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Crisis Modes : Protocols + Future Ecologies | Intensive Design Workshop | New York City |

2009-08-05T22:23:00.004+01:00

August 2009

Registration Closing Soon. Please Register Below.

Crisis Modes is a one-week intensive design workshop to be held in New York City from August 17-21.

The workshop will take place in a studio setting and will be devoted to exploring relational design strategies and digital design methodologies for speculative infrastructures. New York City, with its breadth of ecological and urban complexity and in particular its urbanizing industrialized waterways, will be the primary context explored.

The aim of the workshop will be to empower designers to negotiate the complex and data-rich environments that are available through professional mapping and information systems and to develop speculative design proposals through the use of computational techniques and methodologies. Participants will develop design interventions that address emerging ecological crises and opportunities found in New York ecologies of the present and near-future.

The format of the workshop will include daily intensive workshop sessions focusing primarily on Grasshopper, Rhino’s parametric design plug-in, and evening lectures and presentations from practitioners and experts in the fields of sustainability and computational design. The workshop will cover strategic workflows for data set analysis and mapping, complex rule-based geometries, as well as techniques for digital fabrication.

The instructors of the workshop are Michael Chen + Jason Lee [Crisis Fronts] & Ronnie Parsons + Gil Akos [Studio Mode | modeLab]. They have taught design studios, seminars, and workshops at institutions throughout North America, including California College of the Arts, Columbia University, Cooper Union, Cornell University, Pratt Institute, Princeton University, Stevens Institute, and University of Toronto.

The workshop will culminate in a public exhibition and opening event on the evening of Friday, August 21.

Details :
All interested students and professionals are encouraged to attend. All experience levels are welcome.
All participants are required to bring their own laptops. Trial software will be made available.
Registration Pricing (limited enrollment) : $750 Academic | $1000 Professional.
Workshop Location : Terminal Building | 11th Ave at W 26th St. | Chelsea, Manhattan.

*Pricing Includes Material and Fabrication Costs.

Schedule :
2009.August.17 | Evening Question + Answer : Riverkeeper | Public Event. 7PM.
2009.August.18 | Evening Screening : “The City Concealed” + “Heart of Gowanus” | Greenpont Video Project | Public Event. 7PM.
2009.August.19 | Evening Presentation : Zach Downey | SHoP Architects + designalyze | Public Event. 7PM.
2009.August.20 | Evening Presentation : Speaker TBA | Public Event. 7PM.
2009.August.21 | Cocktail Hour with conversation and work on display. Public Event. 7PM.
2009.August.22 | Gowanus Canoe Trip for interested attendees | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club | Free Event 1PM.

Dates :
2009.June.05 | Crisis Modes Workshop Announced.
2009.June.22 | Registration Opens.
2009.August.09 | Registration Closes.

To register, please visit: http://modelab.nu/?page_id=1073

National Maritime Museum, Helsingor -winner announced

2009-04-19T19:23:00.004+01:00

Dutch design studio Kossmann.dejong from Amsterdam has been announced as the winner of the competition to design the exhibition interior of the new National Maritime Museum in
Helsingor, Denmark.

The spectacular museum itself, with a floor space of 5000 m2, was designed by the well-known Danish architectural firm, BIG. The museum will be located inside an old dry dock,
only a stone's throw from Kronborg Castle, better known as the castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which has already been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kossmann.dejong designed a 'journey through space' titled 'Seafever' for the new museum. The journey not only tells the story of Denmark's maritime history in a visual and gripping fashion, but also deals with more universal themes such as the fear of the unknown, the desire to visit far-off countries, and themes connected to the sea such as sea monsters, tattoos, and scurvy. The exhibition is cast in the form of a walk through a multimedia environment with a great many stories from many different perspectives.

The jury report talks of: "A nice composite of dramaturgy, of emotions and moods. A pronounced focus on the use of images in order to tell stories without words We think that
Kossmann.dejong has the strongest point, both in relation to the public appeal, concrete storytelling and innovative form of presentation compared to what has otherwise been seen in Denmark."

Kossmann.dejong has recently succeeded in winning other international competitions as well. For example, they are presently working on implementing their design for one of the five theme pavilions for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai (approx. 15,000 m2), and they were recently awarded the order for redesigning the Florence Nightingale Museum in London.

The Maritime Museum in Helsingor is expected to open its doors in the autumn of 2011.�

Gimme Shelter

2009-04-19T19:11:00.003+01:00

International Design/Build Competition. Spring 2009

Gimme Shelter is a showcase of six temporary, functional woodland shelters to enhance the experience of visitors to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, a 350-acre nature preserve in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. The project is meant to build awareness of the applied possibilities and meaning of sustainability and its impact on our lives and our connection to the natural world. The competition encouraged collaboration between artists, designers and architects, in order to demonstrate and promote new, unique, and inspiring approaches to sustainable design and building techniques.

Opening Reception
Saturday May 9th, 2009
2-5 pm
With a tour of the shelters led by the design/build teams at 3 pm
This event is free and open to the public

FINALISTS:

Bambooze! | Rebecca Popowsky & Riggs Skepnek | Philadelphia, PA
Bird/Seed Shelter | XLXS: Julia Molloy & Taka Sarui | Brooklyn, NY
Firefly | Rashida Ng, AIA, Nami Yamamoto, Max Lent, Greg Charnock | Philadelphia, PA
RainSail | Alexa Bosse & Ari Miller | Philadelphia, PA
RainShelter | GCArchitects: Gabriela Sanz Rodriguez & Carlos Martinez Mediero | Madrid, Spain
Woodland Canopy | FORM Design Collaborative: Joseph Scarpa, Rochelle Curley, Benjamin Nia, Jerome Siedlecki, & Stephen Jack | Philadelphia, PA

GIMME SHELTER WAS JURIED BY:
Mark Hughes, Philadelphia’s new Director of Sustainability
William W. Braham, PhD FAIA, Department of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania
Jeanne Jaffe, Professor and Chair of Fine Arts, University of the Arts
Laurie D. Olin, Olin Partnership
Libby Rosof and Roberta Fallon, art critics, artblog and Philadelphia Weekly.

The six shelters will remain open to the
public through the Fall of 2010

To learn more, visit:
www.schuylkillcenter.org/gimmeshelter

Gimme Shelter is being coordinated by The Schuylkill Center’s Art Program Director, Mary Salvante, and Art Program Manager, Zoë Cohen.

Gimme Shelter is funded by the William Penn Foundation, with additional funding by the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, and is presented in partnership with The Center for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects-Philadelphia, The Engineering and Design Institute at Philadelphia University, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, and The Delaware Valley Green Building Council.

National Wildflower Centre International Competition Winner

2009-03-15T17:24:00.003Z

Ian Simpson Architects with Adams Kara Taylor Engineers and Hoare Lea Engineers has been announced as winners of the competition to design a new innovative, architecturally striking educational, conference and seed production complex at the National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley, part of the Liverpool City Region which is intended to be one of the first buildings in the country to be rated BREEAM “Outstanding”.

Following the shortlisting from almost 150 international entries at Stage 1, Ian Simpson Architects’ team, which also included Adams Kara Taylor Engineers, Hoare Lea Engineers and cost support from Cyril Sweett, fought off strong competition from the other five shortlisted practices, including DM3 Architecture; Kirkland Fraser Moor; Nicolas Tye Architects; Studio Verna and Urban Salon Architects

Sue Carmichael, RIBA Adviser commented: “The six shortlisted practices in the rapid four week Stage two stage responded enthusiastically to both the generic and individual searching questions from by the panel designed to promote further evolution of the initial sketch concepts and challenge their deliverability.

After a full day of presentations and questions the judging panel unanimously decided that Ian Simpson’s team was the winning proposal. Their powerful fibonacci generated spiral solution has a dramatic wild flower head inspired conference centre focus; a distinctive and memorable architectural statement cleverly combining the brief’s organic and mathematical themes. The compact building which tightly hugs the North West boundary extends a curved sweep to the wildflower garden which both welcomes visitors through its intimate external and internal ante spaces and also acts as strong counterpoint to the existing award winning Millennium building. The potent combination of The National Wildflower Centre as a visionary client of high national reputation and Ian Simpson’s innovative concept backed by his capable team should result in a building which is a groundbreaking ‘green’ exemplar, an inspiring mathematics education resource and a favourite visitor and conference destination.”
Grant Luscombe, Chief Executive of Landlife said “I am delighted that the jury panel has selected the public’s favourite design. Inspired by the Fibonacci spirals that nature uses to place seeds on a seed head, petals on a flower and leaves on a stem, the building itself will help people understand connections between maths and nature. Entering the ‘flower head’ structure will be an inspirational experience by demonstrating how artists, architects and engineers over the centuries have used the simple angles and numerical sequences found in wildflowers.

Ian Simpson has designed a beautiful addition to our National Wildflower Centre, thanks to North West Development Agency support and its commitment to sustainable development. As a result, I find it a really exciting prospect that Knowsley, the borough internationally acclaimed for making new wildflower meadows, will now also become home to the greenest conference venue in the country.”

Nationwide Sustainable Housing Awards Student Competition Exhibition

2009-03-15T17:20:00.001Z

Venue: CUBE Gallery, 113 - 115 Portland Street, Manchester
Dates: 20th March to 18th April 2009

On display at the CUBE gallery are all the entries to the Nationwide Sustainable Housing Awards competition 2008-09, including the winners and those shortlisted.

Nationwide’s new annual design competition is open to undergraduate architecture and design students and is run in conjunction with RIBA Competitions. Proposed to run for three years, the theme for the 2008 – 09 awards was ‘Sustainable housing in an Urban Environment’ with sub categories of new build and communities & neighbourhood. In sponsoring this competition Nationwide seeks to encourage architects, designers and homeowners of the future to take account of social, economic and environmental sustainability.

As the third largest mortgage provider and the biggest lender to Registered Social Landlords in the UK, Nationwide has a strong interest in housing issues. The Society is committed to supporting sustainable and affordable housing for all, and is confident the new competition will stimulate and reward innovative thinking about how people can live more sustainably in the future.

The Nationwide Sustainable Housing awards were presented on 2 February 2009 at the RIBA in London by Wayne Hemingway who also opened the first exhibition. This exhibition is now travelling to the CUBE Gallery in Manchester.

Gimme Shelter: Sustainably Designed Structures in an Urban Woodland

2009-02-01T12:24:00.002Z

Gimme Shelter will be a showcase of six semi-permanent, functional woodland shelters to enhance the experience of visitors to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, a 350-acre nature preserve in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. The project is meant to build awareness of the applied possibilities and meaning of sustainability and its impact on our lives and our connection to the natural world. The competition encouraged collaboration between artists, designers and architects, in order to demonstrate and promote new, unique, and inspiring approaches to sustainable design and building techniques.

Twelve semi-finalist designs were recently chosen from more than 80 designs by 65 teams from around the world, by a panel of six distinguished jurors:

Mark Hughes, Philadelphia’s new Director of Sustainability
William W. Braham, PhD FAIA, Department of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania
Jeanne Jaffe, Professor and Chair of Fine Arts, University of the Arts
Laurie D. Olin, Olin Partnership
Libby Rosof, art critic, artblog
Roberta Fallon, art critic, Philadelphia Weekly and artblog

The twelve semi-finalist designs will be on display at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture for the month of February 2009, at their exhibit space at 1218 Arch St in Philadelphia.

The six finalist designs will be selected from the twelve semi-finalists, and will be announced at an Opening Reception at the Center for Architecture on Friday February 6th at 6 pm.

The six finalists will build their shelters at the Schuylkill Center in the spring, with an opening reception on Saturday May 9, 2009.

The Twelve Semi-Finalist Teams are:

Rebecca Popowsky & Riggs Skepnek - Philadelphia, PA
Julia Molloy and Taka Sarui - New York, NY
North Studio- Elijah Huge & Angus McCullough - Middletown, CT
Digsau & The Challenge Program - Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE
Rashida Ng & Yami Namamoto- Philadelphia, PA
Tackett & Company- Philadelphia, PA
Alexa Bosse & Ari Miller- Philadelphia, PA
GCArchitects- Gabriela Sanz Rodrнguez & Carlos Martнnez Mediero- Madrid, Spain
Rob Corser- Seattle, WA
Tonic Design- David Hill & Vincent Petrarca- Raleigh, NC
FORM Design Collaborative- Philadelphia, PA
Ana Bismarck & Vera Almada- Lisbon, Portugal

Gimme Shelter is being coordinated by the Schuylkill Center’s Art Program Director Mary Salvante, and Art Program Manager Zoë Cohen.
Gimme Shelter is funded by the William Penn Foundation, and is presented in partnership with
The Center for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects- Philadelphia
The Engineering and Design Institute at Philadelphia University
Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia
The Delaware Valley Green Building Council

Kunsthaus Zürich -Competition Winner

2008-11-08T12:13:00.002Z

David Chipperfield Architects has won the competition to build an extension to Kunsthaus Zürich.

The jury, presided over by Walter B. Kielholz and moderated by Prof. Carl Fingerhuth, has declared the project submitted by David Chipperfield Architects the winner of the competition to design an extension to the Kunsthaus Zürich.

The Kunsthaus extension's partners – the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, the city of Zurich, and the Stiftung Zürcher Kunsthaus – will present the winning project at a joint press conference to be held on 15 December at 10 a.m. at the Kunsthaus Zürich. Submissions were made anonymously to the international competition, which was organized by the Department of Structural Engineering of the city of Zurich, and provided the jury with a broad spectrum of potential winners to choose from. The winning project, selected by a solid majority of the jury, meets the complex demands of town planners and architects while also offering a functionally persuasive solution. All 20 projects submitted will be available to public view from 16 December 2008 until 11 January 2009 at the Kunsthaus.

The Kunsthaus Zürich aims to realize its vision of a museum for the 21st century with an extension planned to open on Heimplatz by 2015. It is to cost CHF 150 million (without adjustment for inflation or reserves), to be financed equally by the public and private sectors. The project will be among the first elements to be realized in the University District/Central Zürich development plan, of which it is a part. The Kunsthaus extension is a key project on the municipal council of Zürich’s legislative agenda.

See www.kunsthaus.ch for a list of jury members and participating architectural offices, as well as to read documentation of the project’s aims and status. For information on the prize winning architect see www.davidchipperfield.co.uk.

Image Coney -submit your ideas

2008-11-04T08:13:00.003Z

It's time to hear your ideas for Coney Island. Coney Island was once the most astonishing place on earth – from the minarets and lights of Luna Park to the water chute rides and freakish sideshows of Dreamland. It was a place of extraordinary spectacle, inventiveness and fun. Over the last several decades, Coney Island has declined – but survived. Millions still visit the beach, the boardwalk and its remaining attractions each year. But the area needs revitalization. How can we restore Coney Island to be one of the world’s most exciting and original entertainment and amusement destinations once again?

MAS has launched ImagineConey, a new initiative to develop new ideas for Coney Island's future. The goal is to see Coney Island restored to its place as one of the world's great entertainment and amusement destinations - the "world's playground." On that day, we brought together a world-class team of designers, engineers, producers and economists at Brooklyn Borough Hall to listen to presentations from key stakeholders (click here to see photographs from the day and here to watch a NY1 broadcast).

The team will return for a two-day "charrette" - an intense design workshop - on November 13 and November 14 and present their initial ideas to the public on November 17.

But first, it's time for architecture and planning professionals and Coney Island fans everywhere to fire up their imaginations and weigh in. We need your ideas for Coney Island's future: for events and activities, for new amusement rides, for the design of new structures and even for interim activities that could happen as early as the summer of 2009.

Here's how to submit your ideas. 1) Visit our new website ImagineConey.com. You can submit ideas as text (less than 150 words) on the website or as graphics which can be emailed to us at imagineconey@mas.org. 2) Attend a workshop next Monday, November 10 (in Coney Island) or next Wednesday, November 12 (at Brooklyn Public Library). For more information about the workshops, click here.

All of the ideas will be displayed online at ImagineConey.com and also at an exhibit that will open in January 2009 here at MAS. The deadline for submission is December 15, and ideas submitted before November 12 will also be considered by the team for potential inclusion in their presentation on November 17.

Shortlist announced: Greyhound Opening site, Norwich

2008-10-30T11:40:00.001Z

The shortlist is announced for the competition to design a new mixed tenure, affordable housing development on the Greyhound Opening site in Norwich.

The Delivering Affordable Housing Partnership (DAHP) - a partnership of Norwich City Council, Broadland Housing & Orbit Housing Partnership, Circle Anglia Ltd, Flagship Housing Group and Lovell Partnerships Ltd - was astounded by the phenomenal response to the competition. 101 Expressions of Interest were received from architects based in the UK, Eire, Japan and the Netherlands.

The Jury Panel consisted of a former Greyhound Opening resident, together with representatives from the DAHP, the Housing Corporation and Clare Wright (Wright & Wright Architects) acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser. With such a strong field of applicants, Panel members faced an embarrassment of riches and arriving at a shortlist was an extremely difficult task. The Panel selected practices which they felt would be most capable of helping the DAHP to deliver an innovative high quality development, with an appropriate density of accommodation that can be built, will be financially viable within social housing constraints and have the potential to enrich the neighbouring community. The five short-listed practices (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
- Letts Wheeler Architects
- Maccreanor Lavington Architects
- Make Architects
- Riches Hawley Mikhail Architects
- Shedkm Architects

The short-listed practices will be invited to develop design proposals for the 1.2hectare Greyhound Opening site and present them to the Jury Panel at a final interview in late January 2009.

Architectural League - Design Event

2008-10-26T12:56:00.000Z

UrbanOmnibus.net and the Architectural League of New York are are hosting a design event in New York City November 14-17 in conjunction with Design Corps and Metropolis books. Our competition-like program seeks to demonstrate the possibilities for urban improvement through small, elegant design interventions that are conceived and built all in a weekend. A design brief will be given Friday night at the Urban Center, the home of the Architectural League, to a group of six selected teams, who then will document their design process over the weekend to present at a small event on Monday, November 17.

We hope to attract a diverse array of teams from many disciplines, including architects, designers (graphic, interactive, etc.), programmers, landscape architects, visual artists, musicians and sculptors. If you know anyone who would be interested in participating, please contact us at the the phone number below.

Sarah Snider
Executive Assistant
The Architectural League of New York
457 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022
t. 212.753.1722
f. 212.486.9173
www.archleague.org�

RIBA Competition Housing Exhibition

2008-10-04T17:09:00.002+01:00

This exhibition showcases a range of housing projects that have originated through RIBA Competition
Venue: CUBE Gallery, 113 - 115 Portland Street, Manchester
Dates: 17th October to 20th December 2008
A new winter exhibition organised by the RIBA Competitions Office opens in October showing a selection of housing projects that have originated through RIBA competition.
This exciting and varied choice of projects shows the wide range of solutions generated through architectural competitions and will include:

the six shortlisted entries from the competition to develop 400 Student Residences at the University of Warwick;
the seven shortlisted entries from the LEX, Walsall Waterfront development
the winning design for the Lawrenny Sustainable Housing Development in Pembrokeshire;
the completed building project for the Elmswell 'Clay Fields' Affordable Housing project, which is a ground-breaking 26-home scheme committed to sustainable development;
the design development for the Bradford House competition as it nears completion; an inspirational modernisation of Victorian housing typologies
details of the new competition launched on behalf of Urban Splash for 250 market-priced and affordable family homes as part of the North Shore project area in Stockton-on-Tees
information on the recently launched Nationwide Student Sustainable Housing Competition�

Winner announced: 2008 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture

2008-10-04T16:57:00.005+01:00

In his most recent book, published in 2007*, the pioneer of political ecology André Gorz writes of his hope for a forthcoming ecological urban revolution: "It is likely that it will be South Americans or South Africans who – in the abandoned suburbs of European cities – will be the first to recreate the self-production workshops of their home favela or township." His wish is becoming a reality, since it is the South African Carin Smuts who has been awarded the 2008 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture at Villa Savoy in France.

Born in 1960 in Pretoria, Carin Smuts comes from a family of politicians and philosophers (her great-uncle Jan Christiaan Smuts was one of the renewers of holistic thought), who were unflinching in their opposition to apartheid. After early ambitions to be a doctor, Carin chose to study architecture, in the belief that "this career would enable her to make an even greater difference to society".

Since 1989, Carin Smuts has worked in the townships, now free of apartheid but still excluded from the development process going on elsewhere.

Is the architecture she practises sustainable? She says it is, emphasising how: "a sense of economy, an intelligent use of materials, are the very ethics of architecture! But to build in the townships, people must first be able to express a need, formulate a programme, know how to put it into practice. Experience has taught me that this is impossible if people have not regained their own freedom. For me, architecture is simply the means for these people to regain charge of their own lives. Our work is about people."

With extremely small budgets, Carin Smuts builds amenities, housing, services, not only for but with the black communities. They work with her to establish the programme, and then build and manage it themselves. A Carin Smuts project generates more cultural energy than it uses materials. Just as the Bengali Muhammad Yunus invented micro-loans, Carin Smuts has invented sustainable micro-development, an approach that she sums up in a single phrase: "Do local: materials, details, labour."

As the winner of the 2008 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, Carin Smuts has been commissioned to build the second project in the Seine-Aval Architecture Manifesto-Collection: a multipurpose centre which will revitalise the small town of Follainville-Dennemont. The first project, a rural lodge in Chanteloup, has been commissioned from the 2007 winner Hermann Kaufmann and will open in spring 2009.

Result: Transform the Future Competition

2008-09-20T07:05:00.002+01:00

TRANSFORM THE FUTURE 2008
Colourful sustainable design for communities
RESULTS
"Textures make sense"
The second year of the Dalsouple 'Transform the Future' design competition attracted entries from every corner of the world. While last year's winner was close to home in the UK, this year the honours went to a remote corner of Argentina. Leonardo Bercovich Sisack and Noelia Canizares Majek, students at the National University of Tucuman, collaborated on a stunning design for the Luis Braille School for visually impaired children. The children helped select the Dalsouple textures and colours that were incorporated into the final design. Textured rubber was used to improve wayfinding, not only on the floors but on walls and corners around the school. Leonardo and Noelia also came up with a series of structured floor and wall games and puzzles, some using Dalsouple's magnetised rubber tiles, to create a lively, interactive learning environment.
The interpretation of sustainability encompassed not only the use of natural materials but also the broader context of improving quality of life for an often marginalised group - the visually impaired. Recognising that human interaction and social inclusion are key facets of the sustainability story, the Luis Braille school project used natural and sustainable materials to enable pupils to move freely within, interact with and learn about their environment. This small project 'contributes to the development of our society by making the built environment more adequate, beautiful and a truthful expression of our goals as human beings."
Highly commended awards were made to the following entries:
1 Charlotte Claridge, London College of Communication: Stormont House School, Hackney
2 Cristina de Saro & Ivonne Caballero, University of Texas: Avance Daycare Centre, San Antonio
3 Sarah Williams, Chelsea College of Art & Design: Holy Trinity School, Marlow*
4 Danielle Strzelecki, The Interior Design School: Pepper Pot
5 Ong Tien Yee, Lim Chee Way, Beh Ssi Cze & Chow Khoon Toong, National University of Malaysia: The UKM Special Education Centre
6 James Griffiths, Leeds Metropolitan University: The Exchange at Edgehill Station
7 Jorg Lunkenheimer & Andreas Reinhardt, University of Applied Sciences, Wuerzburg: Red Rubber Carpet
8 Michael Pfueffer & Peter Brewer, University of Applied Sciences, Wuerzburg: Parasite/Para-site?
*Sarah's design was actually installed during the summer of 2008, transforming a scruffy, bag-filled girls' cloakroom in the school to a clean, attractive locker room in vibrant shades of lilac and purple.
Next year's competition
To reflect the growing importance of sustainability in the design mix, Dalsouple will be running the competition again in 2009 in an expanded form. Entries will be welcome from both students and professional designers, and there will be an opportunity to submit product designs as well as interior projects using DalNaturel natural rubber.
For details visit www.dalsouple.com.�

Sham Spiritual Oasis Architecture Competition

2008-09-20T06:57:00.001+01:00

Exhibition opening of "Sham Spiritual Oasis Architecture Competition" in Damascus, plus an on-line exhibition of participants' entries plus jury comments and reasoning of ranking.

Sham Spiritual Oasis is the name of the architecture competition that aimed at developing concepts for a facility of hospitality for travelers and pilgrims through Sham Region (Damascus Area). The Oasis is to serve as a visitor center, a place of spiritual growth and an opportunity to provide initiation to welcoming the other. This Visitor Center is located at the entrance of Wadi Deir Mar Musa Protected Area, near the town of Nebek, Syria.

The competition was launched in March 2008 by COSV (Comitato di Coordinamento delle Organizzazioni per il Servizio Volontario, Milan, Italy), Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi (The Monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian, Nebek, Syria) and Tanween Arabian Cultural Centre (Prague, Czech Republic). Funds for the project were provided by the European Union as a contribution to the celebration of Damascus as the cultural capital of the Arab world for the year 2008. The competition was open to Euro-Mediterranean architecture and art students. Contributions from professionals from all over the world were also welcomed.
For more information about the competition: www.shamspiritualoasis.org�

Winner announced: University of Warwick Student Residences Competition

2008-09-20T06:55:00.000+01:00

Page & Park Architects has won the competition for the design of new residences for 500 students at the University of Warwick. The University's main campus is on the south west edge of the city of Coventry actually straddling the border between City of Coventry and the County of Warwickshire. The new residencies will be on the Coventry side of the campus just a few minutes walk from the University's Library, central social facilities and Warwick Arts Centre.

Page & Park were one of six teams shortlisted to take part in the design phase of the competition and invited to prepare concept design proposals for the first phase of residences, with a target of 500 study bedrooms, within a site close to Rootes Residences.

The other teams taking part in this phase were:-

Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects
David Morley Architects
Richard Murphy Architects
Schmidt Hammer Lessen Architects Ltd
Stanton Williams

The Jury Panel, chaired by Penny Egan, Member of University Council, praised the enthusiasm and commitment of all the competing practices, and the quality and diversity of the design concepts shown in the various proposals.

The Jury were unanimous in selecting Page & Park as the winner and felt that their scheme not only best fit the operational needs of the project but also offered the best relationship between the built development and the high quality landscape context that exists.

International Symposium and Award Ceremony for “best private plots 08 – Die besten Gärten 2008”

2008-09-02T09:45:00.004+01:00

The contemporary design of private outdoor spaces dares to embark on new, unconventional paths: The international competition best private plots - Die besten Gärten is now in its third year. This year, 71 architects, garden designers, landscape architects and garden owners from 17 countries responded to the invitation to submit their garden projects to the competition. An international expert jury composed of five members has nominated 28 projects, from among which the top three contestants will be chosen during the final jury meeting in Langenlois. The projects nominated for best private plots 08 – Die besten Gärten 2008 are published at www.privateplots.at/en/nominations.html.

The award recognizes exemplary achievements in the design of private outdoor spaces and gardens, rating sophisticated design ideas and aesthetic solutions, the innovative use of plants and materials, and the consideration of the ecological context.

The winners of best private plots 08 – Die besten Gärten 2008 will be announced on September 27th at 7 p.m. at the award ceremony in the auditorium of Grafenegg Castle in Austria. We look forward to celebrating with you afterwards with a buffet and wine offered in the open-air pavilion “Cloud Tower”, designed by the architects of the next ENTERprise, and located in the castle’s 250-year old park. For guests, a shuttle service from the Loisium Hotel in Langenlois to Grafenegg Castle will be available. Make your reservations at: www.privateplots.at/en/registration.html

As jury members, we have been able to enlist renowned experts from the fields of landscape architecture, architecture and design, who have investigated the topic of planning gardens and outdoor spaces in greatly varied and highly innovative ways. We expect their presentations at the symposium public spots on private plots to provide an exciting and productive impetus for discussion, as well as perspectives on gardens as aesthetic and cultural fields of experimentation – as open, varied and variable spaces.

The international symposium on garden architecture public spots on private plots will take place on September 27th, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Loisium Hotel in Langenlois, Austria.

Jane Amidon (USA) – landscape architecture | Petra Blaisse (Netherlands) – design
Erik Dhont (Belgium) – landscape architecture | Edouard François (France) – architecture

The participation fee for the symposium is EUR 50.00, and registration is required at www.privateplots.at/en/registration.html.

All projects nominated will be published in the bilingual catalogue “best private plots 08 – Die besten Gärten 2008 – Internationale Beispiele zur Gartenarchitektur”, which will be presented at the award ceremony. The catalogue can be pre-ordered at: www.privateplots.at/en/catalogue.html

Prototyping the city_international summer school_Torino World Design Capital 2008

2008-09-02T09:32:00.004+01:00

Prototyping the City: Design Studio was a workshop organized by the Torino World Design Capital, the Architectural Association, the Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation at Columbia University and the Politecnico di Torino within the context of the summer school Designing Connected Places. It took place in Torino, between 14 July and 26 July 2008 and was conceived as an intensive collaborative section between 35 students from all over the world and has been realized with the support of Denaldi Legnami.

The task was to design and construct an installation, used as the Torino information desk of the six workshops of the summer school Designing Connected Places, held both in Torino and in Pollenzo: students were asked to design and construct the information desk by using advanced computational techniques and fabrication processes.

The wooden structure will remain on site until October 12th. and has been placed in the corridor, between "Le Nuove" and the "Officine Grandi Riparazioni delle Strade Ferrate" as this is an area of the city that has been abandoned for a few years and that has reborn as an exhibit pole during these months.

Official Blog: www.protocity.blogspot.com

ARCHIFEST 08: MAN + ENVIRONMENT

2008-09-02T09:22:00.004+01:00

October 08

A month-long festival celebrating architecture and the built environment is due to return for a second year after the successful event held for the first time last year.

Look forward to a myriad of exciting events including Exhibitions, Forum, Architours and other Fringe Events at the Archifest. Be inspired by the gallery of the year’s best architectural projects; learn from watching the presentations of a stellar line-up of world-renowned architects; get up-close with some iconic and very interesting buildings on a guide tour. The festival is a public event packed with architectural-related activities and happenings for all to participate in.

The highlight of the festival will be the two-day Archifest 08 Forum: Man+Environment. The Forum brings together a stellar lineup of speakers who will be addressing the challenges of Man and our environment. Featuring a panel of carefully-selected speakers including Fernando Menis (Spain), Jo Noero (South Africa) and Andrew Maynard (Australia), the Forum will have an upbeat, broad and suggestive take on the topic "Man+Environment".

For more information, please visit www.archifest.sg.

Sustainable Communities 2008

2008-08-02T22:31:00.000+01:00

Join Paul Hawken, Sim Van der Ryn, Jerry Brown and other green leaders at Sustainable Communities 2008
Sustainable Communities 2008 will bring together leading innovators Sim Van der Ryn, Paul Hawken, Peter Calthorpe, Stewart Brand, Jerry Brown and Peter Schwartz in San Francisco on September 26, 2008 for a rare one-day seminar on the past and future of sustainable communities. With Jacky Grimshaw of the Center for Neighborhood Technology moderating, they will explore the juncture of ecology and urbanism that's more critical than ever.

As energy prices, greenhouse gas emissions, water concerns, and food production issues point to the need to refashion how our communities are built, this seminar is a must for design professionals and citizens alike. The event's host is the Congress for the New Urbanism, a leading national organization promoting walkable, neighborhood-based development as an alternative to sprawl. And at a special luncheon, included with full registration or available by separate ticket, CNU will honor Van der Ryn -- described by the New York Times as "the intrepid pioneer of the eco-frontier" -- with an Athena Award. The award is given to design and development leaders who laid the groundwork for today's re-emergence of urbanism and green community design.

Starting with their collaboration on groundbreaking green policies and designs for the State of California under then-Governor Brown, the incredible group of people featured at Sustainable Communities 2008 introduced and advanced many of the innovations that form the backbone of the green building and sustainability movements. And they helped show that environmentalism must extend beyond conservation of natural lands and resources to encompass a comprehensive vision for human habitats -- sustainable cities and towns. The participants in Sustainable Communities 2008 are the ultimate guides to the transformation our society must make to move forward and prosper.

Visit the event website and register today to take advantage of the early registration discount.

RIBA Competitions Exhibition

2008-07-20T17:41:00.001+01:00

Small Projects within the Leisure Sector

Venue: CUBE Gallery, 113 - 115 Portland Street, Manchester
Dates: 2nd August to 6th September 2008

A new summer exhibition organised by the RIBA Competitions Office opens in August showing a selection of small scale projects within the leisure sector that have originated through RIBA competition.

This exciting and varied choice of projects shows the wide range of solutions generated through architectural competitions and will include: Kielder Observatory; Bat House; Blackpool Swivelling Wind Shelter; Cleopatra’s Kiosk, Hardwick Park Visitor Centre, The Pavillion at Priory Park in Reigate, Mersey Observatory, Maidstone Museum plus many more.

The exhibition highlights that architectural competitions can work for any scale of project whether large or small.

International Symposium on Garden Architecture

2008-07-20T11:43:00.002+01:00

public spots on private plots

International Symposium on Garden Architecture
September 27th, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Loisium Hotel, Langenlois, Austria
The symposium brings publicity to private outdoor spaces, raising questions such as, what makes a garden a garden? What are the new challenges and opportunities for gardens in a changing living environment? The spotlight is on gardens as places of experimentation, as spaces for the exploratory design and analysis of ecology, architecture, lifestyles, public and private space. The topics discussed include contemporary aesthetic and cultural strategies in garden design and landscape architecture, as well as new developments in the fields of technology, design, science and art.

The speakers at the symposium are internationally renowned landscape architects, designers and architects, and also serve as the expert jury for the competition best private plots 08 – Die besten Gärten 2008.

Jury and speakers
Jane Amidon (USA) – landscape architecture
Petra Blaisse (Netherlands) – design
Erik Dhont (Belgium) – landscape architecture
Edouard François (France) – architecture
The jury is joined by landscape architect Jane Bihr-de Salis (Switzerland), the winner of “best private plots 07”.

The participation fee for the symposium is EUR 50.00, and registration is required at www.privateplots.at/en/registration.html, info@privateplots.at.

best private plots 08 – Die besten Gärten 2008
Award Ceremony for the International Competition
September 27th, 2008, 7:00 p.m., Langenlois, Austria
The competition focuses on gardens as places of innovation, as spaces for creativity and action, as contemporary links between architecture and landscapes. The jury takes into account the interplay between gardens, buildings and landscapes, the design of boundaries and transitions, the artistic and conceptual quality of the design, and the use of plants and materials. The awards in the international competition for garden architecture recognize outstanding achievements in the design of private outdoor spaces and gardens. The prize money is EUR 15,000.00, and the prize will be awarded after the symposium by Lower Austrian Provincial Councilor Wolfgang Sobotka. Registration is required at www.privateplots.at/en/registration.html. The nominees for best private plots 08 – die besten Gärten 2008 will be published on our website as of July 30th, 2008. The final jury session will take place on September 26th, 2008, in Langenlois.

Catalog and Exhibition
The bilingual catalog Internationale Beispiele zu Gartenarchitektur: best private plots 08 – Die besten Gärten 2008, which features essays by Peter Zöch (TOPOS) and contributions by the jury members introducing the outdoor spaces and gardens nominated, will be presented at the award ceremony. The catalogs for 2006 and 2007 can be ordered at www.privateplots.at/en/catalogue.html. The nominated projects will be shown in an exhibition from September to October 2008.

Team and Awarding Authority
The “private plots & public spots” team consists of landscape architect Karin Standler and architect Robert Froschauer, with contributions by cultural theorist Gisela Steinlechner. The awarding authority, the Lower Austrian government agency “Association for Quality of Life” (Verein für Lebensqualität des Landes Niederösterreich), is to thank for enabling us to combine an international expert debate with a competition.

South Street Seaport | Re-envisioning the Urban Edge

2008-07-20T11:27:00.002+01:00

July 17 — September 27, 2008
Centre for Architecture, 536 La Guardia Place, New York.
The Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) presents the Third Biennial Ideas Competition, South Street Seaport | Re-envisioning the Urban Edge. This competition encouraged participants to envision new connections, both material and metaphoric, between this richly historic neighborhood and Manhattan’s contemporary urban fabric.
South Street Seaport | Re-envisioning the Urban Edge provided an opportunity, uncommon for students and young professionals in the field of design and architecture, to engage the ongoing evolution of the South Street Seaport. More than 200 participants entered the competition, representing a broad spectrum of domestic and international architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and graphic artists. From over 100 entries, a jury selected four top prizes, five honorable mentions, and additional Jury Selections, all of which are presented in this exhibition.
ENYA partnered with the Seaman's Church Institute (SCI), whose headquarters have been in the neighborhood since 1832. The principal element of the program is a community center for local residents and gallery space to house the SCI’s collection of maritime art and artifacts. In addition, competitors were encouraged to make community-building interventions in open spaces throughout the site in order to preserve the neighborhood’s intriguing history, while re-imagining its future edge condition on the downtown New York waterfront.
Exhibition Opening
Thursday, July 17, 2008, 8:00 — 10:00pm
Awards Ceremony, 6 to 7PM
Panel Discussion, 7 to 8PM (RSVP)
Opening Reception, 8 to 10PM
Additional Related Programming will include a book launch, symposium, and site tour. For more information, please check www.aiany.org/calendar for updated times and dates.
Exhibition organized by the AIA New York Chapter and Center for Architecture Foundation in collaboration with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA)
ENYA Co-Chairs:
Megan Chusid, Assoc. AIA
Harry Gaveras, AIA
Exhibition and Competition Developers:
Anne Leonhardt, Assoc. AIA
Heather Mangrum
Joel Melton, Assoc. AIA
Sean Rasmussen, Assoc. AIA
Exhibition Design:
Steven Mosier

South Street Seaport: Re-Envisioning the Urban Edge

Emerging New York Architects (ENYA)
Underwriter: F.J. Sciame Construction

Sponsor: Gensler; Propylaea Architecture; Richter + Ratner

Living Steel Announces Competition: Finalists

2008-06-02T00:01:00.001+01:00

Living Steel Announces Finalists for 3rd International Architecture Competition for Sustainable Housing

12 Teams Compete for Extreme Housing in Russia

Brussels, Belgium, 2 June 2008 – Living Steel today divulged the 12 finalist architect teams who will submit concepts for sustainable steel housing in Cherepovets, Russia. Selected from 246 completed submissions from architects in 52 countries expressing interest to compete, the finalist teams are:

Ben Addy and Tim Murray, Moxon Architects, Ltd., United Kingdom
Rossana Atena, ATENASTUDIO, and Fabio Cibinel, modostudio, Italy
Hugh Broughton and Philip Wells, Hugh Broughton Architects, United Kingdom
Chris Clarke and Joel Kelder, Bligh Voller Nield, Australia
Lourenço Gimenes and Rodrigo Silva, FGMF Arquitetos, Brazil
Sandeep Jagadeesh and Vimal Jain, ARCHITECTURE PARADIGM, India
Daniel Jenkins and David Turrent, ECDA, United Kingdom
Grigory Kuzhelev and Galina Budnikova, LCA, Russia
Lua Nitsche and Pedro Nitsche, Nitsche Arquitetos, Brazil
Pekka Pakkanen and Risto Huttunen, H-L-P Architects, Finland
Peter Stutchbury and Richard Smith, Stutchbury and Pape, Australia
Kathy Velikov, RVTR and Paul Raff, RVTR, Canada

The winning team will share a Jury Prize of €50,000 and the opportunity to see their design realised in Cherepovets.

The 3rd International Architecture Competition originally was to include ten teams; however the Selection Committee unanimously decided to increase the number of finalist teams.

“These finalist architects represent a wealth of creative minds in sustainable design that expressed interest in this competition,” said Scott Chubbs, Living Steel Programme Director. “Given the quality of the submissions and the experiences each team has to offer, it was decided to expand the competition by two teams.”

According to the Competition Brief, the finalists are charged with developing three to five housing styles of approximately 120 m2 each based on a single construction technology. The extreme challenge in this competition is to design the homes to be highly energy efficient and to minimise climate change emissions through the life cycle of the buildings, within a USD120,000 (approximately €76,000) construction budget (not including land and kitchen outfitting). The Brief suggests energy consumption of 100 kWh/a per m2—this in Cherepovets, Russia, where temperatures swing from summer highs of +34o C to winter lows of -49 o C. The building site will eventually be the location of a community of up to 500 homes developed by Living Steel member steel company SeverStal for its employees.

The twelve short-listed teams were given the project brief and one month to put together their ideas for efficient, sustainable housing that fits the location specifications. These teams will travel to Helsinki, Finland, where they will present their concepts to the competition's Jury on 26-27 June 2008.

The Jury members represent some of the world's finest architects, known for their passion for great design and their application of sustainable practices in their work. Glenn Murcutt returns to the 3rd International Architecture Competition jury, and is joined by:

Kimmo Lintula, K2S Architects Ltd., Finland,
Mark Middleton, Grimshaw Architects, UK
Patricia Patkau, Patkau Architects, Canada
Sergey Skuratov, Sergey Skuratov Architects, Russia
Alexei Venediktov, SeverStal, Russia

In addition to the design competition, a two-day Charrette will follow on 28-29 June in Helsinki where the teams will be joined together in groups and tasked with master planning of the community development. The groups will present their plans to each other and then vote on which group offered the best solution. The winning group will share the €20,000 Architects' Prize.

Each of the twelve competition teams will be awarded a €3,000 honorarium.

The competition event in Helsinki will conclude with an awards dinner on 29 June 2008 and the announcement of the winners of the Jury Prize and Architects' Prize.

“We thank the many teams that entered our competition,” Chubbs said, “It is exciting and encouraging to Living Steel that so many have a desire to take up the challenge for low climate change emissions buildings that conceptualise the home people want and deserve.”

See the Competition Brief and other relevant information at www.livingsteel.org/extremehousing

Lawrenny Sustainable Housing, Pembrokeshire -Shortlist announced

2008-06-01T21:22:00.001+01:00

The RIBA Competitions Office and the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW) are pleased to announce the names of the practices short-listed to the competition for a new sustainable housing development in Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire.

The first stage of the competition attracted a phenomenal response with 92 Expressions of Interest from architectural practices throughout the UK and Europe. Lawrenny Enterprises were astounded by the range and variety of practices who applied and the exceptional quality of the submissions.

The Jury Panel consisted of Directors from Lawrenny Enterprises together with Richard Nightingale (Cullum and Nightingale Architects Ltd) acting as the RIBA Adviser. The Panel faced a difficult task in selecting a long-list, but selected those practices who they felt had demonstrated a real empathy for the project and would be best suited to rise to the challenges and opportunities of the rural development site. The eight practices invited to attend an interim interview (in alphabetical order) were:
• Ash Sakula Architects
• Davies Sutton Architecture
• Featherstone Associates
• Inglis Badrashi Loddo Architects
• David Kohn Architects
• Letts Wheeler Architecture and Design Ltd.
• Riches Hawley Mikhail Architects
• Tom Russell Architects.

The interviews gave each practice an opportunity to discuss their possible approach to the project and to explore potential future working relationships with Lawrenny Enterprises. The following practices have been invited to develop design proposals for the development:
• Ash Sakula Architects
• Davies Sutton Architecture
• Letts Wheeler Architecture and Design Ltd.
• Tom Russell Architects

Adrian Lort-Phillips (Managing Director, Lawrenny Enterprises) commented: ‘There is no doubt that we have got four incredibly talented teams lined up for the final stage. I am certain we would never have found them had we not run the RIBA competition. Now we move to the design stage where it's going to get really exciting. We can't wait to see what the teams come up with.’

The four teams will present their design proposals to the Jury Panel at a final assessment to be held in Lawrenny in late July 2008.

Choices for Grahame Park: winners

2008-06-01T21:16:00.003+01:00

Choices for Grahame Park announces design team competition winners for regeneration project

Choices for Grahame Park (CfGP) has appointed a design team led by architects Jestico + Whiles for a key phase of its £95m regeneration gateway Phase 1b project.

Key to the ground-breaking development will be a new library, park, community centre and shops for Grahame Park, as well as over 500 new homes. Construction work is due to start in 2010.

Five architect design teams were shortlisted from thirty Europe-wide entrants to prepare design proposals for the three main mixed-use buildings and the new town square.

Residents played a key role in this process. The Grahame Park Residents’ Design Panel assessed the shortlisted teams before they were further assessed by the CfGP Evaluation Team which included Barnet Council and Countryside Properties. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) managed the competition process and provided a specialist architect adviser.

The evaluation panel assessed Jestico + Whiles as “superb leaders for this project” and, together with their team members, Rivington Street Studio and Peter Barber Architects, were considered “brilliant designers” for addressing the challenges and opportunities of Grahame Park’s Phase 1b.

The next steps are for the Jestico + Whiles consortium to join the technical team to begin the process of developing the design proposals. This will involve consulting with the community, working up ideas and liaising with the Council’s Planning and Highways departments.

Anne Dufton, Chief Executive of Choices for Grahame Park, part of Genesis Housing Group, said ‘CfGP is again bringing excellent architects into Colindale. Our expectations and those of the Grahame Park residents have been raised by this enthralling competition process. We had so many great ideas presented to us by some extremely talented teams of architects and are delighted with our choice, the Jestico + Whiles team.’

Heinz Richardson, Director of Jestico + Whiles, said “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen for this important regeneration project, particularly given the extremely high calibre of the shortlisted teams. We look forward to working together with Choices for Grahame Park, and in particular the residents of Grahame Park, to create a truly inspirational and sustainable place to live, which is above all humane”

Exhibition of RIBA Competition Projects

2008-05-05T10:26:00.001+01:00

Venue: CUBE Gallery, 113 - 115 Portland Street, Manchester
Dates: until 17th May 2008

A new spring exhibition organised by the RIBA Competitions Office opens in May showing a selection of recent competition results and a built project, all of which originated through RIBA competition.

This exciting and varied selection of projects has been chosen to show the range of solutions generated through architectural competitions and will include:

• Egremont Castle Performance Structure, Cumbria
The winning design by Decosterd-Cotting Architects with Guscetti-Tournier Engineers from Geneva, Swizterland and the shortlisted schemes.

• Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve, Preston
The winning design by Adam Khan Architects and the shortlisted schemes for the competition to design a new visitor facility for Brockholes.

• Sheffield Parkway Footbridge
The winning design by Tim Norlund, a 23 year old architect from Denmark who had beaten over 100 entries to gain first prize in this competition. Plus the shortlisted entries.

• Avenham Park Pavillion, Preston
This project was won through an invited design competition in February 2005 by Ian McChesney Architects. A series of boards will show the development of the design from the original competition entry through to completion.

The exhibition celebrates some of the most successful projects so far in 2008 and demonstrates how the competitions process can laud emerging practices as well as established ones.

2008 Steedman Fellowship: winner

2008-05-05T10:05:00.002+01:00

New York architect Nikole Renee Bouchard has won Washington University's 2008 Steedman Fellowship in Architecture International Design Competition.

The biennial competition — sponsored by the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts' College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design — is open to young architects from around the world and carries a $30,000 first place award to support study and research abroad — the largest such award in the United States.
"In-Situ Sensibility." Site plan for an urban agricultural development just north of downtown St. Louis. Image courtesy of Nikole Renee Bouchard.
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Bouchard, who received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 2006, was chosen from a field of 197 registrants and 49 submissions representing Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Germany, India, Singapore and the United States. She currently works for Steven Holl Architects in New York.

"The Steedman is one of the oldest and most widely known competitions for young architects in the United States," says Bruce Lindsey, the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Community Collaboration and dean of Architecture. "This year's site was an historic St. Louis district that has come under increasing pressure for redevelopment. The results show a wide range of possibilities for bringing new life to older buildings."

The competition centered on the former St. Louis Cold Storage Company, an abandoned 100,000-square-foot industrial building located along the Mississippi riverfront, just north of downtown and Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch. Architects were charged with creating environmentally sensitive adaptive reuse strategies for the structure, which was built in 1901. Most buildings in the area reflect St. Louis' industrial past, specifically power generation and cold storage for the river and railroad commerce of the early 20th century.

"There is a need for a program that activates the landscape and engages the public — people of all ages, social statuses and interests," notes Bouchard of her winning proposal, titled "In Situ Sensibility: Seeding the Future Growth of St. Louis." She points out that the area "is one of very few in the city which does not currently have a public greenspace."
Approach from train shed. The northern facade of the former St. Louis Cold Storage Company would remain untouched, aside from the re-opening of existing apertures. Image courtesy of Nikole Renee Bouchard.
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Bouchard's design would reinvent the site as a center for urban agriculture. A network of hills, valleys, fields and tributaries would transform the grounds surrounding the Cold Storage Company. The building itself would take cues from the natural topography to "create spaces that are both dark and intimate (like the surrounding landscape's submerged caves) as well as expansive and open (like the region's rolling prairie)."

Historic northern, eastern and western facades would remain untouched, aside from reopening a series of existing apertures, which are currently boarded-up. A large open space flowing from the southern façade would serve as an indoor/outdoor market as well as a venue for summer film screenings and other public functions. Additional components include classrooms and offices; an area for composting; and a green roofscape that would house gardens, collect rainwater and provide spectacular views of St. Louis and the Mississippi River. A nearby abandoned train depot would become a parking facility.

In addition to Bouchard, three entrants received honorable mentions:

Maria Eva Contesti, Seattle. Constesti, a native of Argentina, earned a Professional Degree in architecture from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in 2003 and a Master of Environmental Planning degree from the Universidad de Buenos Aires in 2004. In 2007 she received a Master of Architecture degree from Washington University and also won the Best Degree Project Prize for the class of 2007. She is currently a staff architect with ZGF Architects in Seattle.
Architecture as instrument for enlightenment. A large multifunction hall on the building's southern side could accommodate markets, lectures, exhibitions and film screenings. Image courtesy of Nikole Renee Bouchard.
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John Bruenning, St. Louis. Bruenning earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale B.S in 2001, and a Master of Architecture from Washington University in 2004. He currently works at AAIC, a St. Louis architecture firm.

Sabina Santovetti, Rome. Santovetti received a Master of Architecture degree from Washington University in 2005 and previously earned a Master's in industrial design from the Pratt Institute in New York; a Master's and Doctorate in art history and archeology from the Sorbonne University in Paris; and a degree in literature and philosophy from the University of Rome. She is currently a cofounder of the firm SANTOVETTI + NARDINI: Architecture & Design in Rome.

Winners were selected by blind jury. Lawrence Scarpa, visiting professor of architecture and principal of Pugh + Scarpa in Santa Monica, served as jury chair. Other jurors included Peter Davey, former editor of The Architectural Review in London; architect/urbanist Hashim Sarkis, who has offices in Beirut and Cambridge, Mass.; Nader Tehrani, a partner at Office dA in Boston; Ken Yeang, principal of Hamzah & Yeang Architects in Malaysia; and author/theorist Wilfried Wang, co-founder of Hoidn Wang Architects in Berlin.

Granted since 1925, The Steedman Fellowship is supported by an endowment — given to the Sam Fox School's College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design — in honor of James Harrison Steedman, who received a degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University in 1889. The memorial was established by Steedman's widow, Mrs. Alexander Weddel, and Steedman's brother, George.

For more information about the Steedman Fellowship, visit http://www.steedmancompetition.com.

Shrinkage Worldwide Awards

2008-04-15T23:14:00.000+01:00

The Shahneshin Foundation (SF) is pleased to announce that the distinguished jury of the Shrinkage Worldwide Awards after careful review and considered assessment of entries chose the works by Elena Giacomolli (City Empire), David Holt (untitled), Christopher Patten (Picnic), Stephanie White (Vital Fluid), Giovanna Zanghellini (Time is running out), have been selected from a highly-regarded worldwide practices and institutions in the Shrinkage Worldwide Awards this year to design a multi-purpose poster capable of delivering the shrinkage nature. http://www.shahneshinfoundation.org/news/pressroom.html

The entries came from Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, and from an array of diverse fields -both academics and practitioners- in arts, architecture, graphic design, industrial design, landscape-architecture, planning, product-design, publicity, robotics, and so-forth.

The Shrinkage Worldwide Awards is jointly promoted by several international institutions including the Architectural Association (AA), American Institute of Architects (AIA NY), Dansk Design Centre (DDC), Design Austria (DA), Design Singapore Council (DSC), the Institute of Landscape Architects of South Africa (ILASA), International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), and many others Institutional friends.

St Leger Homes Bungalow Design Competition Result

2008-04-15T14:09:00.001+01:00

The Crawford Partnership has won the RIBA competition for the design of a suitable and innovative solution for the extension and adaptation of a number of one bedroom bungalows scattered throughout the Doncaster area.

The existing bungalows are managed by St Leger Homes which is the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) that manages council housing for Doncaster Metropolitan Borough. Currently these bungalows offer limited accommodation with the kitchens and bathrooms being particularly small and are increasingly failing to meet the aspirations of customers. Consequently a competition was launched on behalf of St Leger Homes seeking innovative design proposals to alter and extend these bungalows.

Fourteen practices initially submitted expressions of interest to the competition and four were shortlisted and invited to present their initial design proposals to the jury panel. The other shortlisted teams were: AIR Architects from London; Bauman Lyons from Leeds and Cottrell and Vermeulen from Hebden Bridge and London.

The Crawford Partnership was judged the winning entry because of the modest scale of the extension; alterations to both sides of the bungalow; a range of green features including the possibility of a sedum roof and an option for car parking if it was required.

Gill Robinson, RIBA Adviser commented: “This scheme provides a simple yet elegant solution to remodelling the one bedroom bungalow, which is flexible and economical to build. I particularly like the ingenious use of a small lightwell to link the extension to the bungalow. Overall a practical and imaginative design.”

Alan Crawford from The Crawford Partnership said: “We are looking forward to working with St Leger Homes. The essence of our proposal centers on providing a simple, flexible and economic solution to extend each home and is based on a collective of cost effective, sustainable ideas that the practice is currently exploring and implementing on other projects.”

The design will be used in the future for a pilot project when funding becomes available for the work to take place.

New Practices New York 2008

2008-04-01T15:04:00.002+01:00

New Practices New York 2008 is the second juried portfolio competition and exhibition in a new biennial tradition sponsored by the New Practices Committee of the AIA New York Chapter. It serves as a platform to recognize and promote new, innovative and emerging architecture firms within New York City that have undertaken unique and commendable strategies - both in the projects they undertake and the practices they have established.

Schedule
2 April -Information Session for Entrants, 6:00pm
8 April -New Practices in the Mix, hosted by Poliform, 6:30pm
16 May -Registrations Due
30 May -Submissions Due, 3:00 pm
4 June -Juror Symposium, 6:00pm
5 September -Exhibition Opening, 7:30pm
15 October -Winners’ Symposium, 6:00pm

Eligibility
The New Practices Showcase has the following eligibility requirements:
New practices are defined as licensed architectural firms that have been founded after January 1, 2002. (Please include a copy of “Certificate of Firm Incorporation” or a signed certification that practice was founded after January 1, 2002).
Selected firms must be located within New York City.
Registration and Submission
All Entrants $100
Late fee for registration $50
Entry fees are non-refundable.
To register, click HERE
When registration and payment are complete the entrant will receive a username, password and instructions.
The submission deadline of May 30, 2008 is for the receipt of the portfolio at the Center for Architecture, not the date of its postmark.
Competition, exhibition, and related programming are organized by the AIA New York Chapter’s New Practices Committee and the Center for Architecture Foundation.
Sponsored by:
Underwriter: Häfele
Lead Sponsors: MG & Company, Poliform, Thornton Tomasetti
Media Sponsor: The Architect’s Newspaper

For more information please contact Jesse Lazar, Program Committee Coordinator, at jlazar@aiany.org.

Prefab Futures: New Agendas for Mass Customization in Architecture

2008-04-01T14:45:00.002+01:00

Pratt Institute School of Architecture
Spring 2008 Kullman Center Conference,
Date Thursday, April 3 2008

Location
Higgins Hall Auditorium
Pratt Institute School of Architecture
61 St James Place
Brooklyn, New York

Prefab Futures: New Agendas for Mass Customization in Architecture is the inaugural event for the Kullman Center, a research center residing within the School of Architecture with an emphasis on developing new and innovative approaches to modular construction and industrialized building techniques. The one-day conference will present research and scholarship related to the history of prefabrication, contemporary and emerging techniques and approaches to prefabrication, as well as the social and sustainable potential of prefab and prefab technologies. These three topics are key research areas for the Center, which will function both as an intellectual resource and ideas clearinghouse as well as an important laboratory for industrial construction.

Schedule

8:00 Morning Reception

9:00 Opening Remarks
Avi Telyas CEO Kullman Buildings Corp.

Morning Address
Kent Larson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

9:45 Prefab Precedents
Moderator: Bill Menking
Colin Davies, London Metropolitan University
Andrew Blauvelt, Walker Art Center

11:15 Prefab Futures Session I
Moderator: Thomas Hanrahan
Wes Jones, Jones Partners
Charlie Lazor, Lazor Office
Rocio Romero, Rocio Romero
Michael Pitt, Design Buro

2:30 Prefab Futures Session II
Moderator: Evan Douglis
John Nastasi, Nastasi Architects / Stevens Institute of Technology
Marcelo Spina, PATTERNS / Sci-Arc
Ada Tolla, Giuseppe Lignano, LOT-ek

4:45 Prefab Futures Session III
Moderator: Philip Parker
Michael Meredith, MOS / Harvard University
Jeremy Edmiston, SYSTEMarchitects / City University of New York
Joseph Tanney, Resolution: 4 Architecture

7:00 Closing Remarks
Barry Bergdoll, The Museum of Modern Art

7:30 Conference Reception. Siegal Gallery

POST-IT City: Occasional Urbanities

2008-03-22T10:54:00.003Z

Exhibition at the CCCB Barcelona

13 March – 25 May 2008

The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) and the Centre d’Art Santa Mònica (CASM) present the exhibition POST-IT City. Occasional Urbanities. The exhibition forms part of the POST-IT project, directed by Martí Peran, which began in 2005 with a series of seminars and workshops at the Centre d’Art Santa Mònica in Barcelona.

The research project focuses on the temporary uses of public space for commercial, recreational and sexual activities in cities around the world.

More information:
CCCB Press Department
Mònica Muñoz / Irene Ruiz / Lucia Calvo
+ 34 93 306 41 23
premsa'at'cccb.org
www.cccb.org

Mersey Observatory Competition Winner

2008-03-22T10:40:00.003Z

A 50m high illuminated tower has won the international design competition for the proposed Mersey Observatory on Crosby beach. The design by Duggan Morris Architects emerged as the front-runner in thousands of votes and comments from local people, and was the unanimous choice of the judging panel.

The design by Duggan Morris is unlike anything else in the country and would be one of Merseyside’s most recognisable landmarks. It beat four other short listed proposals by Studio 8 Architects, Farrell & Clark, Ellis Williams and Phos Architects, following an international design competition that attracted over 90 entries from all over the world.

Duggan Morris will now begin to develop the next stage of detailed designs for the project.

Joe Morris, director of Duggan Morris Architects, said: “The setting for the Mersey Observatory is entirely unique both geographically and culturally. The challenge was to create something to complement the extraordinary setting as well as having sufficient gravitas to act as a ‘beacon’ in its own right.”

Unusually, the design calls for two complementary structures: a viewing tower and a separate café and exhibition centre. Duggan Morris calls them the ‘lamp’ and ‘bowl’. The Observatory tower is designed to be illuminated from the inside and contains two viewing platforms giving stunning 360-degree views over Liverpool, Crosby beach and the River Mersey. A lift would carry people to an enclosed, all-weather viewing platform, and further up to an open air viewing platform atop the tower.

The second, lower building contains the support facilities including reception, information point, exhibitions, restaurant, café and toilets, as well as a rooftop viewing ‘amphitheatre’ intended for closer views of the bird sanctuary.

Ian McChesney, RIBA Adviser commented: “The jury took little time in selecting a winner. The competition saw a variety of approaches, but it was the more modest and poetic approach of Duggan Morris - developed in great detail - that prevailed.”

Ian Hamilton Fazey, chair of the Waterloo Residents Association and also a member of the judging panel, said: “Anyone who has had the opportunity to go on to the roof of the existing radar tower knows that there is one single “Wow! factor” that it is impossible to miss.

“It is simply the astonishing delight of emerging into the daylight and suddenly being confronted with an amazing 360-degree panorama of cityscape, waterscape, the mighty Mersey, Liverpool’s hard-working dockland, a nature reserve teeming with birds, the Gormley statues on Crosby beach, and the view across the Wirral and Liverpool Bay to the Clwyd hills, the Great Orme’s head at Llandudno, and Snowdonia.

“The judging panel is convinced that Duggan Morris brings a balance of youth, enthusiasm and professional experience that will give us the best of all worlds – an innovative, 21st-century design with a professional team of all the talents capable of delivering it.”

The panel was impressed by the team assembled by Duggan Morris to deliver the project, which includes experienced consultants with considerable track records, who will advise on engineering design, cost control, ecology and environmental issues. The quantity surveyor for the project recently finished work on the new Liverpool arena and convention centre.

Walter Menzies, chief executive of the Mersey Basin Campaign and chair of the judging panel, said: “The architects immediately grasped the extraordinary tourist and visitor potential of the location and their design would be a spectacular window on the waterfront and gateway to the Liverpool city region.

“We were all impressed by the professionalism and commitment of Duggan Morris and the sheer verve with which they conveyed their enthusiasm for the project. The judges were unanimous in their decision that the Duggan Morris entry should be the winner.”

“But now the real work begins. The architects must develop their preliminary designs to a much more detailed level, and crucially the team behind the project must put together the funding package that will make the Mersey Observatory a reality.”

The project is led by the Mersey Basin Campaign and backed by a strong partnership that includes the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Mersey Waterfront and Peel Holdings.

People can find out more by visiting www.merseyobservatory.com

AIA New York Design Awards 2008

2008-03-09T20:24:00.001Z

The AIA New York Chapter's annual Design Awards Program recognizes excellence in architectural design by New York City architects and in New York City projects. The program's purpose is to increase awareness of outstanding architecture and to honor the architects, clients, and consultants who work together to improve the built environment.
Judged by this year’s panel of eminent jurors, the award recipients were selected out of a record crop of 400 submissions.
AIA New York Chapter Design Awards Jury– by Category
Interiors:
Pamela Babey
BAMO, Inc.
San Francisco
Donna V. Robertson, FAIA
Illinois Institute of Technology, College of Architecture, Chicago
L. Paul Zajfen, AIA, RIBA
Los Angeles
Architecture:
David Adjaye, RIBA
London
William P. Bruder, AIA
Will Bruder + Partners, Phoenix
Ada Karmi-Melamede
Ada Karmi-Melamede Architects
Tel Aviv
Projects:
Terry Dwan, 1920 Riva
Milano
Karen McEvoy, AIA
Bucholz McEvoy Architects
Dublin
Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi
Instituto Nazionale d'Architecttura
Roma
AIA Chapter 2008 Design Awards – Winners by Category
Architecture Honor Award Winner:
Architect: Steven Holl Architects
Project: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Location: Kansas City, MO
Architecture Merit Award Winners:
Architect: Andrew Berman Architect
Project: Private Library and Writing Studio
Location: Long Island, New York
Architect: Thomas Phifer and Partners
Project: Salt Point House
Location: Salt Point, New York
Architect: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects L.L.P.
Project: Skirkanich Hall
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Architect: FXFowle Architects, P.C.
Project: The New York Times Building
Location: New York, New York
Forrest City Ratner Companies & The New York Times Company
Architect: Polshek Partnership Architects
Project: Yale University Art Gallery, Kahn Building Renovation
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Interior Architecture Honor Award Winners:
Architect: De-Spec Inc. / Vista Engineering
Project: Banchet Flowers
Location: New York, NY
Architect: Architecture Research Office
Project: Susan P. and Richard A. Friedman Study Center
Location: Providence, RI
Architect: Joel Sanders Architect
Project: Yale University Art Gallery Media Lounge
Location: New Haven, CT
Interior Architecture Merit Award Winners:
Architect: WORK Architecture Company
Project: Anthropologie Store
Location: Dos Lagos, California
Architect: Bentel & Bentel Architects
Project: CRAFTSTEAK NY
Location: New York, New York
Architect: STUDIOS architecture
Project: IAC Headquarters
Location: New York, New York
Architect: Stephan Jaklitsch Architects
Project: Marc Jacobs Paris
Location: Paris, France
Architect: Workshop For Architecture
Project: Maritime Intelligence Group Office
Location: Washington, DC
Architect: Christoff:Finio architecture
Project: Museum as Hub at the New Museum of Contemporary Art
Location: New York, New York
Architect: Shelton, Mindel & Associates
Project: North Sea Poolhouse
Location: Southampton, New York
Project Honor Award Winners:
Architect: OBRA Architects
Project: BEATFUSE!
Location: Long Island City, New York
Architect: David Yum Architects
Project: ELV Winery
Location: Santa Barbara County, California
Architect: Rogers Marvel / West 8 / Diller Scofido + Renfro/
Quennell Rothschild/ SMWM
Project: Governors Island Park and Public Open Space
Location: Governors Island, New York, New York
Architect: Toshiko Mori Architect
Project: The Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems
Location: Syracuse, New York
Architect: Cook+Fox Architects
Project: Waterfront Tower
Location: New York, New York
Architect: Leeser Architecture
Project: World Mammoth and Permafrost Museum
Location: Republic of Sakha-Yakutia (Yakutsk), Siberia
Project Merit Award Winners:
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Project: Al Rajhi Bank Headquarters
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Architect: Zakrzewski + Hyde Architects
Project: Hudson Square RISE
Location: New York, New York
Architect: WRT/ Marpillero Pollak Architects
Project: Queens Plaza Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Project
Location: Queens, New York
Architect: Himma Architecture
Project: Ridge House and Master Plan
Location: Aodi, Taiwan
Architect: Joel Sanders Architect with Haeahn Architecture
Project: Seongbukdong Residences
Location: Seoul, Korea
Architect: Leven Betts Architects
Project: Stockholm Public Library Addition
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Architect: AC Hocek Architecture/ OffSite
Project: The Tristes Tropiques Houses
Location: Nicaragua
Architect: GRO Architects
Project: Best Pedestrian Route
Location: New York, New York
The Design Awards program includes the juried competition, a Design Awards Luncheon, Symposium, related lectures by category winners, and an Exhibition at the Center for Architecture.
Judged by this year’s panel of eminent jurors, the award recipients were selected out of a record crop of 400 submissions.
For the first time this year, AIA New York Chapter has established here in New York, an additional set of awards to recognize excellence and innovation in the specialized design fields of Educational Facility Design, Sustainable Design and Urban Design, collectively known as “The Building Type Awards.”
Co-sponsored by the Boston Society of Architects, the Building Type Awards recognize exemplary work done by both established and new practitioners from New York City and Massachusetts, regardless of project size, budget, or style. Separate teams of field experts will judge the contest, and winners will be announced in March.
Winning projects from both the Design Awards and the Building Type Awards will be recognized at the Design Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, April 30th.
All work will be exhibited at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. The Design Awards Exhibition runs from Thursday, May 1st through July 2008.
Sponsored by:
Benefactors:
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP; Syska & Hennessy Inc.
Patron:
HDR, HOK, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, PC; Richter & Ratner
Lead Sponsors:
Arup; Gensler; KI; Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.; Mancini Duffy; RMJM Hillier ; Thornton-Tomasetti
Sponsors:
Armstrong World Industries, Inc.; Atkinson Koven Feinberg; Cosentini Associates; Flack+Kurtz; FXFOWLE Architects; JCJ Architecture; MechoShade Systems, Inc.; New York University; Pei Cobb Freed & Partners; Peter Marino Architect; Ricci Greene Associates; Swanke Hayden Connell Architects; Toshiko Mori Architect; Turner Construction Company; Weidlinger Associates, Inc.

Shortlist Announced: JCB Competition Uttoxeter

2008-02-21T08:33:00.001Z

A shortlist has been chosen in the competition to select a team to develop a masterplan for the redevelopment of JCB’s Heavy Products site in Uttoxeter. Six design teams were selected from 47 applicants and will now go through to the design stage of the competition.

They are :

Bauman Lyons Architects, with ARUP, Witraz (Copenhagen), and Latz & Partner Landscape Architects (Munich)
DEGW with Camlin Lonsdale, Peter Brett Associates, Hoare Lea, Arup Planning, Buro 4, Gardiner & Theobald
Glenn Howells Architects with Buro Happold, DBK Group and Colvin & Moggridge Landscape Architects
Letts Wheeler Architects with Whitelaw Turkington, Martin Stockley Associates
McDowell & Benedetti with Alan Baxter Associates, Whitelaw Turkington, Max Fordham Consulting & Dickon Robinson
Robert Adam Architects with Gillespies Landscape Architects, WSP, ESD

JCB is intending to relocate its Heavy Products facility to a new site which has presented the opportunity to redevelop the town centre site and contribute to the wider renaissance of Uttoxeter, where the Bamford family has links stretching back almost 200 years.

JCB Chairman, Sir Anthony Bamford, has already stated that he wants the redevelopment to leave a legacy to the town. Speaking about the competition, Sir Anthony said: “I have no doubt that this competition will result in a scheme of outstanding quality. Most importantly, it must be a scheme that will enhance the centre of Uttoxeter for the benefit of everyone living in the town”.

The teams will present their initial design concepts to the judging panel on 8th May.

Herzog & de Meuron: Exhibition on new Parrish Art Museum

2008-02-21T08:25:00.003Z

Studio as Muse:
Herzog & de Meuron's Design for the New Parrish Art Museum

The Urban Center
457 Madison Avenue, New York City

Opening Reception
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
7:00–9:00 p.m.

The exhibition will be on view from March 12 - May 2, 2008.

Herzog & de Meuron’s design for the new Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York will link together individual pavilions to create an innovative spatial experience that tells the story of art on the East End of Long Island. This exhibition presents more than one hundred thirty study models, material samples, and videos exploring the design development of the new building, expected to open in 2010. For more information, click here.

Installation by Herzog & de Meuron.

Studio as Muse: Herzog & de Meuron’s Design for the New Parrish Art Museum was first presented at the Parrish Art Museum. The presentation at the Architectural League is made possible, in part, by the generous support of Ian Schrager Company.

League programs are also made possible with support of the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Image: Exterior Rendering of The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY. View from Montauk Highway. © Herzog & de Meuron, 2007.

Shortlist: Concept Designer for the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street Station

2008-02-18T17:12:00.001Z

The shortlist was announced by the RIBA for the selection of a Visionary Concept Designer to develop the overarching building vision for the redevelopment of Birmingham’s New Street Station and surrounding area.

The New Street Gateway partnership, which involves Network Rail; Birmingham City Council; Advantage West Midlands and Centro (West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive), was delighted by the response to the first stage of the competition. Forty-seven Expressions of Interest were received from designers in the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States of America.

The six short-listed teams (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
- CRAB Studio
- Foreign Office Architects
- IDOM UK Ltd
- LAB architecture studio
- UNStudio
- Rafael Vinoly Architects

The Jury Panel consisted of representatives from the partner organisations together with Christophe Egret (Studio Egret West) acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser. The Panel selected designers which they felt would have the vision to create something special, resulting in a rejuvenated New Street Station that will raise Birmingham’s profile, act as a gateway for passengers to the City and a catalyst to the ongoing regeneration and economic development of the region. Furthermore, the Panel needed to be confident in each short-listed team’s ability to generate an inspirational design, with a legible external presence.

Commenting on the shortlist, Clive Dutton (Director of Planning & Development, Birmingham City Council) said: ‘The station is the beating heart of the city. Its design must be breath-taking and lift the spirit. Any one of these architects is capable of creating something mind-blowing. What an unbelievably exciting prospect.’

The six short-listed teams will present their vision for a regenerated New Street Station to the Jury Panel at final interview in mid-April 2008. The winner will aim to produce an exceptional and functional design that will portray the dynamic, international character of modern day Birmingham.

Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum: Winner Announced

2008-02-15T20:42:00.005Z

The RIBA has announced the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum Competition has been won by by Berman Guedes Stretton, an Oxford-based firm of architects.

The competition judges were unanimous that Berman Guedes Stretton’s submission was a worthy winner. They considered that the design “possessed clarity of vision and an uncomplicated consistency which gave it a simple elegance and logic”. They praised the design’s eco-friendly aspects, including use of reclaimed and self-finished materials, ground source heat pumps and natural ventilation. They also felt that the development would enhance the surrounding area, by creating a link through to Cheltenham’s oldest building, medieval St Mary’s Church.

The new development will transform Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum by greatly increasing its exhibition and display space and other facilities. Notable features include a large temporary exhibition gallery, additional space for collections (including accessible storage space which will benefit both the public and researchers), and, for the first time, dedicated space for the Art Gallery & Museum’s extensive education, outreach, life-long learning and arts development work. The design also includes improved and fully-accessible visitor facilities, including lifts, shop and café.

The competition judges were informed in their short-listing and judging by a consultation process involving a range of organisations and hundreds of visitors and residents who gave their views on comment sheets and at a series of road-shows throughout Cheltenham.

Councillor Diggory Seacome, Cheltenham Borough Council Cabinet Member for Arts & Culture, said: “The winning design will enable the Art Gallery & Museum to move into the 21st century in terms of its facilities. The arts and culture are important to Cheltenham and are valued and appreciated both by its residents and by those who visit the town at all times of the year. The Design Competition has given everyone the opportunity to examine all the possibilities and we look forward to progressing to the next stages of this important project with a design which has been so well-received.”

Jane Lillystone, Museum & Arts Manager, said: “We are delighted that so many people have shown such an interest in the design competition and in the future of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. The development will not happen overnight, but we are greatly encouraged by the support we have received so far, including by organisations such as the Friends. We are very grateful to the Royal Institute of British Architects and to the judges for their time and expertise, which has taken us this far.”

Congress for the New Urbanism XVI

2008-02-10T10:35:00.000Z

This year's Congress for the New Urbanism will address today's top community--building challenges -- from overcoming anti-urban codes to curbing greenhouse gas emissions – all of which demand truly cooperative action. CNU's annual Congress brings the essential pieces of place making and sustainability for anyone who is interested in architecture, planning, transportation design, or development.

CNU XVI: New Urbanism and the Booming Metropolis will be held in Austin from April 3-6, 2008. The program is nearly set and is full of experts and expertise from urbanisms cutting edge — where the best in walkable neighborhood-based development meets big challenges from the turmoil in the housing market and global climate change to the rapid growth of mega-regions like Central Texas.

See leading thinkers and practitioners such as Pulitzer-Prize winning author Robert Caro, innovative former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, plus Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Ellen Dunham-Jones, Doug Farr, Christopher Leinberger, Emily Talen, Robert Fishman and many more.

Learn more about the program and register at http://cnuxvi.org.

Giles Worsley Travel Fellowship

2008-02-07T09:00:00.000Z

Giles Worsley, the distinguished architectural historian and critic, died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 44. He was an enthusiastic visitor to Italy and a great believer in the importance of Italian architecture of all periods in understanding the development of Western architecture. He was concerned that architecture schools do not give adequate emphasis to the teaching of architectural history and that architectural historians should be encouraged to experience the reality of influential Italian buildings.

Each year, the Fellowship will be awarded to an architect or architectural historian, who will spend three months (October to December) at the British School at Rome, studying an architectural topic of their choice. Travel, accommodation and board and a monthly stipend of £700 will be provided. Each Fellow will be required to deliver a public presentation on their return.

Applications are invited for the 2008 Fellowship. Applicants must have British nationality or have been living and studying in Britain for at least the last three years. They must have completed or be registered for a post graduate qualification. Please apply by February 29th 2008 to:

The Giles Worsley Travel Fellowship
British School at Rome
c/o The British Academy
10 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AH

http://www.bsr.ac.uk/

enclosing a curriculum vita, a statement of 500-700 words indicating the subject of your proposal and your suitability for the Fellowship, and statements of support from two referees.

Applications will be considered by a panel consisting of an RIBA representative, a British School representative and one other, appointed by Giles's family. Their decision will be announced at the end of April 2008.�

Renewable Energy in the Urban Environment

2008-02-06T19:38:00.000Z

Berlin Monday 19 May – Friday 23 May 2008
Renewable Energy in the Urban Environment, a seminar organised by the German Solar Energy Society and Green Dragon Energy, takes place in Berlin, a city in the forefront of renewable energy technology.
Photovoltaics
Solar thermal for heating & cooling
Passive solar buildings
Heat pumps
Bio-energy
Wind energy
Visits to working systems
Solar boat tour

Includes visits to a range of top-quality renewable energy systems and buildings with passive solar features. The seminar will provide an information-rich introduction to renewable energy technology and its application in the urban and suburban environment. It is an ideal opportunity for business people wishing to get involved in this rapidly growing industry, for building engineers and architects and those working in the public and non-profit sectors to get an overview of renewable energy and see some of the best technology. No previous knowledge of renewable energy technologies is assumed.

THE VENUE The Energy Forum, situated on the banks of Spree, is one of Berlin's many low energy /passive solar buildings. It also has a PV system and a heat pump.

See www.greendragonenergy.co.uk/courses.htm for registration

FOOD & ACCOMMODATION A buffet lunch will be served each day during the seminar. Berlin has an excellent selection of reasonably priced hotels. Participants will be provided with contact details.

FEES The seminar costs €1,200 A deposit of € 400 needs to be paid on registering for the course. The seminar is aimed at an international audience and will be in English. The Energy Forum, seminar venue

Berkebile to speak at Fredericton Festival of Architecture

2008-01-31T22:06:00.000Z

More than 400 architects are expected to gather in Fredericton June 25-28, 2008 and just one of the reasons will be keynote speaker Bob Berkebile, FAIA, a leading authority in sustainable design and founding chair of the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment.

“Bob was a pioneer in sustainable design and continues to be at the forefront of our profession by continuously leading with new ideas. We are particularly pleased as he was instrumental in forming the US Green Building Council. This effort was greatly admired by the RAIC and in fact emulated as we decided to incubate the Canada Green Building Council, which has since grown and continues to expand across Canada,” said Kiyoshi Matsuzaki, FRAIC, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) President. “This is personally a treat because Bob has become a guru to my partner in architectural practice and my wife, Eva and I. I hope many architects take the time to come to Fredericton to hear Bob and join us for the Architects’ Association of New Brunswick - RAIC Conference and Festival of Architecture.”

In announcing the keynote, Gaye Kaplan, MRAIC, AANB President and co-chair of the festival said, “I am delighted that Mr. Berkebile will be our keynote speaker and I look forward to hearing him speak on his view of architecture as part of a living system called earth, where neighbourhoods need to respond to their environment just as a living system does by embracing our climate, solar exposure, earth, water and landscape.”

Berkebile is a Principal with BNIM Architects and highly regarded by fellow professionals for creating beautiful environments that are restorative and pedagogical. He has conducted numerous sustainable design charrettes and workshops for the White House, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, to name just a few.

Together RAIC and AANB will be hosting the annual national Conference and Festival of Architecture June 25-28, 2008 themed Steering the Current.

The Architects’ Association of New Brunswick is a corporate self-regulating body, established in 1933, for the purpose of advancing and maintaining the standards of architecture in New Brunswick, for governing and regulating those offering architectural services and for the safeguarding of members of the general public and the profession.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is a voluntary national association established in 1907 as the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada. Representing almost 3,700 architects, the RAIC provides the national framework for the development and recognition of architectural excellence.

www.aanb.org/raic-web.htm

Guest Curator -International Garden Festival 2009

2008-01-26T19:23:00.000Z

The International Garden Festival is seeking a guest curator
for the Festival’s 10th edition in 2009

Grand-Métis, January 14, 2008 - The Fondation des Jardins de Métis is seeking a guest curator for the 10th edition of the International Garden Festival to be held at Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens from June to October 2009. The guest curator will also participate in the realization of the 2008 edition of the Festival. The guest curator will develop an exciting theme for the 10th anniversary edition of the Festival that will stimulate reflection on the art of the garden and generate interest among visitors. The deadline for submitting candidacies is Friday, February 29, 2008.
>>> Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal lance son appel de commissaire invité pour la 11e édition
Initiated in 2000, the International Garden Festival is held every summer from the end of June to the beginning of October on the site of Les Jardins de Métis (also known as Reford Gardens), a national historic site located in Quebec’s Lower St. Lawrence region. The Fondation des Jardins de Métis is responsible for the organization of this ambitious event. Among the goals of the Festival is to present cutting-edge design and to contribute to the renewal of the art of gardens. The Festival also seeks to introduce contemporary design of gardens and landscapes to the general public and the horticultural industries and to encourage the use of new forms and materials. The event is a major cultural event and tourist attraction in eastern Quebec.

The first event of its kind in North America, since 2000 the International Garden Festival has exhibited 65 contemporary gardens created by designers from nine countries (Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom). The event offers visitors the unique opportunity to discover conceptual gardens and explore the gardens that traverse the boundaries of landscape architecture, the visual arts, architecture, design and the environment. Presented adjacent to the historic gardens created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, the Festival builds on the unique heritage of this horticultural pioneer.

The Festival encourages the exploration of the garden in its many facets, anchored in the sense of place and creating sensorial experiences that foster emotional and intellectual responses from visitors. The Festival seeks to use new forms and technologies without neglecting the botanical and horticultural tradition. It encourages the exploration of the garden as a multisensorial space and encourages designers to reflect upon the visitor experience, provoking interaction, participation, exchange and exploration. It promotes the exchange between disciplines and encourages designers to form multi-disciplinary teams.

Photographs of the gardens created for the first eight editions of the Festival can be viewed on the Festival’s web site, www.jardinsmetis.com/phototheque and in the recent publication Hybrids : Reshaping the Contemporary Garden in Métis, under the direction of Lesley Johnstone and published by BLUEimprint, ISBN 978-1-894965-70-5.

Summary of the tasks to be performed :
Under the supervision of the director, the guest curator will perform the following tasks :
· Manage the selection process for the designers;
· Promote the Festival and its designers;
· Contribute to the preparation of grant applications;
· Prepare texts for publications;
· Oversee the preparation of promotional and interpretive material;
· Elaborate a program of activities held in conjunction with the Festival.

The guest curator will work in close collaboration with the staff of Les Jardins de Métis and s/he will be assisted by the director and technical coordinator of the Festival. S/he will have to be available at Les Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens for the construction period of the contemporary gardens in May and June. The proposed contract is from April 2008 to October 2009.

Candidates should :
· Have a degree in landscape architecture, architecture, art history, museum studies or a related domain;
· Have a solid understanding of the garden;
· Have at least two years of experience in project management;
· Demonstrate a high degree of independence and creativity;
· Be an excellent communicator.

Dossiers should be sent to the address listed below by Friday, February 29, 2008 and should include a letter of interest, a curriculum vitæ and a selection of articles or publications realized under the candidate’s responsibility. You may submit other documents to illustrate the exhibitions or events in which you have participated or that you have organized.

Please send your dossier to : Les Jardins de Métis
Guest curator application
200, route 132, Grand-Métis (Québec) Canada G0J 1Z0
reford@refordgardens.com

Sheffield Parkway Competition - Winner Announced

2008-01-24T21:02:00.000Z

Tim Norlund, a 23 year old architect from Denmark has beaten over 100 entries to gain first prize in the Sheffield Parkway footbridge competition. Norlund joined forces with Ramboll Whitby Bird, and together they will work with the client team (to be led by Rotherham Council) to take the scheme forward.

The new bridge will provide an important route over the A630 Sheffield Parkway, a busy dual carriageway which links the heart of Sheffield City Centre and parts of Rotherham, with the M1 motorway. It will also provide a vital safety route, since the existing route across the Parkway is noted as one of the top ten most dangerous crossings in the UK.

The judging panel, chaired by RIBA Adviser Nik Randall, of Space Craft Architects, included representatives from the promoters - Rotherham and Sheffield Councils, and Yorkshire Forward. The judges were looking for a design that would be a ‘pleasure to cross, that responds to the local landscape, is deliverable and beautiful to look at’.

The competition produced an exceptional international response with entries from 14 different countries. The other four teams shortlisted to stage two were :

- Arup Associates, London
- DLG Architects, London
- Satellite Architects, London with Elliott Wood Partnership
- Tony Leung, Hong Kong with Ove Arup & Partners, Sheffield

Based upon a simple ‘O’ ring design, the winning design was considered to be both inspired and inspiring : the expression of the structural simplicity was particularly liked, it was felt that the immediacy with which the form of the ‘O’ ring will be understood will provide an orienting device in the landscape, appearing different from each approach. The clean lines and form of the support ring will provide an unexpected but appropriate intrusion into the undulating green landscape, whilst the simple ‘line’ of the walkways provides a counterpoint to the ragged canopy of the trees. The incorporation of simple and effective lighting will help it to respond to the climate, the season and local events.

Nik Randall said “The quality of the concepts by the shortlisted entries was, without exception very high. All the finalists exhibited unique characteristics, and each would ultimately have provided an elegant and memorable design. However, there can only be one winner, and it was felt the design by Tim Norlund/Ramboll Whitby Bird provides a wonderful response. It will be a simple and optimistic icon for the region and we have every confidence it will become a much loved local landmark”.

On his win, Tim Norlund commented : “As a young architect at the beginning of my career, I’m very excited to get the opportunity to take this project further from a conceptual idea and all the way to completion. I’m looking forward to people using and enjoying the bridge, as much as I have enjoyed designing it”.

The winning team will now work closely with Yorkshire Forward and Rotherham MBC to progress the winning concept.

International Study Visit to ZukunftsWerkStadt Leinefelde, Germany

2008-01-17T20:26:00.000Z

8th - 13th June 2008
The Building and Social Housing Foundation is organising a five-day study visit to the winner of the 2007 World Habitat Award.

What is ZukunftsWerkStadt Leinefelde?
The municipality of Leinefelde-Worbis in former East Germany has succeeded in addressing the problems faced by shrinking cities through an innovative and integrated, participatory approach to urban regeneration.

The urban living environment has been significantly upgraded, with redundant housing stock demolished and over 2,500 apartments refurbished to high environmental standards. As a result of the project, the economy has been revitalised and depopulation trends have gradually been reversed.

Purpose of the visit
The purpose of the visit is to provide an in-depth understanding of the practical techniques, training methods and project management approaches used in the project. Intensive site visits will form a major part of the study visit, providing an opportunity to study all aspects of the project and to meet those responsible for its success.

Apply online
Bursaries are provided by BSHF to help meet the travel and accommodation costs of those selected to take part in the international study visit. Please note that all applications should reach BSHF by Friday 29th February 2008.
Click here to apply online

Drinks with a Designer: Gordon Kipping @ Issey Miyake, NYC

2008-01-16T06:30:00.000Z

DESIGN IN 5, Architectural League of New York

Thursday, January 24
7:00 pm, Miyake Madison tour and discussion
8:00 pm, Drinks and conversation

Come to a tour and discussion with emerging architect, Gordon Kipping, at Miyake Madison, the fashion boutique he recently designed for the Japanese fashion designer, Issey Miyake. Following the program, you are invited to mingle with other designers and the architect at the Phoenix Park bar.

Kipping will discuss the design and construction of the store and the relationship between architect and client. Previous to Miyake Madison, Kipping and G TECTS executed the design for Miyake’s Tribeca boutique, which was designed in collaboration with Frank Gehry, who was author of the sculpture. Here’s your chance to get a rare and revealing comparison of the processes leading to these two very different designs.

Drinks with a Designer is open to all young designers five years or less out of school; whether you are a graphic, industrial, or fashion designer, an artist or architect, Design in 5 invites you to attend. Reservations are required as the group will be limited to 20 people: please email designin5@archleague.org or call 212.753.1722 x 13 to reserve and receive more information. Drinks at the Phoenix Park bar are not included with the reservation. For more information, visit:
www.archleague.org/index-dynamic.php?show=706

Drinks with a Designer is brought to you by Design in 5. Design in 5 is a new group of the Architectural League of New York, formed for designers of all disciplines 5 years or less out of school. Design in 5 responds to this youngest group of designers, providing unique opportunities and activities for exchanging ideas across disciplines, fostering camaraderie, and above all, having fun.

AZ Architects Mentor Teens in May -Scottsdale AZ

2008-01-15T18:52:00.000Z

WHAT:
Architecture Presentations & Activities at the Museum in May:
Bucky Fuller's Futuristic Principles of Design Science - May 1

Architecture Career-Day Workshop for Teens - May 3

WHERE:
Lecture: Stage 2 Theater - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
7380 East Second Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Teen Workshop: downtown Phoenix office of SmithGroup

WHEN:
Lecture: Thursday, May 1 at 7:00 pm

Teen Workshop: Satruday, May 3 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm

TICKETS & INFORMATION:
480-994-ARTS (2787)

ARTiculations lecture: Buckminster Fuller Lives On

MAY 1 7 PM

Michael Ben-Eli will discuss Bucky Fuller's futuristic principles of Design Science and relate his visionary ideas to the challenge of sustainability today. Fuller was one of the most remarkable minds of the 20th century-an engineer, architect, mathematician, designer, poet, philosopher, motivational speaker, utopian thinker and (of course) inventor of the geodesic dome. Ben-Eli, his former student and close associate, graduated from the Architectural Association, London, and received his Ph.D. from the Institute of Cybernetics, Brunel University, London. He is founder of Sustainability Initiatives, an effort to accelerate the transition to sustainability practices. Stage 2 Theater. $5 members; $7 nonmembers. Call 480-994-ARTS for tickets.

**The play R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe, will be presented May 9, 2008 at 8 pm in the Virginia G. Piper Theater at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Call 480-994-ARTS for tickets.**

Inspiring Aspiring Architects: A Career-Day Workshop for Teens

MAY 3 1 - 4 PM

This fun design charrette is for junior and senior high-school students who are interested in architecture and want the chance to explore the field further. Accomplished architects from some of the Valley's most significant firms will lead small teams in a collaborative design assignment. Teens, with their accompanying parent or adult, will work alongside professionals to tackle collective problem solving and experience architecture in action. Participating architects include: Jack DeBartolo, Jr. and Jack DeBartolo III, DeBartolo Architects; Mark Patterson, SmithGroup; Chuck Albright, Gensler; John Kane, Architekton; Peter Koliopoulos, Circle West Architects; Kristine Woolsey, Woolsey Studio, with Donna Barry, Substance Design Consortium; Eddie Jones, Jones Studio, Inc.; Nancy Levinson, Phoenix Urban Research Lab at ASU, with Christiana Moss, Studio Ma; and Awilda Rodriguez and Paolo Sanza, digital extension [dex]. The workshop takes place at the downtown Phoenix offices of SmithGroup. Refreshments and materials provided. $20 members per teen/adult pair; $30 for nonmember pairs. Pre-registration required; space is limited. Call 480-874-4641.

ABOUT SMoCA:
Mission: The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art champions creativity, innovation and the vitality of the visual arts. We seek both to build and to educate audiences for modern and contemporary art, as well as to provide opportunities for the artistic community-locally, nationally and internationally. SMoCA provides a memorable experience of art, architecture and design by exploring new curatorial approaches and by highlighting cultural context. We interpret, exhibit, collect and preserve works in these media.

Located in the center of one of America's fastest growing and most dynamic regional economies, SMoCA contributes to its communities' vitality and provides a forum for creative dialog. The Museum is dedicated to advancing public awareness and knowledge of architecture and design, building on the proud legacy of visionary architecture in this community, epitomized by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti.

For interviews, digital photograph requests or additional information please contact:

Lesley Oliver
SMoCA Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art [SMoCA]
Phone: (480) 874-4654
Email: loliver@sccarts.org

Certificate Program in Green Building Design

2008-01-15T18:38:00.000Z

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Department of Continuing Education and Public Programs

A Professional Qualification for the built environment of the 21st century.

Designed for practicing engineers, architects, real estate developers and members of allied professions, the Certificate requires 110 hours of class instruction within two years. The spring term courses are:

Distributed Generation and Renewable Energy
Daylighting
The Cybernetic Principle in Sustainable Design
Green Retrofitting

For information, go to www.cooper.edu/ce or call 212-353-4198
David Greenstein
Director of Continuing Education

Shigeru Ban Lecture in New York

2008-01-15T05:50:00.000Z

Shigeru Ban
Franzen Lecture on Architecture and the Environment
7:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 22
Architecture League of New York
The Great Hall, The Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street

The 2007-8 Franzen Lecture on Architecture and the Environment, an annual invited lecture by an international figure whose work has significant implications for understanding and reconceiving the relationship between architecture and the environment, will be delivered by Shigeru Ban. The annual lecture was created in honor of long-time League board member Ulrich Franzen.

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban’s innovative work tests the limits of structure and form. Often based on elements derived from traditional Japanese architecture, his firm’s designs are ecologically sensitive and flexibly programmed, from quickly constructed temporary paper structures to modular, reconfigurable galleries and pavilions to permanent urban structures. Recent and current work includes the Nomadic Museum; the Seikei Library; Papertainer Museum, Seoul; Nicolas G. Hayek Center, Tokyo; the Metal Shutter Houses; and the Pompidou Center – Metz.

Co-sponsored by The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union.

Admission is free for League members, $10 for non-members. League members may make reservations by emailing rsvp@archleague.org or by calling 212-980-3767. Cooper Union students, staff, and alumni with ID receive free admission; entrance is based on a first-come, first-served basis. AIA and New York State continuing education credits are available.

You are invited to speak at Pecha Kucha Night Shanghai!

2008-01-08T06:40:00.000Z

Pecha Kucha Night Shanghai Volume 9 will be held on Friday 18 January 2008 at Living Design Center and starts at 20:20.

Hereby we invite you to come and present at Pecha Kucha Night 9 and get your own 6 minutes and 40 seconds of fame!

WHAT?
The Japanese term ´Pecha Kucha´ roughly translates as chit-chat or irritating chatter. As a happy crossbreed between an elevator pitch and a slide show Pecha Kucha Night will present 12 speakers who will show 20 slides for 20 seconds each. It is also possible to present a movie, just make it exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds long ! No more boring lectures, seminars or presentations. Pecha Kucha Night offers the audience the experience of a dazzling range of speakers and images in the course of one evening. Breaks will be filled with drinks, music, images, and off course: chit-chat (so bring your business cards).

WHO?
Pecha Kucha Night is for designers, architects, photographers, interior designers, graphical designers, gamers, artists, fashion freaks, inventors, creative students or anyone else with ideas the world needs to know about. If you want to present a new building, furniture, book, add campaign, fashion line, gadgets or any other idea or design come and share it with us!

INFO?
check www.sinocities.net

WANT TO PRESENT?
If you want to present at Pecha Kucha Night send an email to info'at'far-china.net with the following information:
01) Name
02) Age
03) Male/Female
04) Profession
05) Mobile Number
06) Email Adress
07) Website Address
08) Company Name
09) Short explanation of work you want to present
10) 2 images of your work or presentation

WANT TO BE A VOLUNTEER?
Pecha Kucha is non-profit, we can only survive thanks to the great help of many volunteers! mail to info'at'far-china.net

WANT TO WATCH?
there are only 500 entrance tickets available this time, so come early if you want to be in.

HOPE TO SEE YOU !
your Pecha Kucha team

Individual Grant Opportunities for Architects & Designers

2008-01-02T22:07:00.000Z

7:00 p.m. Thursday, January 10
Architecture League of New York
The Urban Center, 457 Madison Avenue, NY

Representatives from the American Academy in Rome, the American Institute of Architects, the Deborah J. Norden Fund, the Design Trust for Public Space, the MacDowell Colony, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Van Alen Institute will discuss opportunities for individual grants and fellowships for architects and designers. For more information: www.archleague.org

Shortlist: Mersey Observatory Design Competition

2007-12-21T07:33:00.000Z

The RIBA has announced that a shortlist of five designs for the Mersey Observatory in Crosby has been selected by the judging panel. The international design competition attracted an outstanding response, with 92 designs received worldwide from architects in New York, Finland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Austria, China and Denmark, as well as the UK and Ireland.

The shortlisted practices are:

Ellis Williams Architects, Preston Brook
Duggan Morris Architects Ltd, London
Phos Architects, London
Farrell and Clark, Leeds
Studio 8 Architects, London

Competitors were set the challenge of designing an Observatory that will be loved by local people, as well as attracting people to visit Crosby and creating new jobs. The Observatory will be the first spectacular landmark seen by visiting tourists onboard cruise ships coming into the new landing facility at the Pier Head. It will be required to meet high standards of sustainability, including using renewable energy sources. It must also not impact negatively on the sites’ important nearby wildlife habitats, especially the foreshore.

Designs range from a startlingly elegant V-shaped structure with a suspended viewing pod cantilevered out over the River Mersey, to a triangular wedge shaped building extending out over the river.

The five designs are preliminary at this stage and will be refined over the coming months ahead of a public exhibition next February.

As well as architects and regeneration experts, the selection panel also included Crosby resident Ian Hamilton Fazey, representing the views of Waterloo Residents Association and the Friends of Crosby Coastal Park.

Comments from local people on the short listed designs are welcome and can be made by emailing observatory@merseybasin.org.uk. Comments will be passed on to the judging panel so they can be used when the winning design is selected in March 2008.

People will also have a chance to comment when an exhibition of the shortlisted designs goes on display in February 2008. A winner will be selected in March 2008.

Ian Hamilton Fazey, chairman of the Waterloo Residents' Association and a member of the jury for the competition, said: "This will be a signature building at the point where the Mersey becomes Liverpool Bay. It will be visible for many miles and act as a powerful statement of Liverpool's resurgence.
"As it looms ever larger when the great cruise liners sail up the Crosby Channel into the Mersey, we want something that will surprise, delight and impress people from all over the world.
"The project has wide popular support, partly because we would all like to see the back of the Mersey waterfront's very own architectural carbuncle, but also because, over the years, the Observatory will bring in millions of visitors and greatly boost our local economy, with considerable opportunities for Waterloo's restaurants, cafes, pubs, and shops."

Walter Menzies, chief executive of the Mersey Basin Campaign, said: “The River Mersey changed the world. Its regeneration is one of the great success stories of the last twenty years. In the twenty-first century its future is exciting. The story of the river yesterday, today and tomorrow must be told. The Mersey Observatory could have no more magnificent site and the short listed entries brilliantly show the potential.”

Winner announced -University of Bath Arts Centre design competition

2007-12-15T06:22:00.000Z

McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) have been chosen to design a new inter-disciplinary Arts Complex on a prominent site within the University of Bath’s Claverton Down campus. The new facility will replace existing facilities and provide for significant innovation and expansion.

MUMA were chosen following a two stage competition which initially attracted interest from over 80 practices. Only five were invited to prepare initial concept sketches and present these to a panel of judges, which included University representatives and RIBA architect adviser Sir Jeremy Dixon.

The jury panel enjoyed MUMA’s ‘round the table’ style presentation, which demonstrated how the practice had carefully considered flexibility of use, the character of the space, nice use of light, and interesting ideas for drawing in the landscape. The panel felt the practice would engage well with the University and the students.

John Struthers, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Interdisciplinary Arts (ICIA) said: “We were very impressed with the high calibre of the shortlisted teams, but MUMA’s proposals really captured the essence of what we were trying to achieve with this new complex. Their concept is intelligent, flexible and attractive, and we look forward to working with them on this project”.

MUMA will work with the University representatives to develop a detailed design and move the project forward.

UK Eco town design competition announced

2007-12-14T05:59:00.000Z

Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper announced that an ideas competition would be run to develop and set the design standards for ten new eco-towns. She wants to engage the leading creative thinkers on architecture, urban and landscape design and transport planning on proposals for the new developments of up to 20,000 homes.

The Government's adviser on architecture and urban design CABE, with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, will assist the Government in the competition and establish a judging panel to assess the entries. The competition will focus both on the practical design ideas and the design and development process. A prize will be made available for the overall winner of the competition, as well as awards for specialist areas.

There will also be an opportunity for public involvement to judge eco-towns designs through a citizens' panel. At the end of the competition, the best of the ideas and lessons learned will be drawn together in an exhibition and eco-towns "compendium", which will help inform the thinking of local authorities and developers taking forward eco-town proposals.
Yvette Cooper said:

"We need to deliver the best eco-towns for the sake of the planet and the next generation. However, we don't want each town to be the same, but to instead reflect the history, aspirations and character of each local area. This is why it is crucial that we involve local people and citizen juries are a great way of doing just that."
The aims of the competition are to gather ideas:

from the best national and international thinkers in the fields of town planning, urban design, architecture, landscape design, transport and environmental planning;
on what an eco-town could and should try to achieve, and how the design and development process can support positive outcomes;
on the key design features that should be considered when designing an eco-town, eg regional and local identity;
on the design layout of eco-towns and how they tie in with existing transport links and the natural landscape; and
on housing layouts and sustainability features.�

Redad the full prspectus at www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/eco-towns

Shortlist announced: Bentley Community Library Competition

2007-12-08T07:46:00.000Z

The shortlist is announced for the competition to design a new community library facility in Bentley, Walsall.

Walsall Council was delighted by the response to the competition that attracted 72 Expressions of Interest from architectural practices in the UK, Europe, Sri Lanka and the United States of America. The Jury Panel, which consisted of representatives from the local community, Walsall Council and an RIBA Adviser (Chris Haddon, Haddon Few Montuschi), faced an extremely difficult task in selecting a short-list from a strong field of entrants. The Panel short-listed practices which they felt had best demonstrated their ability to produce a high quality design and engage with the local community and other stakeholders to ensure a sense of pride and ownership in the library building, which will set a precedent for future developments in Bentley.

The six short-listed practices (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
- Aaron Evans Architects
- Fashion Architecture Taste (Fat) Ltd
- Featherstone Associates
- McMorran and Gatehouse Architects Ltd
- Panter Hudspith Architects
- Sjolander da Cruz Architects

Jury Panel member Cllr. Adrian Andrew (Walsall Council cabinet member for regeneration) commented: ‘We live in very exciting times and I’m sure that we will have a new landmark building in Bentley to be proud of. We have the iconic New Art Gallery here in Walsall so we are no strangers to landmark buildings. One of the really great things about the Bentley Library project is that there is a tremendous amount of community participation. That’s important as they are the ones who will live and use the building. However, this is not just about working in partnership with the community. This is also Walsall Council working together as regeneration and libraries staff work together as well.’

Members of the public will be invited to comment on the design proposals when they are subject to anonymous public exhibition in late January 2008. Comments raised will be used to help inform the Jury Panel’s decision when the teams present their schemes at a final interview in early February 2008. The winner of the competition will initially be commissioned to develop their design proposal up to RIBA Stage D.

Charlottesville Community Design Centre: Events December

2007-12-06T04:58:00.000Z

Two announcements this week from CCDC:

CCDC will screen the film, The Unforeseen, in our gallery at 101 E. Main St. on Wednesday, December 12 at 7 pm in conjunction with UVA's Human Rights Watch Film Series. The film concerns real estate and urban development issues in Austin, Texas, and the environmental and health impacts it had on a small community and their political response. The event is free and open to the public. The Unforeseen runs about 90 minutes - please plan to arrive a few minutes early, as seating will be limited.

The film, executive produced by Terrence Malick, follows the career of Gary Bradley, an ambitious west Texas farm boy who went to Austin and became one of the state's most powerful real estate developers in the boomtown growth era of the 1970s. When one of his developments threatened a local treasure, "Barton Springs," the community fought back and the subdivision became a lightning rod for environmental activism. The Unforeseen shows the negotiation between the destruction of the natural world and the American Dream in its debates over land, economics, property rights, and the public good.

2) CCDC will host a final volunteer paint day in the new office and gallery space at 100 5th St. NE on Sunday, December 16 from 11-4 pm. We've made substantial progress with our first two volunteer days and are eagerly awaiting our January move in date. This will be the last opportunity for volunteers to help with painting before we move. Please email Mandy at burbage@cvilledesign.org if you'd like to volunteer your time. Painters of all abilities are welcome.

Proposals for the West Side Rail Yards, New York

2007-11-28T15:57:00.000Z

American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter; Architectural League of New York; Design Trust for Public Space; Fine Arts Federation; Friends of the High Line; Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art; Municipal Art Society; New York New Visions; Regional Plan Association

present

Proposals for the West Side Rail Yards

Monday, December 3, 2007
6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
The Great Hall, Cooper Union
7 West 7th Street
New York City
Free admission, no reservations required

Even in an era of large-scale real estate ventures, the proposed development of the West Side Rail Yards is an enormous undertaking, with equally enormous implications for the future of New York. On October 11, 2007, five developers submitted responses to a Request For Proposals issued by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for development of both the Eastern and Western Rail Yards, the largest undeveloped tract of land in Manhattan. Zoning on the overall site allows 12 million square feet of combined residential and commercial development; the RFP also requires that space be allotted for a public school and community and cultural organizations. The MTA expects to select a developer for the site in the first quarter of 2008; after conditional approval by the MTA board, the selected proposal will proceed through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).

On Monday evening, December 3, representatives of the design teams for the proposals will present their schemes in a public program co-sponsored by a group of architecture and civic organizations. This is the first public program at which these proposals will be presented.

Architectural teams and developers are as follows: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Field Operations, Thomas Phifer and Partners, SHoP Architects, Diller Scofidio and Renfro, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA, Handel Architects (Brookfield Properties LLC, developer); Steven Holl Architects (Extell Development Company, developer); FXFOWLE and Pelli Clarke Pelli (Hudson Center East LLC and Hudson Center West LLC, joint venture of Vornado Realty Trust and The Durst Organization, Inc., developer); Kohn Pedersen Fox, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Arquitectonica (The Related Companies, developer); Murphy/Jahn Architects, PWP-Peter Walker and Partners (TS West Side holding, LLC, joint venture of Tishman Speyer and Morgan Stanley, developer).

Proposals are currently on view in an exhibition presented by the MTA:
Public Viewing of Rail Yards Bid Proposals
335 Madison Avenue (northwest corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and 43rd Street)
Across from Grand Central Terminal
Daily 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., through December 3

Creative Kids Nursery: London

2007-11-27T17:56:00.000Z

New Nurseries Opening Summer 2008:
Liverpool Street & Stoke Newington

Creative Kids was set up by two architect parents to offer a whole learning environment with an additional bonus - a specific focus on creativity - helping children to develop their tactile skills and awareness of colour, form, space, language and music.

Run by experienced, qualified staff, Creative Kids is a safe, stimulating environment for your child through these important early years.

Childcare places are available for 0-5 year olds. We welcome applications from parents in the creative industries and other professions.

Places are limited – for reservations and more information please email: creativekidsnursery@yahoo.com

Friends of the High Line

2007-11-26T23:09:00.000Z

Three Opportunities to View and Comment on West Side Rail Yards Proposals

UPCOMING RAIL YARDS EVENTS
This Thursday, November 29: Rail Yards Proposals Viewing and Drinks FREE
Monday, December 3: Rail Yards Architects Presentations FREE
December 10: Hudson Yards Community Advisory Committee's Rail Yards Input Forum FREE

Each of these three events has a different format, and each offers an opportunity to learn more about the proposals before the MTA's selection process begins. It's essential that High Line supporters show decision-makers at the MTA how important it is to preserve the entire historic High Line at the rail yards. If you can't make any of these events, please go see the exhibit of the proposals and fill out a comment form before December 3.

THIS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29: RAIL YARDS PROPOSALS VIEWING AND DRINKS FREE
Join Friends of the High Line to view and comment on the proposals now on exhibition near Grand Central Terminal. This may be your last chance to view and comment on the designs, which are only on display until December 3. Afterward, join us across the street at Annie Moore's bar for a free drink and informal discussion. FHL staff will be on hand to discuss the rail yards and other High Line developments.

Rail Yards Proposals Exhibition
335 Madison Avenue
(Northwest corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and 43rd Street)
Across from Grand Central Terminal
6:00 – 8:00 PM

RSVP to rsvp@thehighline.org

More information on the MTA's Release of the Rail Yards Proposals

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3: RAIL YARDS ARCHITECTS PRESENTATIONS FREE
Representatives from the architectural teams will speak about the architecture and urban design of their proposals. Presentations will be followed by Q&A.

This event is co-sponsored by American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter; Architectural League of New York; the Design Trust for Public Space; Fine Arts Federation; Friends of the High Line; Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art; Municipal Art Society; New York New Visions; and Regional Plan Association.

Great Hall, Cooper Union
7 East 7th Street
6:00 – 8:00 PM
No RSVP required. More details will be announced in our e-mail newsletter later this week.

www.thehighline.org

Singapore Archifest 07 "Aspiration to Realisation

2007-11-25T10:51:00.001Z

Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) announces the launch of Singapore ArchiFest07, to be held in Singapore from 27 November to 8 December 2007.

The theme “Aspiration to Realisation” provides a focus for the inaugural Singapore ArchiFest. The festival events will centre on the unique challenges faced by Singapore as a small city with high density living and scarce land resources. Representatives from different parts of the world will be invited to share their journeys in realising their aspirations, through presentation of ideas and philosophies, in the context of the growing city and its living environment.

Professionals from all the design and construction fields are invited to interact and encouraged to engage in a fun, friendly and free atmosphere, which will allow for discussion of the most critical challenges facing architecture, society and the city. Throughout the two-week festival, a myriad of exciting events including Exhibitions, Forum and ArchiTours will be unveiled at various locations. Celebrate the diverse talents in local architecture and uncover the dreams behind the facade, with activities and happenings for all to participate in.

Visitors can also look forward to the many public events at Singapore ArchiFest 07. The exhibitions at the City Hall will feature winning designs from Design Ideas Competition for Marina South Residential District and the National Art Gallery, while the guided ArchiTours will involve exploration of some of the mosticonic buildings in Singapore.

Singapore Archifest 07 is an initiative supported and co-funded under the Architecture and Urban Design Excellence (A•UDE)Promotion Programme by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

HIGHLIGHTS / SINGAPORE ARCHIFEST 07 EXHIBITIONS/ 27 Nov -8 Dec 07/ 10am –9pm / City Hall/ Free The collection of exhibitions will be held at the City Hall, featuringaward-winning works from various architectural competitions as well as internationally acclaimed urban designs.

+ Design Ideas Competition for the Marina South Residential District Jointly organised by SIA and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the Design Ideas Competition invited architects, planners and students to submit fresh, innovative ideas for a unique waterfront-garden residential district in Marina South located at Singapore's Marina Bay. The ideas will serve as an inspiration and catalyst for the planning and urban design strategies to be adopted for the development of the district. Submissions will be exhibited at ArchiFest. Competition information attached separately.

+ ‘S 3: Steel. Space. Structure’ Ideas Competition Jointly presented by SIA and BlueScope Steel, S 3 is a platform for designers with imaginative ideas to create steel building designs that not only demonstrate strong levels of innovation and functionality, but also inspire those who will see and use the space. Participants are to design and detail a steel pavilion located beside the visitor centre at Orchard Road, accommodating a cafe, retail space and an exhibition space. The winning design stands a chance to be built and realised on site in 2008and outstanding submissions will be exhibited at ArchiFest.

+National Art Gallery Competition The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) has launched an architectural design competition to seek world-class design ideas to transform two important heritage buildings -the City Hall and former Supreme Court -into Singapore's National Art Gallery. The winning entries have been selected by an international jury panel and will be exhibited at ArchiFest.

+ Special Exhibition Specially curated for the Singapore ArchiFest, the exhibition will feature exceptional works from established architects from different parts of the world.

FORUM/ 30 Nov & 1 Dec 07/ NTUC Auditorium The two-day Singapore ArchiFest forum brings together a stellar lineup of speakers who will be addressing the challenges of urban architectural design. “Aspiration to Realisation” sets the theme for the forum, where 12 speakers from different parts of the world will be invited to share their journeys in realising their aspirations through presentation of ideas and philosophies, in the context of the growing city and its living environment. The interactive and thought provoking sessions will inspire all, offering excellent opportunities to exchange experiences and gain valuable new perspectives.

Keynote Speakers
+ Manabu Chiba/ Chiba Manabu Architects / Japan
+ Kerry Hill / Kerry Hill Architects / Singapore Forum Speakers
+ Ma Yansong/ MAD / China
+ Hitoshi Abe/ Atelier Hitoshi Abe / Japan
+ Takaharu Tezuka
+ Yui Tezuka/Japan
+ Kevin Mark Low/ Small Projects / Malaysia
+ Angelene Chan/ DP Architects / Singapore
+ Chan Soo Khian/ SCDA Architects / Singapore
+ Sonny Chan/ Chan Sau Yan Associates / Singapore
+ Seah Chee Kien/ RSP Architects Planners & Engineers / Singapore
+ Chris Luebkeman/ ARUP/ United Kingdom
+ Max Fordham/ Max Fordham Consulting Engineers/ United Kingdom

Forum Ticketing Information Public S$260 SIA Members S$210 Student S$50 Prices exclude taxes, administrative fees and any other charges. Ticket entitles delegate to the Forum on 30 Nov and 1 Dec, Awards Party on 30 Nov and one session of ArchiTour. To purchase tickets, please visit www.archifest.sg

ARCHITOURS/ 30 Nov-9Dec 07/ Various locations A fun and engaging way to explore some of Singapore’s most distinctive neighbourhoods and districts, the guided ArchiTours will be held daily throughout the festival. The guided ArchiTours aim to educate and inspire locals and tourists alike on the unique architecture in Singapore and how the changing urban landscapes affect the way we live, work and think. The ArchiTours will highlight the development and expression of local architecture through the times, charting the influences of changing political, economical, social and cultural conditions, and drawing attention to the architectural milestones and predominant language used. Comparison will also be made between the traditional and contemporary architectural interpretations. Some of the landmarks lined-up for the ArchiTours include Tiong Bahru SIT Flats, Pearlbank Apartments, Golden Mile Shopping Complex and Gallery Hotel. Participants will also get to experience night life through the architectural eyes, visiting unique watering holes such as Dempsey Road, Loof, Muse and St James Power House at the specially curated night tours. Tour information attached separately. ArchiTours Ticketing Information Day Tour (4 hours) Public S$40 | Student S$25 Night Tour (7 hours with drinks) Public S$60 | Student S$40 Prices exclude taxes, administrative fees and any other charges.

AWARDS PARTY / 30 Nov 07/ City Hall There’s no better way to celebrate the best in architectural design than with a great bash! An occasion to recognize and honor the winners of the SIA Industry Awards and the perfect get-together for professionals, students and festival goers, the Awards Party will be held on 30 November at the City Hall. Entry with forum tickets and by invitation only.

FRINGE EVENTS/ City Hall/ Free Running concurrently with the events during the two-week festival, a range of fringe activities will be held at City Hall.

+ ROJAK by FARM/ 1 Dec 07. 9pm ROJAK is a series of sharing parties to celebrate and share local independent works in art, architecture, words, music, fashion, food, film and anything creative really. Organized by FARM, anon-profit society initiated by a group of creatives to help creatives in Singapore flaunt, share, understand and possibly collaborate with one another. In conjunction with Singapore ArchiFest and Design Festival, FARM presents ROJAK 10: The Collaborative Edition. 5 groups of artists/designers are invited to present their works and processes that stems from collaboration at the session. For more information, please visit www.farm.sg.

+ “Asian Alterity” Book Launch by World Scientific Publisher/ 5 Dec 07. 5.30pm “Asian Alterity” a new architecture book by William SW Lim is an interdisciplinary theoretical analysis that vigorously contests the homogeneity of the mainstream Eurocentric values. The book argues for the need for an alternate perspective to be introduced so as to understand the diversity of Asia’s cultural differences and to meet the complex challenges of the explosive urban expansion and disruptive changes in traditional cultures and lifestyles.

Cheltenham Art Gallery Competition Shortlist

2007-11-25T08:56:00.000Z

Cheltenham’s Art Gallery & Museum is Building for a New Future
A sustainable development for Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum

Four design solutions have now been shortlisted by the judging panel for the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) competition, which attracted 77 submissions from all over the UK, Europe and the world.

In their deliberations, the expert panel of judges took into account the views of the public and Advisory Panel, including representatives from the Friends of the Art Gallery & Museum, and others involved in, and affected by the development.

Richard Brearley, the RIBA Adviser, said:
‘The judges were very impressed at the standard of the submissions and with the consultative process which has taken place. It was a difficult task to narrow the entries down to four, but we are confident that those chosen to go forward to the next stage meet the competition brief of being unique, functional, eco-friendly and achievable.’

The four shortlisted designs were all produced by British teams:
Submission No. 7: Ramboll Whitbybird, a Manchester firm, which has branches in Birmingham and Bristol and has worked on several projects in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire;
Submission No. 14: David Grindley Architects, based in Milton Keynes, which has worked on a wide range of projects in the public and private sector;
Submission No. 51: Ellis Williams, a London-based firm of architects, with experience in culture sector projects in the UK and abroad;
Submission No. 69: Berman Guedes Stretton, an Oxford based architect with a branch in London, and has worked on a variety of projects in these cities.

Jane Lillystone, Museum & Arts Manager, said:
‘We will be displaying the four shortlisted design solutions at the Art Gallery & Museum, around Cheltenham, and on our websites over the next few weeks, so that people can see them and make further comments. During this period, the four shortlisted teams will be answering questions arising from their submissions and preparing for detailed interviews by the judges in early December.’

To view online, go to:
www.cheltenhamartgallery.org.uk/buildingforanewfuture

THE BIG PAINT: CCDC

2007-11-23T06:12:00.000Z

Tuesday, November 27 starting at 2 pm at CCDC

CCDC Friends,

We are now less than two weeks away from our move into the new space at 100 5th Street NE & invite you to help us in this last push to get everything done before our big moving day! Our next scheduled volunteer painting day will be on Tuesday, November 27 beginning at 2 pm. Please consider stopping by to lend a hand, even if it's for an hour or so after work.

Our volunteer efforts to date have been invaluable in helping us move forward, stay on schedule and save money, and we would very much appreciate your help as we hit the home stretch. If you are able to volunteer, please contact Mandy Burbage at burbage@cvilledesign.org or 434.984.2232. Food, drink and music will be provided.

World Architecture Festival

2007-11-22T20:53:00.000Z

22-24 OCTOBER 2008. BARCELONA, SPAIN

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) will celebrate the work, concerns and aspirations of the international architectural community, during a three-day event taking place in Barcelona, Spain from 22 to 24 October 2008.

The Festival will be an annual opportunity to compare and contrast the extraordinary range of designs created by a profession which has always looked beyond national borders to the wider world of architectural culture.

At the heart of the Festival will be the biggest architectural awards programme in the world.

International juries will shortlist the best recently completed buildings in 16 categories. All shortlisted architects will present their work to live juries and audiences at the Festival, competing against each other to become category winners. Category winners will compete against each other in front of a super-jury, to win the ‘best in show’ prize, the first architectural Prix de Barcelona.

All entries in the awards will be exhibited on site at the Festival in a gallery modelled on the Barcelona grid system, and after the Festival all entries will be permanently available on the WAF website.

Entries open April 2008 and close June 2008

www.worldarchitecturefestival.com