the designs of the non-selected finalists—all quite modern. Some of this can certainly be explained by the subject matter of the new museum’s holdings, another by the site in broader terms. Some might say that emphasis placed on the heritage element in the design brief fostered an interpretation leading to the choice of the winning design: “The site chosen for the new Chungji National Museum is logical: Chungju, located in the central part of the Korean Peninsula, is the center of the so-called ‘Jungwon culture,’ which has played an important role geographically and historically since ancient time. Jungwon culture developed around the Namhan River, which runs through the central region from east to west, and the relics showing this are currently scattered and stored in various museums.”
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/ University of Florida’s College of Design Construction and Planning’s New Addition 
Development phase image courtesy ©Brooks + Scarpa
If architects have had one complaint concerning the planning and realization of a project, it has been with planners and especially construction managers, both of whom often display a lack of knowledge about architecture. The survival of a well-conceived design can hang in the balance when there is a knowledge gap at the planning and realization end.
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Houston Endowment’s New Headquarters on the Bayou  Southwest view Houston Endowment Headquarters – Photo Ivan Baan, courtesy Kevin Daly Following in the footsteps of other major non-profits—The Ford Foundation and LA’s California Endowment Center in particular—the Houston Endowment’s new headquarters, located on a grassy knoll just above the Buffalo Bayou in the city’s outskirts, has also made a strong architectural statement. Similar to the California Endowment, this project was also the result of a design competition, won by the California firm, Kevin Daly Architects. Read more…
The Makasiiniranta South Harbor Competition
Helsinki South Harbour and Tori Quarter Suomen Ilmakuva Helsinki. Image credit/ Tietoa Finland, Janne Hirvonen
As a prelude to a competition for the design of a new Architecture and Design Museum to be located in Helsinki’s South Harbor, the City of Finland staged an open competition to establish a roadmap for the future redevelopment of the Makasiiniranta harbor area, the last old harbor area to be transformed for public use in Helsinki. The competition for the museum is scheduled to take place later this year; but the entire surrounding area has come up with a plan to review improvements for the entire harbor environment.
Read more… Vltava Philharmonic Hall Design Competition  View to Concert Hall from bridge ©BIG Classical music is still part of a vibrant musical scene in Prague, with at least four principal venues hosting concerts, ballet and opera. As a modern European city, the only missing venue from these choices is a state of the art concert hall. Other European neighbors have also recently staged competitions for such projects: Munich, won by Cukrowicz Nachbaur Architekten of Bregenz, Austria; Belgrade, won by AL_A of London; and Vilnius, Lithuania, won by Arquivio Architects of Spain. It should be noted, however, that one of the most important competitions for a concert hall, not only in Europe, but the world, was the 1961 Berlin Philharmonic hall competition, won by Hans Scharoun (below). It was the interior of that building, in particular, that served as a model for many others that followed, one of the first being Los Angeles’ Disney Hall by Frank Gehry. Read more… |