Weissenhof Urban Planning Competition:
Seeking Strategies for Further Development  Competition Site Plan, Courtesy Amt für Stadtplanung Stuttgart Sponsors: City of Stuttgart, Germany and the State of Baden Württemberg Event: International Building Exhibition ‘27 Timetable: 14 January 2022 – Competition launch 11 February 2022 – Registration deadline 20-21 June – Jury convenes Design Challenge: After a century of architectural and urban history, the IBA offers the opportunity to rethink the built testimonies of Modernism and to advance the urban design at Weissenhof with a contemporary model. But how can the Weissenhof Estate and its surroundings be developed? What form would a modern and respectful approach to the cultural monuments take? How can the public space be reimagined? These are the questions at the heart of the ideas competition. The objective of the competition is to identify the urban planning potential of the entire Weissenhof neighbourhood, which includes not only the Weissenhof Estate, but also Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design and Brenzkirche church for example. Together with the local stakeholders, the organisers want to develop strategies for future development of the entire neighbourhood that marries the past and the present in a respectful way. In addition to providing guiding principles, the competition aims to create the conceptual framework for several tangible construction projects for which architecture competitions are to subsequently be held. It centres on a new reception building to serve as a visitor and information centre and to be completed by the IBA presentation year 2027. A further construction project is to take the form of an extension to the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design campus. The Academy is directly adjacent to the Weissenhof Estate and wants to combine and reorganise its external locations on the campus. In addition, Brenzkirche church is to be converted, restored and to become part of the overall concept. The site at Bruckmannweg 10 – an empty space in the middle of the Weissenhof Estate that was flattened in the war – is a perfect site for experimental building, reflective of the design approach adopted back in 1927. Registration form: http://www.pesch-partner.de/01_Ausgang/WHS_Anmeldung.zip For more information: https://www.iba27.de/wettbewerb-weissenhof/ |
 ©Bauen+Wohnen An article, Trois tourettes et un jardin (Three Turrets and a Garden) by Swiss landscape architect, Valérie Hoffmeyer, in Werk, Bauen + Wohnen, is another recent example highlighting the value of green space in the design of mid-rise residential buildings. At a time when developers endeavor to maximize their profits by turning to highrise buildings, even when higher density is at stake, referencing the Garden City concept has been turning up as a more frequent theme.
Read more…  Aerial view ©Grimshaw Architects After the conclusion of the second stage of the Nyugati Railway Station Competition, Grimshaw Architects has been declared the winner. This conclusion was reached by a jury after twelve teams had been shortlisted from the initial stage of the competition in an RfQ process. 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/  Boardwalk photo: Courtesy Atlantic Beach Boardwalks, especially on oceanfront locations, have a pretty universal look. But how they fit into their local context is another matter. Topography, real estate and commerce all play a role in their function, and to some extent, design. In the case of Miami Beach, it’s primarily a promenade; Brooklyn’s 2.7 mile Coney Island boardwalk stretching all the way to Brighton Beach is a mixture of promenade and commerce, with the latter at both ends. In the case of Atlantic City, it’s mostly about retail.
Read more…  Winning entry – Hyunjoon Min Architects Office National Library of Korea Data Preservation Center Competition Retrofitting existing buildings is nothing new. The abandonment of old factory structures, especially in the northeast of the U.S., has been occurring at a rapid pace ever since those businesses ceased to be profitable in the face of foreign competition. However, in North America, retrofitting those structures has seldom been the subject of a design competition. In Korea, the recent plethora of design competitions for all types of projects has also included several for providing a new life for abandoned buildings. Read more… Countryside Dilemmas – New Rural Planning  1st Place – ©Tianjin University Team Planning used to be at the bottom of Chinese students’ lists of design priorities. One western architect, whose firm was at the forefront in the design and implementation of numerous planning projects in China, surmised that planning was an area that received little attention in the university curricula. So when planning for a major metropolitan area has occurred, the Chinese have almost always turned to outside international firms for ideas and implementation. Read more… The Chicago Architecture Club Shines the Spotlight on Another Endangered Landmark  Public Pool Image: ©Perkins&Will What do Bertrad Goldberg and Helmut Jahn have in common? Besides having high-profile buildings threatened by demolition, both served as subject matter for two competitions sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Club (CAC)—raising public consciousness about their impending fate. They both produced buildings in a city famous for its architecture that have been abandoned: Goldberg’s Future Prentice Women’s Hospital, demolished in 2014 after a valiant effort by preservationists to save it from the wrecking ball; and Jahn’s Thompson Center, now the object of a similar effort by the State of Illinois to sell it to a developer. Read more… |