This collection of essays will focus on terrain vague—marginal, semi-abandoned space in or along the edge of the city—as abstract concept, specific locale, and subject of literary, architectural, or otherwise artistic intervention.

Ignasi de Solà-Morales defines terrain vague as land in a “potentially exploitable state but already possessing some definition to which we are external,” or “strange places” that “exist outside the city’s effective circuits and productive structures” (119, 120). Gil Doron similarly defines “landscapes of transgression” as derelict sites where “nature has started to reconstruct the built or (now) ‘ruined’ environment. . . . space[s] that opened in the dichotomy of what we perceive as city and nature” (255).

We are particularly interested in responses to the idea, as expressed by Luc Lévesque, that “‘terrain vague’ offers a counterpoint to the way order and consumption hold sway over the city. Offering room for spontaneous, creative appropriation and informal uses that would otherwise have trouble finding a place in public spaces subjected increasingly to the demands of commerce, the ‘terrain vague’ is the ideal place for a certain resistance to emerge, a place potentially open to alternative ways of experiencing the city.”

We invite submissions from a range of fields, in particular literature, architecture, ecocriticism, urban studies, cultural geography, the visual arts, and film studies. Suggested topics may include:

Site and situation
Forms of documentation
Contextual definitions/theorizations
Urban wilds
Transgression and recreation
Urban natural history
Environmental justice
Interventions

Please send abstracts of 300 to 500 words, accompanied by a brief bio, to site.situation@gmail.com. Inquiries are welcome.

The deadline for abstracts is 1 June 2010.
Completed essays will be due on 1 February 2011.

Manuela Mariani, The Boston Architectural College
Patrick Barron, University of Massachusetts, Boston
“That zero panorama seemed to contain ruins in reverse, that is—all the new construction that would be built. This is the opposite of the “unromantic ruin” because buildings don’t fall into ruin after they are built but rather rise into ruin before they are built.” Robert Smithson, “A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey”

References
Doron, Gil. “The Dead Zone and the Architecture of Transgression.” City: Analysis of Urban Trends, Culture, Theory, Policy, Action 4.2 (2000): 247-63.
Lévesque, Luc. “The ‘Terrain Vague’ as Material—Some Observations.” http://www.amarrages.com/textes_terrain.html
Solà-Morales, Ignasi. “Terrain Vague.” Anyplace. Ed. Cynthia Davidson. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1995. 118-23.
Smithson, Robert. “A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey.” Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings. Berkeley: U of California P, 1996.

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

How can a school inspire socially-aware design?

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

How to enter: 
•  All entries must be submitted online.
•  Minimum of 5 high resolution photos of the project, including one front elevation, detail and interior photo.
•  Submissions must also include site layout and floor plans.
•  If entry is a remodel or renovation project, entrant must provide at least 2 additional “before” images.
•  Entrant must provide a 250 word project description with particular comments on why Western Red Cedar was selected.
•  A CD of the high-res images of the submitted entries is to be provided to the WRCLA upon request (WRCLA receives unlimited usage rights, but not ownership, of the high-res images).
•  The WRCLA and their members receive the right to profile the submitted projects in marketing campaigns including online, print, displays, etc. promoting Western Red Cedar.
•  WRCLA respect the privacy of property owners. Property owner name(s), contact information and property addresses are not to be included in award entries unless such information is also that of the architect, builder or photographer to be credited for the job. 

Winners from last year’s award included the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center by Grimshaw Architects and the Queens Botanical Garden by BKSK Architects LLP. For a complete list of 2009 winners, visit http://www.construction.com/cedarawards.

About Western Red Cedar Lumber Association:
Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) is a Vancouver, B.C. based non-profit association known as “the voice of the cedar industry.”  Founded in 1954, the association operates architect advisory and technical service programs throughout the U.S. and Canada.  It seeks to inspire, inform and instruct architects and consumers about Western Red Cedar, its uses and benefits. 

Western Red Cedar is one of nature’s truly remarkable building materials.  Not only does it have distinctive beauty, natural durability and centuries of proven performance, Western Red Cedar is the ultimate green product. It produces fewer greenhouse gases, generates less water and air pollution, requires less energy to produce than alternatives and comes from a renewable and sustainable resource. Equally important, Western Red Cedar is carbon neutral. For more information please visit, http://www.wrcla.org.

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

Entry deadline July 27

Visit www.architects.org/awards for more information.

We could call this house The House of Subtext. Strangely, this is supposed to be a house for a man whose pseudonym at one time, in translation, meant: Man without a Spleen.

But was he really a “man without a spleen…?”

What is a “subtext.?” As Stanislavski wrote “Chekhov often expressed his thought not in speeches, but in pauses or between the lines or in replies consisting of a single word… the characters often feel and think things not expressed in the lines they speak.”

Could such a statement inspire us in architecture…? How would a house that “expresses” itself not through what is obvious, but through what is “underneath,” hidden, “untold” look like…? How would a house whose message is “in between the lines” look like…? Would it be a house whose meaning is “blurred, interrupted, mauled and otherwise tampered with by life” as one critic described Chekhov’ work…?

Or, in a more restricted way, would it be a house that is half dedicated to medicine (and what it symbolizes) and half dedicated to literature (and its larger meanings), as the very life of this great writer was…?

Or would it be a house that asks questions (but does not give answers), as he thought the task of art in essence is…?

We ask you, then, to design a “house of mood, ” a house whose life is “submerged in the text,” as his own work is. A house that refuses the heroics, or, to be more exact, the explicit, self-advertising forms of heroism, since there is with certainty a form of heroism in a doctor, like Chekhov, who treated the poor without charging them and who built public buildings for them, with his own money… and who refused to complain, despite the fact that he was seriously ill, of an illness that actually shortened his life significantly.

Maybe this house will be “difficult,” since it will be an “inconclusive” house, as his work was (or appears to be), in Virginia Woolf’s thinking… But what might appear “inconclusive” is in no way “without something to say…” Far from it and perhaps quite the opposite.

The deadline of this competition is July 15th, 2010.

As always, we accept ANY work, ANY size and ANY format that responds to the theme. You can send your work to this e-mail address. Shortly after the deadline we will display all the works received on our website: http://www.icarch.net. We do not charge an entry fee, but we welcome donations, however small, that would help us maintain and develop our website and other activities that we have, or plan to have.  You can send your donations by PayPal to admin@icarch.net.

This competition is an homage to Anton Chekhov, who was born 150 years ago, on January 29th, 1860.

Thank you,

ICARCH Gallery

  * A James Dyson Award trophy.
  * Over $15,000 for the student or the team.
  * Over $15,000 for the current or former student’s university department.
  * An opportunity to visit Dyson’s engineering facilities either in the UK or Malaysia.

The award is open to any student of design (or graduate within four years of graduation) who is studying or studied in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA.
James Dyson Award entrants can submit footage, images and sketched of their ideas to the website, http://www.jamesdysonaward.org, along with stories detailing their design process and inspiration.
About The James Dyson Foundation
The James Dyson Foundation is a registered charity with the aim of supporting design, technology and engineering education, medical research charities and local community projects. The James Dyson Foundation works with schools and universities around the UK and internationally.

Integrated habitat design inspires development that maintains the health of the natural systems that we all depend on. The IHDC competition emphasises that working with nature, adapting to climate change and enhancing biodiversity is integral to the design of our urban, suburban and rural built developments. For example, a bee should never be further than 20 metres from a food source within the site and a hedgehog should be able to cross the scheme in safety.

This competition is open to individuals and teams. Submissions can be for any built environment design project (new build, retrofit) in an urban, suburban or rural location, of any size, anywhere in the UK, but must take into account each of the 6 Design Criteria - Ecosystem Services, Nature, Water, Energy & Low-carbon, Livability, Economics.
Winners will be selected by judges from the worlds of ecology, architecture, engineering, landscaping and climate change adaptation. The overall winner will be the design that best integrates nature and the built environment with innovation, imagination and practicality, and will be awarded £2,000. All finalists will receive free entry to CIRIA’s World Green Roof Congress in London in September, as well as having their work published and displayed at a 5-week exhibition at The Building Centre in London.

For more information on how to enter, please visit the IHDC website: http://www.ihdc.org.uk

This competition is run by the charity RESET in partnership with livingroofs.org
http://www.reset-development.org
http://www.livingroofs.org

Supported by:
CIRIA, CIEF, Institute of Civil Engineers, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Forum for the Future, AECB, the Bat Conservation Trust and is part of the International Year of Biodiversity.

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

Entry deadline June 24. Co-sponsored by the BSA, Poole Professional Ltd. and DPIC

Visit www.architects.org/awards for more information.

Land Art is an art movement in which landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked. Works of Land Art are sometimes created with only the natural materials of the surroundings. In this case, we are asking interdisciplinary artist teams to use technology as the medium for art in a way that is sympathetic to and inspired by the natural surroundings.

Art has the proven ability to create movements and stimulate creative dialogue. The artist community has long taken a critical approach to the problems of energy use and production, which has helped to open the public eye to the severity of the problems facing us. The time is now for artists to go further and take an active role in solving the problem through their own work: “solution-based art practice”.

As we move towards our renewable energy future we should recognize the inherent differences that exist between the old and the new means of energy production and the change to built manifestations that consequently follow from this shift. When power generation facilities were adapted for the urban environment in previous eras, they necessarily responded to the aesthetic considerations of the time required of them to integrate with the fabric of the community. As the days of the gas or coal fired power plant at the farthest outskirts of the city come to a close, we will find more and more integration of energy production within the fabric of our commercial and residential communities. The need for large scale exurban generation will always be there, but it will be augmented more and more by urban and rural micro-generation and mid-scale generation.

We live in a world that cross-culturally puts a high emphasis on design. As energy generation necessarily comes in closer proximity with the real estate that it powers, issues of aesthetics that drive acceptance are becoming more and more debated. A holistic approach to a renewable energy infrastructure has a place for both macro and micro-generation.

Macro installations in the landscape should also take care in their design to integrate with their surroundings both visually and environmentally. Micro installations should take care in their designs to integrate with the fabric of the urban community. Just as buildings and public art and land art exist as interventions in the fabric of the environment, so must power generation constructions from our green fields to our suburbs to our downtowns react responsibly to their role as permanent additions to our shared experience.

We have, on the one hand, an ever increasing drive toward buildings and cities that are being designed to run on 100% renewable energy. The design community and city planners are moving in this direction driven by the collective will of society. On the other hand, we have technologies proliferating that are still rather utilitarian in their form such as the standard horizontal axis, three blade wind turbine. And these utilitarian forms are seeing some pushback from individual communities, especially as they come closer and closer to the city. The first warning signs of this are seen in rural mountaintop residential communities and coastal communities but this debate will only get more and more heated as the devices integrate into more dense urban environments.

What is needed in order to bridge the gap (between the larger desire for a renewable future and the community level negative reactions to the application of the systems required for it) is an artistic movement that can set a course towards aesthetic considerations in sustainable infrastructure. Because, after all, sustainability in communities is not only about resources, but it is also about harmony.

The Land Art Generator Initiative will bring together the sciences and the arts in a commitment to the future by making aesthetic power plants that inspire the world through their conceptual beauty and their renewable nature.

The LAGI viewing platforms will be tourist destinations that will draw people from around the world to experience the beauty of the collaborative art creations. The LAGI sites will eventually return financially on the investment that is made in their production as they continue to produce clean energy that will be used by consumers both private and public for decades into the future.

The 2010 LAGI International design competition is now open and teams are registering. The deadline for submission is June 4, 2010.

Land Art Generator

Entry deadline June 3

Visit www.architects.org/awards for more information.

Competition Entries should be published to Flickr as soon as they are ready. It is an ideas competetion so if two people submit similar ideas, priority will be given to the design idea which was published and added to the Tiananman Square Landscape Flickr Group first.

http://www.gardenvisit.com/history_theory/chinese_landscape_architecture_competition

The Winterhouse Writing Awards seek to increase the understanding and appreciation of design, both within the profession and throughout American life. A program of AIGA, these annual awards were founded by Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel of the Winterhouse Institute to recognize excellence in writing about design, and to encourage the development of young voices in design writing, commentary and criticism. This program is part of a larger AIGA initiative to stimulate new levels of design awareness and critical thinking about design.

The awards will be given for writing that demonstrates the greatest evidence of eloquence, analysis, perspective, insight and original thinking to further a public understanding of design in contemporary culture. Writing that advances the visual expression of a design program, argument or thesis is also eligible. Entries may address any design discipline or form, including, but not limited to: architectural, environmental, fashion, graphic, industrial, information, interactive, product and strategic.

The two types of awards are:

Writing Award of $10,000

Open to writers, critics, scholars, historians, journalists and designers and given for a body of work.

Education Award of $1,000

Open to students (high school, undergraduate or graduate) whose use of writing, in the interest of making visual work or scholarship or cultural observation, demonstrates extraordinary originality and promise.

Enter your work now!

Through its EnviRenew initiative, The Salvation Army is kicking off a large-scale residential green building campaign in five neighborhoods in New Orleans, facilitating the construction of 125 new homes and the renovation of 125 existing homes over the next three years through the provision of grant financing to homebuyers and homeowners. EnviRenew identifies sustainability as a critical component of comprehensive neighborhood recovery and engages green building issues within broader discussions regarding affordable housing, community capacity, neighborhood renewal and storm-resilience.

The Salvation Army and the U.S. Green Building Council recognize that financially vulnerable individuals, families, and neighborhoods are particularly in need of the benefits that sustainable design and green building practices bring. This partnership challenges entrants to design homes that demonstrate both short-term and long-term affordability, a high quality of life for their residents, and replicable strategies that contribute to our understanding of how to build affordably, efficiently and with minimal impact on the environment.

Open Architecture Network

The competition is organized by our magazine CITYVISIONmag and our president of the jury will be JUERGEN MAYER H.

RomeCityVision is an ideas competition, which challenges architects, engineers, designers, students and creatives individuals to develop visionary urban proposals with the intention of stimulating and supporting the contemporary city, in this case Rome. Through innovative ideas and methodologies which can improve the connection between the historical, present, and future city. CITYVISION aims to foster a critical evolution of architectural historiography.
The Italian city manifests a consistent absence of Contemporary Urban Planning and relatively ineffective architectural intervention. The objective of the competition is to drive your imagination, by the use of new materials, echo- technologies, parametric software and territorial organizations for a future vision of the city of Rome.  Globalization, environmental concerns, the future historiography of the city, adaptability and emerging digital practices are some of the elements that should be taken into consideration.
The Planning Proposal can re-assess a significant monument, road, district or better still the whole city. For this reason there are no restrictions of site, program or dimension of the project. The goal is to give maximum freedom, with the intention of achieving the most innovative and provocative proposals. Proposals should aim to augment and stimulate the urban inhabitance and experience of the ordinary person. The proposed planning, should support and integrate itself environmentally, seeking to create and improve a unified relationship between the city and its’ cultural behavior.

This International Competition has three aims:

1. To stimulate research in urban planning and civic vitalization.
2. To encourage and promote progressive ideas from the emerging generation of designers.
3. To stimulate the scientific development in the field of architecture by means of a critical reflection and discussion.

This Competition is a valuable opportunity for everyone to contribute innovative ideas for the city of Rome.

For competition details, please browse: http://www.cityvision-competition.com

Enquiries can also be made by email to info@cityvision-competition.com

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

Sponsored by the BSA/SCUP Roundtable. Entry deadline May 19

Visit www.architects.org/awards for more information.

1. Sign up
The first step is to sign up for the competition. By doing so, you’ll automatically become a platform member and will be kept up to date with the latest news regarding the Design Competition, the research findings and activities like interactive sessions, activities in congresses and universities, etc.

2. Become an active member
Fill out your profile and share your ideas. Contact and co-creation with local parties is promoted and facilitated by the platform. It also provides the possibility to chat, share ideas and to team-up. Once the competition starts the platform also offers the possibility of a private space, to exchange information and designs with the rest of your team.
To extend your personal (international) network, for personal PR and to team-up, one can add one’s portfolio, website and expertise to their profile.

3.  Start competition 15th January
The design competition starts January 15th, 2010. Participants all over the world are challenged to design a house for a family in coastal region, Ghana. The basis for designing is a framework of 8 OS-House principles in which houses and specific elements can be designed, developed and implemented. Some of the judging criteria are: How strong are the 8 principles implemented in the design? How feasible is the design? How well is the structure embedded in the urban context?
OS-House conducted research in Ghana to get a better understanding of Ghana’s housing situation. These research findings contain essential information that will help you create a design with higher social, technical and economic viability.

The full Competition Case and further detailed information and research findings will be published on the 15th of January on the OS-House platform.

4. Deadline and submission format.
May 17th, 2010. Before this date all designs must be submitted digitally. The design case, which will be published on the 15th of January, describes the format and drawings to be delivered. Contestants are asked to deliver designs considering all house components -foundation, structure, floor, facade, roof- and its set of connections.

5. Pilot
The winning design(s) will be built in a pilot project in Ghana, to test the technical and economic feasibility as well as the social perception. Joining the competition is your chance to establish your name as an architect while witnessing your design being built and used by its new residents.

6. The Open Source phase
To generate content for the OS-House platform we start with the Ghana design competition. However the aim of OS-House is to provide knowledge and choice. Therefore all submitted designs are published on the OS-House platform after the competition.
After this first competition and pilot project OS-House will continue to promote the implementation of more OS-Houses, challenge platform members to improve available designs, organize new competitions and stimulate local parties to take designs and adapt them to their local conditions. Our goal is to realize a 100.000 OS-Houses before the year 2020.

http://www.os-house.org

A porch, balcony, verandah or deck at the entrance to a shed forms the transition between the garden and the interior space. In the winter months it is a spot to get shelter from the rain while you fumble for your keys, in the summer months it becomes a glorious place to sit outside enjoying the garden or lazing in your hammock with a long cool drink. Porch designs come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes so use your imagination to come up with the ultimate porch for a shed, it may be a simple classic design or a complete wrap around, it could be very clean lines or richly decorated the choice is yours.

More details at the competition entry page:

http://www.secrets-of-shed-building.com/porch-shed.html

Eligibility
Open to all U.S. artists 18 years of age and older. Open to all media, including installation.

Awards
Accepted artists will receive a nominal stipend to assist with packing/shipping expenses.

Curator
Tracy Longley-Cook is an Assistant Professor of photography at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She completed her M.F.A. from Arizona State University in the spring of 2007, and received her B.F.A. from the University of Washington in 1997. She has exhibited and published her work internationally.

Entry Timeline
Applications due (received by date): May 14, 2010
Accepted notifications: week of June 1, 2010
Exhibition dates: Oct 31, 2010 - Jan 9, 2011

Wright State University - Robert & Elaine Stein Galleries

The purpose of the ResilientCity.org Design Ideas Competition is to stimulate thinking and discourse about how to increase the resilience of our cities as we move into a century where our cities will be subjected to the combined environmental and economic impacts of peak oil and climate change.

There are many possible opportunities for increasing the resilience of our cities, and in the 2010 Design Ideas Competition we are looking for you to explore ideas about how you would increase the resilience of the city you live in. To this end, the 2010 competition’s theme will be: “Building Urban Resilience where you live with what you have.”

There will be a $1,000 CAN prize for our jury’s selection of the best planning and design idea, and there will also be an additional prize of $1,000 CAN for the best video mini-documentary.

http://www.ResilientCity.org

OBJECTIVE

Following the success of 2008 Bridge Design Competition, National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) School of Architecture would like to further the event, by offering a second design competition to foster idea dialogues among students.  Building upon past experiences, NTUT hopes to enhance the platform on which global exchanges can take place.  Given architecture’s recent involvement with sustainability and global warming, this competition calls for creative responses to these environmental concerns.   

THEME

This competition takes on an elemental perspective to architectural design and sustainability.  Entrants are to imagine and produce creative proposals for an ecological “WALL”.  The evaluation and definition of “WALL” are open to applicants’ imaginations.  While the term “ecological” is subjected to many definitions: social, economical, sustainable, its re-evaluations are open to students’ interpretations.  Entrants are free to choose or make site, real or virtual.

ELIGIBILITY

Open to international students in the fields of architecture and design related disciplines from an accredited four-year or five-year architecture program.  Teamed collaboration consisting of students in the above mentioned fields is permitted.  Works submitted must be of applicants’ original works.  Works done through school studios are accepted, but limited to 2010 Spring term.

ENTRY FEE

Free

DEADLINES

Online Registration deadline: May 12, 2010 5:00 PM Taipei Time
Registration website: http://competition.ntutarch.com
(Upon completing registration, applicant will receive a registration number via email.)
Submission deadline: Received by May 19, 2010 5:00 PM Taipei Time

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1. Two A1 presentations in portrait format (594mm x 841mm), mounted on board(s) no thicker than 15 mm.  Entrant’s presentation boards are to be identified on the back with entrant’s name, and front and back with identification number.  Names and other identifying information are not allowed on front side of the boards.
2.  Two CD’s containing digital files of the board(s), in JPEG format with resolution no more than 300 DPI.  CD’s are to be labeled with applicant’s registration number.

AWARDS

  (1) Gold Prize winner will be awarded $50,000NTD (cash or gifts equal in value) and a trophy.
  (1) Silver Prize winner will be awarded $20,000NTD (cash or gifts equal in value) and a trophy
  (1) Bronze Prize winner will be awarded $5,000NTD (cash or gifts equal in value) and a trophy
  (3) Honorable Mention winners will be awarded $2,000NTD (cash or gifts equal in value) and a merit certificate
  Winners will be announced and notified by June 03, 2010.

JURY

To be announced

PUBLIC EXHIBITION

May 26, 2010~June 01, 2010 at NTUT Cultural Center

The aim of this architecture competition is to design a single family dwelling that is radically cheap to build for Luanda, a city which is under extreme demographic pressure and is undergoing an intense process of transformation, and that is suited to the cultural, economic and social circumstances of the area.

This project, promoted in collaboration with the Luanda Triennale, should include the possibility of dwellings that allow for evolutionary solutions, and possibly self-construction, which are therefore adapted to the speed of transformation of the social fabric of Angola and Luanda, being the large African metropolis that it progressively will become.

The objective is to select the best proposal for the design of a prototype of a family unit which leads to a patio, with a low construction cost, aimed at severely deprived families, typically consisting of 7-9 people (Parents, 3 children and 2 grandparents or Parents, 5 children, 2 grandparents), in an area of flat topography, located within the city limits of Luanda.

From among the projects a shortlist of 30 finalists will be chosen. The authors of the 30 finalist projects will be contacted by the Triennale to develop a presentation model of their proposal, which will appear at the exhibition at the Museum of Electricity, to be held from 28 October 2010 to 16 January 2011.

For more information and to download the regulations and registration form, please visit our website: http://www.trienaldelisboa.com

The Chicago Architectural Club is pleased to announce the 2010 Chicago Prize Competition: MINE THE GAP, a single-stage international design ideas competition dedicated to examining one of the most visible scars left after the collapse of the real estate market in Chicago: the massive hole along the Lake Michigan shore that was to have been—and may yet be—the foundation for a singular 150-story condominium tower designed by an internationally-renowned Spanish architect, a tower which was to have become a new icon for the city and region.

What to do with the gap? Whether or not the project is resuscitated, what else can we do with this strategic and highly-charged site? Once the motor of real-estate speculation has stalled, what can we use to propel ourselves, and the discipline, forward?

For more information, and to download competition documents, please visit http://www.chicagoarchitecturalclub.org

Prizes:
First Prize: $3,500
Second Prize: $1,500
Third Prize: $750

Jury:
Lynn Becker
Writer, Chicago Reader and Architecturechicagoplus

Preston Scott Cohen (pending confirmation)
Principal, Preston Scott Cohen, Inc.
Professor and Department Chair
Harvard University

Martin Felsen
Partner, UrbanLab; Chicago, IL
Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology
Director, Archeworks

Jeanne Gang
Patner, Studio/Gang/Architects
Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology

Robert Somol
Professor and Department Director
University of Illinois-Chicago

Antony Wood
Executive Director
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology

Deadline:
Competitors may submit material online anytime between March 22, 2010 and May 3, 2010. Registration is open, and may be completed anytime before the deadline.

Sponsors
The 2010 Chicago Prize Competition is made possible by the generous support of:
The Members of The Chicago Architectural Club
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

http://www.chicagoarchitecturalclub.org

Sponsored by the BSA. Application deadline May 3
Visit www.architects.org/awards for more information.

The aim of this architecture competition is to design a single family dwelling that is radically cheap to build for Luanda, a city which is under extreme demographic pressure and is undergoing an intense process of transformation, and that is suited to the cultural, economic and social circumstances of the area.

The objective is to select the best proposal for the design of a prototype of a family unit which leads to a patio, with a low construction cost, aimed at severely deprived families, typically consisting of 7-9 people, in an area of flat topography, located within the city limits of Luanda.

From among the projects a shortlist of 30 finalists will be chosen. The authors of the 30 finalist projects will be contacted by the Triennale to develop a presentation model of their proposal, which will appear at the exhibition at the Museum of Electricity, to be held from 28 October 2010 to 16 January 2011.

For more informations and to download the regulations and registration form, please go to: http://www.trienaldelisboa.com

The competition will award a number of cash prizes as well as a grand prize stipend to attend Greenbuild, the USGBC’s annual Green Building Conference and Expo (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org). Greenbuild 2010 will be held in Chicago.

COMPETITION CHALLENGE
With the rise of fossil fuel and parking costs, Philadelphia has experienced an increased number of bicyclists within the city. To encourage this growth, the City of Philadelphia is expanding urban infrastructure to promote bicycle ridership and ensure bicyclist safety, such as the installation of bicycle racks and additional bicycle lanes for major roadways. As an alternative to single-occupant automobile use, bicycles produce no smog-forming or greenhouse gas emissions and reduce traffic congestion and noise pollution. Most importantly, bicycles promote an active and healthy lifestyle. The project shall act as a gathering space for visitors exploring the city by bike, while also providing shower and changing facilities for commuters on their way to work. The project site must be located adjacent to a major public transportation hub to allow for connections to the greater Philadelphia area and beyond. Participants are encouraged to consider how the project interfaces with the city as a whole. Due to the environmental and human health benefits associated with bicycle use, this project is well suited for the exploration of the principles of integrated design, sustainability and innovation.

ELIGIBILITY
The Competition is open to all college and university level students as well as young professionals within 2 years of graduation. Participants may work individually or as part of a team. Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged within and between educational institutions. Teams may be no larger than 5 individuals and only one entry is permitted per team. We strongly encourage individuals not participating as part of a design studio class to secure a faculty member or industry professional to act as an advisor during the design portion of the competition. Please check the USGBC website for a list of LEED Accredited Professionals in your area or contact your local USGBC chapter for help in identifying a professional advisor.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Board
Each entry, whether individual or team, must consist of one (1) 30” x 40” foamcore or rigid poster board presentation board. Drawings must be mounted or drawn directly on the presentation boards in a landscape or portrait orientation. Any two-dimensional media may be used to present concepts including three-dimensional renderings, other digital renderings, photography, collage and hand renderings. All submissions must include a scaled and labeled site plan, building floor plans and a representation of the building elevations and building section information. Elevations and building section information is not limited to conventional oblique drawings. Presentation of the site selection analysis is strongly encouraged, particularly if the site selection was driven by sustainable thinking. LEED is a guideline, not a standard. Do not include any type of LEED ‘scorecard’ on the board. Please be aware that a 1” x 1” tag will be placed on the lower right hand corner of the board during judging and presentation.

Design Analysis
Each entry must also submit a written design analysis of no more than 200 words discussing both design intentions and sustainable design strategies. The written design analysis may be incorporated directly into the information on the front of the presentation board or alternatively attached to the board in an envelope securely mounted to the back of the board.

Compact Disk
All entries must include two digital copies of the presentation board and a PDF of the
written design analysis on a compact disk media. One digital copy should be submitted in JPEG or TIFF format at 300 dpi, full size; the other copy should be submitted in JPEG or TIFF format at 72 dpi or web resolution.

Submission Date
The presentation board, with envelope including printed written statement, CD, submission form and survey in an envelope attached to the back of the board must be received by Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 12:00 PM at the DVGBC office located at (Failure to follow the submission requirements could result in disqualification at the judges’ discretion.): 1617 JFK Blvd., Suite 999 One Penn Center Philadelphia, PA 19103

DOWNLOAD PDF:
http://dvgbc.org/files/file/Student Design Competition Files/2010_Competition_Program.pdf

OR

VISIT
http://dvgbc.org/sustainable_design_competition

The Opportunity
Open Agenda will award seed funding to three exceptional design research proposals that explore new positions in architecture for critical consideration.

We are looking for text and graphic based proposals that seek to develop research through architectural design. Proposals will be evaluated on the strength of their research topic, their innovative approach to design as research, design quality and their potential for development as a public exhibition, lecture and publication. Proposals that explore new forms of media and communication in this context are welcome.

The Reward
Three proposals will be awarded seed funding of $2000 for development towards a publication and a public exhibition at Customs House in Sydney in 2010. The three teams or individuals will also have the opportunity to present a public lecture on their work at UTS in Sydney and at RMIT in Melbourne in Spring 2010 as part of their public lecture series. The winners will be featured in an edition of AR in early 2011.

Terms and Conditions
Click here for full details, terms, and conditions.

Contact
openagenda (at) uts.edu.au

Submission Requirements
1. Registration for competition and $50 fee
2. Max 10 x A4 page illustrated proposal as a PDF (file size not to exceed 5MB)
3. Completed cover sheet

Download
Registration Form and Cover Sheet

Dates
1 March 2010
Launch, Open Agenda registration opens

1 May 2010
Registration closes

10 May 2010 (midnight)
Deadline for proposals to be received

1 June 2010
Announcement of prize winners and special mentions

October 2010
Publication launch and exhibition at Customs House, Sydney (to coincide with Architecture Week in Sydney)

October 2010
Public Lecture

People
Chair
Anthony Burke, UTS Architecture

Competition Co-ordinator
Rebecca Thomas

Advisory Panel
Andrew Benjamin, Monash University
Richard Goodwin, UNSW COFA
Michael Bell, Columbia University GSAPP
Pia Ednie-Brown, RMIT SIAL
Mitchell Whitelaw, University of Canberra
Jennifer Kwok, Curator - Customs House, City of Sydney
Craig Allchin, Six Degrees
David Burns, UTS Photography and Situated Media

Sponsors
School of Architecture, UTS
Customs House, City of Sydney
DABDOCS UTS

http://utsarchitecture.net/openagenda/

المعماري “سوريا- إسبانيا ”بالتعاون مع مجلة إبداعات هندسية مختبر ماغ - MAGLAB
اسبانيا- إيطاليا  .الولايات المتحدة الاميريكية- البرازيل  STARDUST*و
اسبانيا ALFA301 استديو و
يعلن عن تنظيم مسابقة دولية للعمارة لعام 2010 بعنوان
” مركز الأبحاث المعمارية ”
المسابقة تدعو المعماريين المهندسين والمصممين للبحث عن أفكار جديدة ومفاهيم للمسابقة الدولية للعمارة 2010.
تدعو المسابقة بشكل عام للتصاميم الإبداعية التي تاخذ بالاعتبار المحيط التاريخي والاجتماعي، النسيج الحضري الموجود ،والمقياس الإنساني، والبيئة للموقع المختار.
مفهوم المسابقة يهدف إلى إعطاء طلاب العمارة والمصممين والمهندسين الحرية الكافية لمخاطبة التحديات بطرق أكثر إبداعية وتجدد وذلك بتقديم فقط الفكرة ورسومات توضيحية بطرق إعلان معمارية مع استخدم برامج الديجيتال الممكنة.
كافة المعلومات والتفاصيل في الموقع الرسمي للمسابقة
http://www.arcompetition.org

لمزيد من المعلومات الرجاء الاتصال بنا من خلال
                                                                                                                  contact@arcompetition.org

Invitation to participate in : International Architectural Competition 2010
“Architectural Research Center”

MAG LAB (Syria-Spain) in collaboration with Ebdaat Magazine (Architectural Creations) - ALFA 301 (Spain) And Stardust* (Spain-Italy-Brazil-USA) is Organizing the 2010 International Architectural Competition.

The competition invites architects, engineers, designers and artists to continue investigating new ideas and concepts for the 2010 International Architectural Competition.

The competition calls for innovative designs which take into consideration the historical and social context, the existing urban fabric, the human scale, and the environment.

This competition of ideas will aim to give the students, architects, engineers, artists and designers enough freedom to address the challenges in the most creative and innovative way.

All the information and details are available in the competition official website :     

http://www.arcompetition.org

for more information please contact us through :contact@arcompetition.org

Cities have the potential to cater to the full range of human needs and wants. The extent to which they do so depends on “access” – on whether their inhabitants are able to take advantage of all that cities have to offer.

The Schindler Award has the goal of improving access and overall mobility for all city dwellers, irrespective of their age, status or physical capabilities. To that end, it challenges young architects to think beyond form, light and materials and to focus on the needs of the people who will eventually inhabit the structures and spaces that they design.

This means taking account of the diversity of cities, and recognizing the right of everyone – children, young people, parents, workers, the elderly and people with special needs – to be able to move freely and to share and enjoy public spaces.

Visions for an enhanced and accessible “Olympic Park Berlin”

The task is aimed at transforming this somewhat neglected area of the Olympic grounds into a pleasing, functional and fully accessible sport and leisure compound. To achieve this goal, the following tasks must be fulfilled:

On the urban scale:
- Create a master plan to reorganize existing and new functions inside a perimeter of approximately 750 by 850 meters;
- Devise a new access route from the urban transit station and the carpark to the sport facilities and the ‘Waldbühne’.

On the project scale:
- Design a new sports and congress hotel for 150 guests;
- Upgrade the ‘Waldbühne’ to modern standards of ‘Access for All’

The jury felt it is especially fitting that the principles of ‘Access for All’ should be applied to a place used by the Nazis to symbolize their imagined superiority and policies of exclusion.

http://www.schindleraward.com

Submission Deadline
April 30, 2010
Your submission must be postmarked no later than April 30, 2010, to be considered. Allow 10 weeks for notification.

Brief (PDF)

The Lumec “Fondation Concept Lumière Urbaine” (CLU) aims to encourage emerging designers to develop innovative lighting concepts within the context of an exterior public space.

THE OBJECTIVES
The CLU foundation aims excellence by encouraging conscious integration of the plastic quality of the products, technical advancements in exterior lighting and environmental respect.

THE GRANTS
The grants will be awarded based on merit by the Lumec CLU committee. This committee is composed of engaged professionals from within the Quebec community of creators and designers and aims social harmony by the quality of the built environment. Laureates will be selected from all received applications. The 2008-2009 edition includes three (3) prizes distributed as follow :

[ First Prize 2 500$ or a 12 weeks training course* with the industrial design and engineering teams of Philips Lumec ]
[ Second Prize 1 500$ ]
[ Third Prize 1 000$ ]

* The training course is remunerated.

2009-2010 EDITION
Theme: STREET FURNITURE LIGHT

How can light enrich and simplify the lifestyles of citizens? How to streamline urban infrastructure and integrate in street furniture innovative lighting solutions with improved performances? Open a window on the future and reinterpret the present.

Objective: To design an object that qualifies as a street furniture while retaining its primary purpose, lighting.

Deadline for submission: April 30th, 2010

http://www.lumec.com/company/fondation_clu.html

-Reverence for place
-Engagement of all people
-Expansion beyond traditional boundaries
-Advancement of sustainability
-Informed decision making.
-An integrated research, planning, design, and review process

The awards program is intended to reach both park planning and design communities.  This call for submissions is extended both internationally and to parks that are administered by all levels of government.

Entries must demonstrate response to one or more of these principles.  Additionally entries in all categories must illustrate innovative and sensistive strategies applied toward resource preservation, energy conservation, sustainability, contextual design and mitigation of climate change.

The award program seeks to recognize quality examples of these principles that are demonstrated through one of the following categories:  Master Plans (adopted or approved), Design Guidelines (adopted or approved), Building Design (compete and open to the public), Site Design (complete and open to the public), and Transportation Design (complete, open and operational).

All submittals will be judged on the following criteria:

-Leadership and innovation demonstrated in the application of the principles.
-Creativity and sensitivity demonstrated in the application of the principles.
-Number of principles illustrated.
-Complexity of park or open space problem solved.
-Compliance with entry requirements.

http://www.designingtheparks.org/awards/overview

How can a school inspire socially-aware design?

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

http://www.sociodesignfoundation.org

The competition “Daylight Spaces” of Danube University Krems is aimed at architects, artists, planners as well as students dealing with construction-related tasks. The merging of high quality architecture in sustainable building structures should be the primary goal of the projects. A key component is the skillful use of natural light.

Assessment Criteria for Projects
“We direct our attention especially to the consideration of sustainability, design quality, user needs and positive effects on the environment. The merging of modern architecture with sustainable building structures, as well as the skilful use of natural light are primary goals of the teaching and research work at our department and those should be pursued in the submitted projects as well”, explains organizer and jury member, Gregor Radinger who is program director of of the new program “Daylight Architecture” at the Department for Building and Environment.

Submission and Prizes
Building projects can be submitted from now on till the 26th of April. After the public jury meeting on the 3rd of May, the presentation of the two winning projects take place in the course of “Architekturtage 2010” at Danube University Krems on the 28th of May. The winners can look forward to an Artist in Residence study visit for one month each in Krems. The prizes include accommodation, € 1 000,- grant,  travel costs and the use of the lightlab of the Department for Building and Environment.

Organization and Partner
“Daylight Spaces” is oranized by the Department for Building and Environment of Danube University Krems in cooperation with AIR Artist in Residence Lower Austria, ORTE Architekturnetzwerk Lower Austria, Eckelt Glas GmbH and Velux. The organizers want to provide with the competition a platform upon which to raise awareness of planning with natural light.

Further information : http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/dbu/daylightspaces

So far, Airplot has provided a platform from which to fight the moral and political campaign against the runway. Greenpeace is now inviting professional designers and design teams to consider how to fortify and enhance the airplot so that if necessary, we can physically block construction of a third runway.

The winning design will gain international attention. Its aesthetic and cultural power will help us win the moral and political campaign before construction is even attempted. But above all it will be a practical solution, facilitating resistance to the development of the runway if full scale non-violent direct action is necessary.

Of course, we hope that the winning design will never actually need to be built. No new government will be able to justify continued support for the third runway. However, as we know, governments can break promises. If BAA’s third runway plans are pushed towards construction, whenever that may be, then preparations for non-violent resistance will escalate and steps towards building our winning design will start.

Greenpeace UK

Sponsored by the BSA. Entry deadline April 22

Visit www.architects.org/awards for more information.

Exclusive Sponsor
LAFARGE, Romania

Aging places, buildings and natural environments require delicate interventions.

There are two frequently used approaches: subtle changes acting as a neutral background to highlight valuable building features; or broad changes permeating the place, establishing a dialogue between old and new features, possibly creating a new interpretation. There is however a further type of approach, one that empowers the place.

Many ageing buildings loose their character and are forgotten; similarly some entire areas, for various reasons, do not keep up with the times and fall out of fashion. These are the places we must address through architectural intervention generating empowerment, giving them an “upgrade”.

There are previously overlooked areas which can be empowered by an inspired architectural intervention. Subsequently, an upgrade may help communities by providing architectural support to answer their needs.

The modern era developed a preference for fractured progress. Displeased, rightfully or not, by the development and evolution of art, people have proved themselves willing to initiate radical changes, introduce new rules, reverse almost anything, and ultimately invent new universes. And more than once, cultural movements fused with or became companions of political ones. Denying almost everything that had occurred until then, new movements were introduced as the “real art” portraying a new version of the perfect world. But for a culture to exist and mature, one crucial ingredient is essential: CONTINUITY. Only continuity over generations offers a culture the chance to survive historical changes. Continuity however does not mean imprisonment in one point of time but perseverance and trust in a value system.

Continuity does not follow fashion trends and neither aims, emphatically or arrogantly, to alienate them. Novelties are not a nuisance to a culture. Instead, they are - precisely through continuity - easily assimilated and accepted. Therefore the continuity of one culture means a permanent transformation, without an extreme departure from everything that existed before.

No architect thinks that a building that they design would ever become an artifact; on the contrary, all architects believe that they are creating buildings that would always house life. Buildings are permanently changing, according to the lives of people and communities they accommodate. Yet within the changes there is a consistency that ensures CONTINUITY.

Eligibility
The competition is open to all students in architecture

Final Jury Members
1. Francis Soler, France - President
2. Francis Nordemann, France – AEEA
3. Loughlin Kealy, Ireland - AEEA
4. Mairie Henry, Ireland - ACE
5. Alexandros Tombazis, Greece
6. Emil Barbu Popescu, Romania - UAUIM
7. LAFARGE Representative

Prizes
I – 6000 Euro
II – 4000 Euro
III – 3000 Euro
10 Mentions – 1000 Euro each

Email: competition-aeea2009@iaim.ro

http://www.iaim.ro/en/upgrade

‘If we put the emphasis on the absent we emphasise the structure‘

The cathedral of Antwerp remains unfinished. When they started building it in the 14th century they didn’t take the future in account and soon ran out of finances. They made the building functional but lost one tower.
This absence creates a blank canvas for today. By generating ideas for a new tower, we can put a focus on the cathedral itself. The given fact of an absent element within an existing structure functions as a great generator for ideas.

‘By playing with the idea of the absence, we generate a focus.’

Keeping this in mind, every participant comes up with an idea for the unfinished tower. The competition can be seen as an international brainstorm, which means everybody can join.
The result doesn’t need to be functional, it can be an inflatable tower or a high tech amusement park attraction.
Your entry can be a 3d render, a paper model, a collage, a black marker drawing or anything else you think fits your concept the best.

Below on this page u can find a picture of the Cathedral with the missing tower. Your tower must be placed on this picture, the way how is completely free.
Together with the picture of the Cathedral completed with your ‘new tower’,  you should write a short explanation about your concept and submit it on the ‘Submit entry’ page. The downloaded image can not be cropped or resized.

http://designingabsence.com/

///jury/AWARDS

abigail COOVER (hume coover studio, suckerPUNCH)
nathan HUME (hume coover studio, suckerPUNCH)
jose GONZALEZ (SOFTlab)
mike SZIVOS (SOFTlab)
richard GARBER (GRO architects)
david NAM (gehry partners)
ted NGAI (atelier nGai, CASE)

$2500 in prizes will be awarded and the winning designs will be published on suckerPUNCH.

http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/category/competitions/

The final selected design shall be translated into a surface treatment by a contractor selected by the New York City Department of Transportation. The selected artist shall be awarded a design fee in the amount of $15,000 to be funded by the Mayor’s Fund.

The design is expected to be installed by mid-July. The temporary treatment will remain in place for approximately eight months and will be monitored and maintained by the Times Square Alliance. The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, April 16, 2010. Questions and answers will be posted to http://www.nyc.gov/dot. Details on how to submit questions are contained in the RFP.

The design competition is project of New York DOT in partnership with the Times Square Alliance.  As Business Improvement District for Times Square and Broadway Theater District, the Alliance has conducted a number of studies regarding the pedestrian spaces of Times Square and produces public art projects and events.  Information on these activities is available at http://www.TimesSquareNYC.org. 

ReNEWable Times Square Project Information

http://www.nyc.gov/dot

Direct Download of RFP
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/renewable_tsq_rfp.pdf

Public Art Program of the Times Square Alliance
http://www.timessquarenyc.org/arts

Times Square Alliance Public Spaces Studies and Projects
http://timessquarenyc.org/about_us/public_space.html

This Scholarship Competition invites students of architecture, art, design, engineering, planning and science to submit research, speculations, or design projects that operate as “Fog Anologies.”

Submissions should utilize select characteristics of fog to propose a responsive material, structure, or environment pertaining to one of the three categories: material, structure, and enviroment.

Competition winners will be awarded monetary scholarships for graduate study at a United States college or university.

Deadline for entries is April 15, 2010.

MATERIAL _dematerialized matter
STRUCTURE _dematerialized space
ENVIRONMENT _dematerialized landscape

Entries will be juried by a multidisciplinary panel of professionals. Competition winners will be awarded monetary scholarships for graduate study at a United States college or university.

Full entry requirements and details, competition brief, and application form can be found at http://www.seamlab.org

For further information see http://www.concrete-geometries.net

Call for Submissions
Deadline 12th April 2010

Concrete Geometries:
Spatial Form in Social and Aesthetic Processes

Over the past decade architecture has witnessed a revolution in design and fabrication tools available to the discipline that has changed the way we imagine space forever. Digital design methods for form finding and implementing have produced an influential body of work, preoccupied with the development of novel, complex and heterogeneous spatial form.

This form, simply referred to as ‘geometry’, is often evaluated through performance driven issues
emphasising the environmental and structural parameters that shape it. Yet, throughout history, the
emergence of new spatial forms and with them new architectural styles, bear significance beyond
advances in technology but in relation to what they offer to the human condition in terms of aesthetic
and social processes – issues currently under-represented by the discourse.

‘Concrete Geometries’ is a work-in-progress term derived from the notion of ‘concrete’ as ‘existing in
reality or in actual experience’ or ‘capable of being perceived by the senses’ and the abbreviation
‘geometries’ for the constructed environment. ‘Concrete Geometries’ like Concrete Science, Concrete
Music or Concrete Art is interested in the particular and immediate, concerned with actual use or practice.
‘Concrete Geometries’ is an attempt to expand this current debate.

Set up as a cross-disciplinary Research Cluster at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in
London, ‘Concrete Geometries’ investigates the intimate relationship between spatial form and human processes - be they social or aesthetic - and the variety of new material entities this relationship might
provoke. By bringing together art, architecture, sciences and humanities, we hope to connect fields of knowledge that are currently fragmented through disciplinary boundaries.

The call is structured into two thematic fields

A: Geometry and Perception
B: Geometry and Social Processes

The cluster wishes to address such questions as:

How is spatial form socially and experientially relevant?
How does it choreograph human processes?
Can it stimulate emotional or behavioral responses or create particular aesthetic experiences?
Can social cultures be pattered through formal configurations of space?
How can the articulation of a space support acts of inhabitation, appropriation or other types of
direct engagement?
How do we perceive space visually and bodily?
What social or aesthetic consequences does the formal articulation of space have for our everyday lives and for the production of reality?
What kind of associations emerge between spatial form and social actors?

To advance this research, we are seeking submissions that provide practical or theoretical contribution. Submissions may include works of art or design, architectural projects or case studies, urban studies,
research papers, scientific experiments and other forms of inquiry that address the objectives outlined.
10 Projects and 10 Texts will be selected by the curatorial board for inclusion in an exhibition, symposium and publication at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 2010.

The call is open to students, practitioners and researchers from the fields of Architecture, Art, Design, Urban Design, Geography, Neuroscience, Behavioral Psychology, Spatial Cognition, Social Science,
Ethnography, Anthropology and other disciplines concerned with such questions.

Deadline for submissions:  12th April 2010
Notification of participants: 3rd May 2010
Exhibition: 12th May - 29th May 2010
Public Symposium: October 2010

Curatorial board:

+ Alain Chiaradia, Urbanist, Director Design Economics Partnership
+ Prof. Dr. Alexa Färber, European Ethnologist, Humboldt University Berlin
+ Olaf Kneer, Director Concrete Geometries Research Cluster, The Architectural Association
+ Kieran Long, Author, Editor and Architecture Critic
+ Prof. Dr. R. Beau Lotto, Neuroscientist, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London
+ Marianne Mueller, Director Concrete Geometries Research Cluster, The Architectural Association
+ Stefano Rabolli Pansera, Director Beyond Entropy Research Cluster, The Architectural Association
+ Michael Weinstock, Director Emergent Technologies, The Architectural Association

Submission formats:

All material to be submitted by email only. Submissions in English language only.
Please place the word “submission” in the subject line of your email.
Maximum email size is 15MB.

Text-based submissions:

+ Abstracts: maximum of 300 words including title / Manuscripts: maximum of 5000 words including title.
Text should be submitted as an attachment in Microsoft Word .doc or .rtf format and can be accompanied by relevant images in PDF or JPEG format
+ Short biography, including the author’s name, mail, e-mail address and phone number and the thematic field you wish to contribute to.
Please note that any writing should be accessible to a general audience.

Image-based submissions:

+ Maximum of 10 images or drawings per project
+ drawings to be submitted PDF format, images as JPEGs.
Guide size A4 width at 300dpi resolution
+ Statement: maximum of 600 words including title describing the work as an attachment in Microsoft Word .doc or .rtf format
+ Short biography, including the author’s name, mail, e-mail address and phone number and the thematic field you wish to contribute to.

All material should be emailed to:

submission@concrete-geometries.net

For further information visit http://www.concrete-geometries.net
or email info@concrete-geometries.net

Concrete Geometries Research Cluster
The Architectural Association School of Architecture
36 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3ES, UK, Tel 0044 (0)20 7887 4000
http://www.aaschool.ac.uk

To register or request more info email:
crosen@foxstoneadvisors.com

http://www.jamesrosecenter.org/competition/index.html

Intro:

For most, James Rose is remembered as one of three Harvard Students who rebelled against their Beaux Arts training in the 1930s, helping to usher landscape architecture—kicking and screaming—into the modern era. Yet somewhere after Harvard and well into the real world, Rose lost any faith he may have had in the modern planning and design professions he had helped to inspire. By the mid 1950s he had retreated from public practice and spent most of the later part of his career designing private gardens that were in direct contrast to the environmental excesses and cultural banality of the contemporary post-WWII suburbanization he saw all around him.

These built critiques were made with found objects, recycled, left-over materials, native plants and whatever he could scavenge from the sites themselves. He called them “space-sculptures-with-shelters,” and they reflected the creative, spatial and artistic nature of the garden in ways that were greener, more economical and less wasteful of resources. In doing so, Rose incorporated a conservation ethic into a modern design aesthetic, skillfully choreographing outdoor spatial experiences that inspire us to better perceive our relationship to the environment. Today, in the age of sustainability, it is equally, if not more, important to consider contemporary green technologies within the context of the aesthetics of human landscape experience.

Through a juried competition, Suburbia Transformed, One Garden at a Time will assemble contemporary projects achieving this goal into an exhibition and catalogue. The emphasis is on how emerging sustainable strategies and tactics are used to create human landscape experiences that are beautiful, inspiring, perhaps profound; and which might serve as examples for transforming the suburban residential fabric, one garden at a time.

A Competition for Built Residential Landscapes

Through a juried competition, Suburbia Transformed, One Garden at a Time will assemble contemporary projects achieving the goal of exploring green technologies within the context of the aesthetics of human landscape experience on small residential sites. The competition, sponsored by the James Rose Center and co-sponsored by ASLANJ, Garden Design Magazine, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, will result in a traveling exhibition and catalogue. The emphasis is on how emerging sustainable strategies and tactics are used to create human landscape experiences that are beautiful, inspiring, perhaps profound; and which might serve as examples for transforming the suburban residential fabric, one garden at a time.

Outstanding projects will be selected by an international jury of academics and practitioners including:

Shane Coen, Principal, Coen+Partners, Minneapolis, New York
Patrick M. Condon, Professor, James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Livable Environments, University of British Columbia
Gary R. Hilderbrand, FASLA, FAAR, Principal, Reed Hilderbrand Associates Inc., Watertown, MA
Elizabeth K. Meyer, FASLA, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia
Dean Cardasis, FASLA, Professor of Landscape Architecture, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; Principal, Cave Hill Landscape Architects

For detailed information and/or to enter see http://www.jamesrosecenter.org

An Architect, Builder, Interior Designer or his/her Associate (for example, advertising agency, photographer, supplier, developer, display designer) may enter.
All entries must have been completed and in full use at some during the eligibility dates.

Entry Deadline: April 7, 2010
Judging Week: May 3-May 7, 2010
Winner’s Announcement: June 22, 2010

Entry Fees
$95.00 per entry, per category
All entry fees are non-refundable

Awards
There will be five finalists in each category. Each finalist is considered a Silver Award Winner. There will be one award-winning product in each category and will be considered a Gold Award Winner. All winners and finalist will have an opportunity to order plaques and trophies. Gold Award Winning Products will be featured on the website for one full year and will be featured in the digital Dream Home Awards Announcement 2010. This digital magazine was distributed to 22,000 subscribers in 2009.

Dream Home Awards

More info: http://www.aialosangeles.org/content/restaurant-design-awards

SUMMER CAMP SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR AMBITIOUS COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
Beam Camp requests project ideas for Summer 2011.

You supply the plan and vision. We’ll supply 100+ energetic campers and staff and 700+ acres of forest, mountain and lakes as studio, canvas and workshop. Submit your proposal today to be Beam’s 2011 Project Master.

THE PROJECT
Each summer Beam commissions a Project Master to design a unique large-scale collaborative endeavor that campers produce and enjoy. The Project can range from the conceptual to the structural. We are looking for big ideas that will challenge and excite our campers and staff. Our Project Management Team will work with the Master to “translate” the Master’s project blueprint into the camp context.

THE CAMP
Beam Camp (http://www.beamcamp.com) is a 4-week summer program for boys and girls aged 7-17 in Strafford, New Hampshire. Beam Campers cultivate hands-on skills while exploring innovative thinking, design and the creative process. They transform ideas into artifacts and personal achievement into community success.Teams of campers work on different aspects of the Project each morning. In the afternoons, they participate in Domains,unique, in-depth, hands-on explorations in the arts, sciences, athletic or cultural fields.

Project Criteria

  * Make it big.
  * Don’t limit yourself to “camp-y” themes.
  * Construction can be a central component, but doesn’t have to be.

Project Gallery:

2010 Trip To The Sun:

One century after the first science fiction movie, George Melies’ A Trip to the Moon, was projected in theaters, Beam Camp makes history with a fully solar-powered remake – A Trip to the Sun, a classic re-imagined for our changing planet.  We’ll tell the story of a journey to the sun - powered by the sun; a Science Fiction film with emphasis on the Science with special effects, sets, lighting, costuming, acting, and blue-screen work. Project Masters: Daniela Kostova & Mike DeSeve

2009 Float With The Flowers: two extraordinary structures, part puzzle and sculpture, comprised of wooden balls and dowels, that stand on land and blossom on water. An exploration of how simple elements combine to form complex systems and represent natural contours and forces. Project Masters: Christine Baumgartner & Manuel Kretzer

2008 Jungletopia: three tree-houses ring a 16-foot armature to form a play/contemplation space that bridges (metaphorically and physically) Beamers’ imagination and craft with the forest environment. Project Masters: Jan Drojarski & Jon Bocksel

2007 The Beam Micro/Macro Domes: five geodesic domes based on the forms and structures of virus proteins, that became shelters, sculptures, playspaces and activity centers. Project Master: Caitlin Berrigan

2006 The Beam Fleet: seven wooden vehicles, designed, and built by the campers, equal parts kinetic sculptures, simple machines and rolling canvases. Project Masters: Steve Gerberich & Nathaniel Leib

2005 The Nexus Canopy: a raised, 42’ x 36’ grid of wood and fabrics that the campers transformed from shelter to maze to movie theater to art installation to banquet space. Project Master: Fabian Jabro/Standard Architects

FAQs

HOW DO I SUBMIT A PROPOSAL?
Go to http://www.beamcamp.com/projectproposal to download our Project Proposal form.

WHEN DO YOU SELECT THE 2011 PROJECT?
Deadline for submission is April 2, 2010. Upon selection of a Project, the Master will have until October 1, 2010 to create a blueprint or working plan for Project execution.

WHAT’S THE PROJECT BUDGET?
We generally spend $10,000 on Project-specific materials including any necessary new tools/machines.

WHAT ARE THE MASTER’S TIME REQUIREMENTS?
Master will consult with Camp Directors in developing the camp curriculum around the Project. We ask that the Master be available for at least four pre-camp planning meetings, regular phone conversations and join us for at least three days during the 2011 camp session (July 10 - August 17, 2011).

DO I GET PAID?
Project Masters receive a $2,500 stipend plus reimbursement of travel costs.

Proposals due: April 2, 2010.

For more info on Beam: http://www.beamcamp.com
For further inquiries contact: Danny Kahn – danny@beamcamp.com

The spirit of this competition is to prompt the industrialized world to dialogue about product designs for environmentally responsible green computing and entertainment. The goals of this competition are to learn about ways to re-use E-Waste for new and productive means, explore your own ideas for how to address E-Waste problems and contribute to the body of knowledge that advances the practice of environmentally responsible product design for current and future computing technology products. We invite you to create a broad range of design concepts and innovations for technology products that demonstrate fresh approaches and responsible solutions for green computing technologies. Engineering, design, sustainability, or business knowledge will be helpful but not required for success in this competition.

http://ewaste.illinois.edu/introduction.html

Each year Modern Atlanta (MA) celebrates architecture and design with a week-long celebration around Atlanta. This year the executive directors and founders of MA have asked the Young Architects Forum of Atlanta to create a competition for a temporary outdoor installation which will act as a beacon and marker for the week of events. The structure is to be installed and operational during the MA events, currently planned for June 1-6, 2010. The project is not only to accentuate the series of events organized by MA, but will also be an event of its own celebrating young talents showing their work to the public.

For more information please visit the official competition website:
http://www.yafatlanta.org/10up