CURRENT COMPETITION ANALYSIS |
Thursday, December 20, 2018 |
Rome Collective Living Challenge
Competition Brief
Rome is one of the least affordable cities in the world due to a number of reasons. The lingering influence of corruption, mixed with a market flooded with so-called “micro-apartments” - tiny properties with just 10, 7 or even 4 square meters of floor space - has created quite the predicament for those looking to live in Rome on a budget.
As major cities are becoming less affordable, they are also becoming more lonely, with individuals feeling more isolated and separated from each other than ever. The concept of collective living has existed for hundreds of years, and is only just beginning to re-emerge in western societies. Communities are created through intentional architecture which creates shared spaces in which residents interact in numerous different ways, from sharing meals and socializing to sharing the burden of child care.
For the Rome Collective Living Challenge, participants are tasked with designing a concept for affordable housing in Rome that fits the ideals of a co-living lifestyle. This competition is a chance for architecture enthusiasts to conceive an entirely new way of living, one that experiments with the concept of low-income housing as a collective. Rather than rolling out hundreds of new tiny apartments in Rome’s city centre, collective living could offer something more than just an affordable place to live; a community to live in within the hustle and bustle of Italy’s capital.
The number of people that live alone has skyrocketed since the 1950s, yet reported happiness has not increased. In a world where we are more connected than ever, people are feeling more alone than ever. Co-living is a new concept of housing that draws on the values of community that were commonplace before the mass migration to city-living. One of the biggest misconceptions about co-living is the quality of the housing and the type of community you would be joining. Images of hippie communes and student dorms instantly spring to mind, but high-end quality co-living developments have been operating successfully in some of the biggest cities in the world for years. These properties include Stage 3 in New York City, The Collective in London, and the development of Campus - a movement/real estate startup with 30 houses, buildings (or portions of buildings) - in the Bay Area and New York City.
Predominantly popular with young professionals with tighter budgets, co-living is a chance for all ages and backgrounds to feel more connected to their communities. Co-living developers “Roam” have suggested that an ideal together/alone split is approximately 60/40, with 60% of your time spent engaged with others leaving you upbeat and inspired, both professionally and personally. This could be found in co-working spaces - particularly important given so many people have the option to work remotely - as well as communal kitchens, pool and recreation areas, and even group activities and classes. Co-living facilitates these types of spontaneous gatherings, eliminating travel times or logistical barriers to meeting and connecting with your community.
Competition Goals
Designs should be minimal in their requirements of land and materials so that they could potentially be rolled out across the city to increase housing stock capacity. No minimum size or amount of the residential units per block has been set, and proposals should be flexible enough to adapt to different locations, sizes, and inhabitant capacity requirements.
There are no pre-selected competition sites and so participants are free to choose any appropriate theoretical site in Rome. A key factor that participants must keep in mind for the Rome Collective Living Challenge is that this is not a simple housing solution - rather it is a new concept in community living, and would need to be developed following the co-living principles.
Competition Category
Student (Individual or Team), Open
Entry Fees
December 12 - February 15
Entry fee for Architects, Enthusiasts, and Companies =$120
Entry fee for Students = $100
February 16 - April 19
Entry fee for Architects, Enthusiasts, and Companies =$140
Entry fee for Students = $120
Awards
1st Place: $3,000
2nd Place: $1,500
3rd Place: $500
BB Student Award: $500
BB Green Award: $500
+6 Honorable Mentions
All winners get a Certificate of Achievement and international art and design media coverage, featured on the Bee Breeders website and social pages.
Entry Format
Participants are required to upload four A2 landscape-oriented presentation boards with sketches, renderings, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams, and/or other presentation tools to explain their proposal. No video files are accepted.
Suggested deliverables set:
Competition History
Cities offer access to so much of what people want: jobs, transportation, healthcare, safety, education, variety, mobility.
But cities also have limited spatial and geographical dimensions. And so, the land on which the physical infrastructure of cities is constructed - the space for buildings, parks, streets, utilities - has a price tag.
WHO? has the right to this valuable space, and HOW? its value should be regulated, are core questions to the complicated topic of affordable housing. It is a subject central to the studies and pursuits of urbanists, architects, engineers, and designers, as well as sociologists, economists, and politicians.
As history has shown, affordable housing relies only in part on design. Its success or failure is dependent on a number of complex factors including trends in the housing market, local and regional incomes, transportation, zoning, and land use policies. The construction or re-purposing of existing infrastructure for affordable housing requires the support of politicians, city planners, and residents.
Jury Members Background
Alona Martinez Perez - University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
Andrejs Edvards Rauchut - associate professor at RISEBA and a Fulbright grant recipient, Latvia
Audrey McKee - Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France
Brittany Utting - Thomas Phifer and Partners, USA
Carlos M Guimarães – depA, correspondent of A10 magazine, Portugal
Collin Anderson - Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France
Daniel Jacobs - SHoP Architects, New York City, USA
Daphné Karaiskaki - Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France
Emeka Nwandu - Principal Partner at ENA Architects, Board of Architectural Education of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Nigeria
Eva Cildermane - Sustainability and business development advisor, MSc. Candidate in Sustainable Urban Development, University of Oxford
Gemawang Swaribathoro - OMA, Hong Kong
Gia-Hy Hoang - Agence Christian de Portzamparc, France
Jenna Dezinski - University of Texas, Austin, USA; Alterstudio Architecture, Austin, Texas, USA
John Paul Rysavy - SHoP Architects, New York City, USA; And-Either-Or Austin, Texas and Brooklyn, New York, USA
John Simons - KPF, USA
Dr. Louis Gyoh - architect and academic, MCIOB, FRSA, United Kingdom
Marcella Del Signore - Professor of Practice, Tulane University; LEAD practitioner, USA/Italy
Dr. Massimo Angrilli - Associate Professor, Pescara University-Landscape expertise, National Prix du Paysage in Paris jury member
Pangalos Dugasse Feldmann - École Spéciale d’Architecture, France
Pierre-Henri Baudart - Studio Akkerhuis, France
Rajiv J. Fernandez - Tamarkin Co, USA
Simon McGown - CO-office, USA
Jury Composition
There are two jury panels--a core jury panel and a consultative jury panel. Full jury panel members are in the list above. The core and consultative jury panel will be responsible for setting the criteria that participants need to fulfill based on the site and brief and will evaluate each submission accordingly.
Top 3 winners will be selected by the consultative jury panel producing a shortlist of 40 from all submitted entries. Consultative jury panel will select 9 competition finalists from the shortlist. Core jury panel will evaluate the 9 finalists and select the top 3 winning projects and 6 honorable mentions.
Competition Sponsor Information
Competition's Media Partners:
Archdaily
Archinect
WorldArchitectureNews.com
Network in Progress
World Architecture Community
Archi.ru
RUArchitime
Architektur Journal Wettbewerbe
Viavili
Archilovers
WA
Archello
Competitions Archi
BC
ArchiPaper
NTA Learning from Students
S//A
Shelter
Art4D
BlogdeconCursos.com
ZingyHomes
Winners from the Similar Previous Competition
London Affordable Housing Challenge
Competition Brief
Rome is one of the least affordable cities in the world due to a number of reasons. The lingering influence of corruption, mixed with a market flooded with so-called “micro-apartments” - tiny properties with just 10, 7 or even 4 square meters of floor space - has created quite the predicament for those looking to live in Rome on a budget.
As major cities are becoming less affordable, they are also becoming more lonely, with individuals feeling more isolated and separated from each other than ever. The concept of collective living has existed for hundreds of years, and is only just beginning to re-emerge in western societies. Communities are created through intentional architecture which creates shared spaces in which residents interact in numerous different ways, from sharing meals and socializing to sharing the burden of child care.
For the Rome Collective Living Challenge, participants are tasked with designing a concept for affordable housing in Rome that fits the ideals of a co-living lifestyle. This competition is a chance for architecture enthusiasts to conceive an entirely new way of living, one that experiments with the concept of low-income housing as a collective. Rather than rolling out hundreds of new tiny apartments in Rome’s city centre, collective living could offer something more than just an affordable place to live; a community to live in within the hustle and bustle of Italy’s capital.
The number of people that live alone has skyrocketed since the 1950s, yet reported happiness has not increased. In a world where we are more connected than ever, people are feeling more alone than ever. Co-living is a new concept of housing that draws on the values of community that were commonplace before the mass migration to city-living. One of the biggest misconceptions about co-living is the quality of the housing and the type of community you would be joining. Images of hippie communes and student dorms instantly spring to mind, but high-end quality co-living developments have been operating successfully in some of the biggest cities in the world for years. These properties include Stage 3 in New York City, The Collective in London, and the development of Campus - a movement/real estate startup with 30 houses, buildings (or portions of buildings) - in the Bay Area and New York City.
Predominantly popular with young professionals with tighter budgets, co-living is a chance for all ages and backgrounds to feel more connected to their communities. Co-living developers “Roam” have suggested that an ideal together/alone split is approximately 60/40, with 60% of your time spent engaged with others leaving you upbeat and inspired, both professionally and personally. This could be found in co-working spaces - particularly important given so many people have the option to work remotely - as well as communal kitchens, pool and recreation areas, and even group activities and classes. Co-living facilitates these types of spontaneous gatherings, eliminating travel times or logistical barriers to meeting and connecting with your community.
Competition Goals
Designs should be minimal in their requirements of land and materials so that they could potentially be rolled out across the city to increase housing stock capacity. No minimum size or amount of the residential units per block has been set, and proposals should be flexible enough to adapt to different locations, sizes, and inhabitant capacity requirements.
There are no pre-selected competition sites and so participants are free to choose any appropriate theoretical site in Rome. A key factor that participants must keep in mind for the Rome Collective Living Challenge is that this is not a simple housing solution - rather it is a new concept in community living, and would need to be developed following the co-living principles.
Competition Category
Student (Individual or Team), Open
Entry Fees
December 12 - February 15
Entry fee for Architects, Enthusiasts, and Companies =$120
Entry fee for Students = $100
February 16 - April 19
Entry fee for Architects, Enthusiasts, and Companies =$140
Entry fee for Students = $120
Awards
1st Place: $3,000
2nd Place: $1,500
3rd Place: $500
BB Student Award: $500
BB Green Award: $500
+6 Honorable Mentions
All winners get a Certificate of Achievement and international art and design media coverage, featured on the Bee Breeders website and social pages.
Entry Format
Participants are required to upload four A2 landscape-oriented presentation boards with sketches, renderings, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams, and/or other presentation tools to explain their proposal. No video files are accepted.
Suggested deliverables set:
- Urban plan
- Street elevations
- Primary sections
- Enlarged sections and elevations highlighting key spaces or relationships
- Details: envelope, key materials, site or landscape
- Axonometrics providing information on building systems or illustrating key architectural concepts
- Diagrams (circulation, public vs private, lighting, transportation, energy systems, etc.)
- Perspectives
- A cityscape to illustrate how the proposal fits in with the quality, value, and significance of the historical and modern urban structure of Rome.
- Concept designs which highlight that all aspects of the design are of the highest quality and in keeping with the design brief. Demonstration of project feasibility in regards to environment, climate conditions, life cycle and responsible use of materials.
- The main points of proposed plans and sections, multiple internal and external perspectives demonstrating the spatial quality of the building as well as operational needs and accessibility requirements.
- Demonstration of project construction, materiality, functions, management and maintenance; approach to environment, energy and sustainability, indoor environment and logistics.
Competition History
Cities offer access to so much of what people want: jobs, transportation, healthcare, safety, education, variety, mobility.
But cities also have limited spatial and geographical dimensions. And so, the land on which the physical infrastructure of cities is constructed - the space for buildings, parks, streets, utilities - has a price tag.
WHO? has the right to this valuable space, and HOW? its value should be regulated, are core questions to the complicated topic of affordable housing. It is a subject central to the studies and pursuits of urbanists, architects, engineers, and designers, as well as sociologists, economists, and politicians.
As history has shown, affordable housing relies only in part on design. Its success or failure is dependent on a number of complex factors including trends in the housing market, local and regional incomes, transportation, zoning, and land use policies. The construction or re-purposing of existing infrastructure for affordable housing requires the support of politicians, city planners, and residents.
Jury Members Background
Alona Martinez Perez - University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
Andrejs Edvards Rauchut - associate professor at RISEBA and a Fulbright grant recipient, Latvia
Audrey McKee - Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France
Brittany Utting - Thomas Phifer and Partners, USA
Carlos M Guimarães – depA, correspondent of A10 magazine, Portugal
Collin Anderson - Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France
Daniel Jacobs - SHoP Architects, New York City, USA
Daphné Karaiskaki - Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France
Emeka Nwandu - Principal Partner at ENA Architects, Board of Architectural Education of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Nigeria
Eva Cildermane - Sustainability and business development advisor, MSc. Candidate in Sustainable Urban Development, University of Oxford
Gemawang Swaribathoro - OMA, Hong Kong
Gia-Hy Hoang - Agence Christian de Portzamparc, France
Jenna Dezinski - University of Texas, Austin, USA; Alterstudio Architecture, Austin, Texas, USA
John Paul Rysavy - SHoP Architects, New York City, USA; And-Either-Or Austin, Texas and Brooklyn, New York, USA
John Simons - KPF, USA
Dr. Louis Gyoh - architect and academic, MCIOB, FRSA, United Kingdom
Marcella Del Signore - Professor of Practice, Tulane University; LEAD practitioner, USA/Italy
Dr. Massimo Angrilli - Associate Professor, Pescara University-Landscape expertise, National Prix du Paysage in Paris jury member
Pangalos Dugasse Feldmann - École Spéciale d’Architecture, France
Pierre-Henri Baudart - Studio Akkerhuis, France
Rajiv J. Fernandez - Tamarkin Co, USA
Simon McGown - CO-office, USA
Jury Composition
There are two jury panels--a core jury panel and a consultative jury panel. Full jury panel members are in the list above. The core and consultative jury panel will be responsible for setting the criteria that participants need to fulfill based on the site and brief and will evaluate each submission accordingly.
Top 3 winners will be selected by the consultative jury panel producing a shortlist of 40 from all submitted entries. Consultative jury panel will select 9 competition finalists from the shortlist. Core jury panel will evaluate the 9 finalists and select the top 3 winning projects and 6 honorable mentions.
Competition Sponsor Information
Competition's Media Partners:
Archdaily
Archinect
WorldArchitectureNews.com
Network in Progress
World Architecture Community
Archi.ru
RUArchitime
Architektur Journal Wettbewerbe
Viavili
Archilovers
WA
Archello
Competitions Archi
BC
ArchiPaper
NTA Learning from Students
S//A
Shelter
Art4D
BlogdeconCursos.com
ZingyHomes
Winners from the Similar Previous Competition
London Affordable Housing Challenge
Entry Concepts
Concepts revolved around promoting a sense of community, being affordable to construct, and integrating with the city for beneficial living situations.
Comments from Jury
The jury commentary for the London Affordable Housing Project focused on how much they liked the 3D printing aspect of the winning design, rather than the design itself.
Did previous competition's concepts meet competition goals?
While the design solution seems like it would be adequate at bringing people together and creating a favorable place to live, I am still uncertain about how feasible it would actually be.
Overall Commentary
The Rome Collective Living project is similar to the London Affordable Housing Challenge in that they both are trying to solve living situation problems. They differ in that the Rome project is focusing more on the design itself, and how the people will use it, whereas the London project seemed to be more about how things were constructed.
Strengths and Weakness of Individual Team Members
This project seems very doable by a team and could benefit from a variety of skillsets.
Concepts revolved around promoting a sense of community, being affordable to construct, and integrating with the city for beneficial living situations.
Comments from Jury
The jury commentary for the London Affordable Housing Project focused on how much they liked the 3D printing aspect of the winning design, rather than the design itself.
Did previous competition's concepts meet competition goals?
While the design solution seems like it would be adequate at bringing people together and creating a favorable place to live, I am still uncertain about how feasible it would actually be.
Overall Commentary
The Rome Collective Living project is similar to the London Affordable Housing Challenge in that they both are trying to solve living situation problems. They differ in that the Rome project is focusing more on the design itself, and how the people will use it, whereas the London project seemed to be more about how things were constructed.
Strengths and Weakness of Individual Team Members
This project seems very doable by a team and could benefit from a variety of skillsets.
Metals in Construction 2019 Design Challenge: Create a New Urban Pathway
Competition Brief
With urban environments overly reliant on automobiles, creating elevated, landscaped thoroughfares that encourage foot travel can reduce congestion and improve the overall experience of urban life. One testament to this is the popularity of the High Line’s transformation of an abandoned railroad spur into a pedestrian walkway, stimulating development in adjacent neighborhoods along the way. The High Line captivates New Yorkers in a way that few projects do. It also demonstrates the potential such projects have to revolutionize urban landscapes by serving not just as places for public recreation, but also, when properly designed, as preferred modes of travel for commuters to use on a daily basis.
It is for this reason that the publishers of Metals in Construction magazine selected a pedestrian bridge as the subject of the 2019 Design Challenge. The challenge is to conceive of a pedestrian bridge that connects the transportation hub of the newly adapted Moynihan Train Hall with the city’s largest development since Rockefeller Center, Hudson Yards, where studies project 100,000 workers will travel to offices there from the rail station each day
Competition Goals
Submit your vision for a pedestrian bridge that navigates efficiently between the two sites. The design must reward foot travel by providing a distinctive experience that transports the user into a different place, encouraging its use as the desired mode of daily travel. A panel of experienced architects and engineers will award the $15,000 grand prize to the design judged best at delivering this connectivity while becoming an iconic urban pathway unto itself.
Specific Design Guidelines:
The pedestrian bridge is to be of structural steel construction and span the activity below with a minimum of interruption and supports. It may be covered or open but maximum transparency is desired for both well-being and security. Your entry must show the pedestrian walkway originating at the transportation hub portion of Moynihan Train Hall and terminating in the vicinity of The Shed at Hudson Yards.
Elevation changes are permitted along the route, as are overlooks, kiosks, and other features. Access from street level may be provided at multiple locations. Keep in mind that its foremost objective is to efficiently serve the 100,000 commuters likely to use this pathway daily. And, of course, it must always be accessible for persons with disabilities.
Your entry must incorporate innovative design elements that make the bridge a distinctive, efficient, and desirable pathway for day-to-day, round-the-clock travel between the two locations. It must also clearly satisfy conventional design, construction, and sustainability standards. In addition to structural steel, the use of additional durable materials with long lifetimes, and of additional materials produced with fewer carbon emissions, will be considered in the judging. However, the required scope of this challenge is the goal of enhancing necessary foot travel by engaging pedestrians in an experience that rewards this mode of travel.
Competition Category
Student (Individual or Team), Open
Entry Fees
Students: $125
Awards
1st Place: $15,000
Up to 10 Honorable Mentions: No monetary award
Top five finalists will be published in Metals in Construction magazine. Winner and honorable mentions will present at a half-day conference at the TimesCenter in New York City.
Entry Format
Submission composed of three parts:
Competition History
The Metals in Construction magazine 2019 Design Challenge is a competition to generate ideas for making foot travel a more attractive, engaging component of living and working in a city.
Jury Members Background
Jack Robbins, AIA, LEED AP (Moderator) - FXCollaborative
Jack works with public and private clients to create vibrant, sustainable cities. He brings a design-oriented approach and international experience to creatively solving complex challenges, with a keen understanding of the designer’s responsibility to the public. Jack has led mixed-use development projects spanning urban infrastructure, transportation, multi-family residential developments, and large-scale master plans.
Benjamin Prosky Assoc. AIA - Executive Director AIA New York Chapter
With a background in urban studies and urban planning, Prosky has devoted his career to a range of projects and initiatives dedicated to the promotion and interpretation of architecture and the city.
Claire Weisz, FAIA - WXY
Claire Weisz is a founding partner of WXY, a firm known for community centered approach to architecture, urban design and planning.
Enrica Oliva, M.Sc. Structural Engineering - Werner Sobek New York
Her experience in the construction industry includes 9 years of design and project management at Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., in New York, as well as the subsequent role of Director of Structures at Werner Sobek New York, taken on in 2016. Amongst many other projects, she has been involved in the Design of the Barclays Center Arena (2007-11) and has been Project Manager of the 146 E 126th Street Tower in Harlem, NY by BIG Architects (2013-15), a 12-story concrete and steel residential tower partially built over an existing commercial 3-story building.
Paul Bauer, AIA, LEED AP - Dattner Architects
Paul takes an iterative and research-based approach to architecture. He views the highly specific set of requirements that guide infrastructure design as an opportunity for discovery rather than a limit for potential, and he strives to develop clear conceptual frameworks through a collaborative process. Paul is particularly attuned to the systems that make infrastructure projects function.
Jury Composition
The jury will be looking for evidence of serious consideration of the Design Brief, especially the Specific Design Guidelines section. In addition, they will keep in mind the elements of all innovative design in the 21st century: systems thinking, sustainable methods and materials, excellence of aesthetic expression, technological innovation; and the economic potential of the idea.
Competition Sponsor Information
The Steel Institute of New York
Entry Graphics from Previous Year 2018 Competition
The challenge for the previous year was to design a facade system that can play a major role in enhancing employee health and well-being. The expectation was a state-of-the-art curtain wall system utilizing metal in its construction.
Competition Brief
With urban environments overly reliant on automobiles, creating elevated, landscaped thoroughfares that encourage foot travel can reduce congestion and improve the overall experience of urban life. One testament to this is the popularity of the High Line’s transformation of an abandoned railroad spur into a pedestrian walkway, stimulating development in adjacent neighborhoods along the way. The High Line captivates New Yorkers in a way that few projects do. It also demonstrates the potential such projects have to revolutionize urban landscapes by serving not just as places for public recreation, but also, when properly designed, as preferred modes of travel for commuters to use on a daily basis.
It is for this reason that the publishers of Metals in Construction magazine selected a pedestrian bridge as the subject of the 2019 Design Challenge. The challenge is to conceive of a pedestrian bridge that connects the transportation hub of the newly adapted Moynihan Train Hall with the city’s largest development since Rockefeller Center, Hudson Yards, where studies project 100,000 workers will travel to offices there from the rail station each day
Competition Goals
Submit your vision for a pedestrian bridge that navigates efficiently between the two sites. The design must reward foot travel by providing a distinctive experience that transports the user into a different place, encouraging its use as the desired mode of daily travel. A panel of experienced architects and engineers will award the $15,000 grand prize to the design judged best at delivering this connectivity while becoming an iconic urban pathway unto itself.
Specific Design Guidelines:
The pedestrian bridge is to be of structural steel construction and span the activity below with a minimum of interruption and supports. It may be covered or open but maximum transparency is desired for both well-being and security. Your entry must show the pedestrian walkway originating at the transportation hub portion of Moynihan Train Hall and terminating in the vicinity of The Shed at Hudson Yards.
Elevation changes are permitted along the route, as are overlooks, kiosks, and other features. Access from street level may be provided at multiple locations. Keep in mind that its foremost objective is to efficiently serve the 100,000 commuters likely to use this pathway daily. And, of course, it must always be accessible for persons with disabilities.
Your entry must incorporate innovative design elements that make the bridge a distinctive, efficient, and desirable pathway for day-to-day, round-the-clock travel between the two locations. It must also clearly satisfy conventional design, construction, and sustainability standards. In addition to structural steel, the use of additional durable materials with long lifetimes, and of additional materials produced with fewer carbon emissions, will be considered in the judging. However, the required scope of this challenge is the goal of enhancing necessary foot travel by engaging pedestrians in an experience that rewards this mode of travel.
Competition Category
Student (Individual or Team), Open
Entry Fees
Students: $125
Awards
1st Place: $15,000
Up to 10 Honorable Mentions: No monetary award
Top five finalists will be published in Metals in Construction magazine. Winner and honorable mentions will present at a half-day conference at the TimesCenter in New York City.
Entry Format
Submission composed of three parts:
- Entrant Information - contact information of the individual or team submitting.
- Project Description Prompts - a series of descriptive points related to the design and process of the submission.
- Proposal Visualization - Up to 10 pages may be submitted to represent the proposal. This attachment should be one multi-page PDF file (max. 10 pages) formatted at 11” x 17” (ledger) and can include supporting backup data, calculations, and commentary to supplement the images.
Competition History
The Metals in Construction magazine 2019 Design Challenge is a competition to generate ideas for making foot travel a more attractive, engaging component of living and working in a city.
Jury Members Background
Jack Robbins, AIA, LEED AP (Moderator) - FXCollaborative
Jack works with public and private clients to create vibrant, sustainable cities. He brings a design-oriented approach and international experience to creatively solving complex challenges, with a keen understanding of the designer’s responsibility to the public. Jack has led mixed-use development projects spanning urban infrastructure, transportation, multi-family residential developments, and large-scale master plans.
Benjamin Prosky Assoc. AIA - Executive Director AIA New York Chapter
With a background in urban studies and urban planning, Prosky has devoted his career to a range of projects and initiatives dedicated to the promotion and interpretation of architecture and the city.
Claire Weisz, FAIA - WXY
Claire Weisz is a founding partner of WXY, a firm known for community centered approach to architecture, urban design and planning.
Enrica Oliva, M.Sc. Structural Engineering - Werner Sobek New York
Her experience in the construction industry includes 9 years of design and project management at Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., in New York, as well as the subsequent role of Director of Structures at Werner Sobek New York, taken on in 2016. Amongst many other projects, she has been involved in the Design of the Barclays Center Arena (2007-11) and has been Project Manager of the 146 E 126th Street Tower in Harlem, NY by BIG Architects (2013-15), a 12-story concrete and steel residential tower partially built over an existing commercial 3-story building.
Paul Bauer, AIA, LEED AP - Dattner Architects
Paul takes an iterative and research-based approach to architecture. He views the highly specific set of requirements that guide infrastructure design as an opportunity for discovery rather than a limit for potential, and he strives to develop clear conceptual frameworks through a collaborative process. Paul is particularly attuned to the systems that make infrastructure projects function.
Jury Composition
The jury will be looking for evidence of serious consideration of the Design Brief, especially the Specific Design Guidelines section. In addition, they will keep in mind the elements of all innovative design in the 21st century: systems thinking, sustainable methods and materials, excellence of aesthetic expression, technological innovation; and the economic potential of the idea.
Competition Sponsor Information
The Steel Institute of New York
Entry Graphics from Previous Year 2018 Competition
The challenge for the previous year was to design a facade system that can play a major role in enhancing employee health and well-being. The expectation was a state-of-the-art curtain wall system utilizing metal in its construction.
Entry Concepts
Research into site conditions and precedent studies, sustainability, health and wellness.
Did the previous concepts meet competition goals?
The previous concepts met the last year's competition goals. The entries primarily focused on the design's facade. All the honorable mentions used steel as the primary construction material and it was clear from the boards that the entrants did a lot of research into the site conditions (temperature, wind, rainfall, sun path) which influenced the final building's design.
Overall Commentary
The previous projects, while still involving metal working and/or constructions, seemed more focused on new ideas and implementation than the traditional use of steel. This is a good opportunity to explore new ways to use steel and how to create an enjoyable environment for the occupants.
Strengths and Weakness of Individual Team Members
This project seems doable with more than one person. While it seems to be asking a lot, with up to 10 "boards" to be submitted, some of those can be just one large image. There can even be hand-drawn images or process sketches (as seen in some of the previous submissions), if someone is skilled at that. This project will mostly rely on doing extensive research and using 3D graphics skills.
Research into site conditions and precedent studies, sustainability, health and wellness.
Did the previous concepts meet competition goals?
The previous concepts met the last year's competition goals. The entries primarily focused on the design's facade. All the honorable mentions used steel as the primary construction material and it was clear from the boards that the entrants did a lot of research into the site conditions (temperature, wind, rainfall, sun path) which influenced the final building's design.
Overall Commentary
The previous projects, while still involving metal working and/or constructions, seemed more focused on new ideas and implementation than the traditional use of steel. This is a good opportunity to explore new ways to use steel and how to create an enjoyable environment for the occupants.
Strengths and Weakness of Individual Team Members
This project seems doable with more than one person. While it seems to be asking a lot, with up to 10 "boards" to be submitted, some of those can be just one large image. There can even be hand-drawn images or process sketches (as seen in some of the previous submissions), if someone is skilled at that. This project will mostly rely on doing extensive research and using 3D graphics skills.
African School Project
Competition Brief
Universal education, gender equality and empowering women are vital components of the mission in developing countries. Educating children helps reduce poverty and will give the next generation the tools to fight poverty and conquer disease. School also offers children a safe environment, with support, supervision and socialization. Here they learn life skills that can help them prevent diseases, including how to avoid HIV/AIDS and malaria. Children may receive life-saving vaccines, fresh water and nutrient supplementation at school.
Many countries have committed themselves to more than the achievement of universal primary education. They are also looking at expanding universal education so that it includes several years of secondary school and a new basic education. The challenge of keeping children in school after primary school is great.
UNESCO reports that when lower secondary-school-age children are counted in, the number of out-of-school children is doubled, as more than 72 million adolescents in this group are out of school. The barriers to school attendance at secondary level resemble those at primary level, but those barriers are intensified. The cost of secondary schooling is often higher than the cost of primary schooling and therefore more difficult for families to afford; secondary schools are further from home, often requiring transportation; and the conflict between educational aspirations and the potential income that could be earned by a working adolescent becomes greater.
Archstorming is calling for proposals to design a secondary school in Benga (Malawi). The winning proposal will be built.
Benga is located in the Nkhotakota District, situated 10 km east of Lake Malawi and 30 km west of the Ntchisi Forest Reserve. It is 60 km south of Nkhotakota Township and 50 km north of Salima Township. Benga is located halfway of these towns, in a tar road.
Competition Goals
The aim of this project is to provide a better education to the youngest citizens of the country by giving them the opportunity to access a decent secondary school infrastructure.
The school must be designed to accommodate four academic years. At first only one classroom per academic year will be constructed, but participants will have to take into account that the school could be extended in the future to three classrooms per academic year, which means twelve classrooms could be build at some point.
In the proposals, participants have to adapt on using local materials, easy constructive systems and energetic technologies in order to make proposals as realistic and efficient as possible.
To achieve the goals set the following program is proposed:
Four classrooms, Teacher office, Computers room, Library, Laboratory/ research area, Animal area, Multipurpose space, Dry latrine, Director and secretary office, Meeting room, Storage room, Students dormitories, Twelve basic houses for the teachers.
Competition Category
Student, Open
Entry Fees
Currently: 80 € +VAT
Awards
1st Place: 4,000 €
2nd Place: 2,500 €
3rd Place: 1,000 €
10 honorable mentions
Entry Format
Participants must submit two A1 format boards (594x841 mm or 23.4x33.1 inches) oriented either landscape or portrait with the registration number in the lower right corner. The content of the boards is open, as long as the idea that the participants want to communicate is clearly expressed. However, it is important to detail the proposal with the materials and constructive systems thought. The boards must be delivered in JPEG format. One description of the project no longer than 400 words must be submitted.
Competition History
The Metals in Construction magazine 2019 Design Challenge is a competition to generate ideas for making foot travel a more attractive, engaging component of living and working in a city.
Jury Members Background
Fernando Aguirre - Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle
Kenneth Kim - MOREMAS Architecture
Steven Ochieng - Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle
Teresa Garolera - Active Africa NGO
James Barasa - Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle
Teresa Valenzuela - Du Rivau & Associés
Jury Composition
The jury will evaluate the projects based on the proposed objectives, the main being the creation of a new secondary school were students are respected and encouraged in order to contribute in having better opportunities in the third world countries. The jury is free to add other criteria that they consider important for the secondary school project needs.
A total of 50 proposals will be selected for the final round. Among the 50 finalists, the jury will choose the winner, the second and third place, and the 10 honorable mentions.
Competition Sponsor Information
Active Africa
Young Bird Plan
The BLW
Escola Politecnica Superior
WiinContest
Studio Marcha!
Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle
Entry Graphics from Similar Previous Competition
Unbuild the Wall
There is a past competition on ArchStorming that has example images from the winners about the standard of work that the jury might be looking for.
Competition Brief
Universal education, gender equality and empowering women are vital components of the mission in developing countries. Educating children helps reduce poverty and will give the next generation the tools to fight poverty and conquer disease. School also offers children a safe environment, with support, supervision and socialization. Here they learn life skills that can help them prevent diseases, including how to avoid HIV/AIDS and malaria. Children may receive life-saving vaccines, fresh water and nutrient supplementation at school.
Many countries have committed themselves to more than the achievement of universal primary education. They are also looking at expanding universal education so that it includes several years of secondary school and a new basic education. The challenge of keeping children in school after primary school is great.
UNESCO reports that when lower secondary-school-age children are counted in, the number of out-of-school children is doubled, as more than 72 million adolescents in this group are out of school. The barriers to school attendance at secondary level resemble those at primary level, but those barriers are intensified. The cost of secondary schooling is often higher than the cost of primary schooling and therefore more difficult for families to afford; secondary schools are further from home, often requiring transportation; and the conflict between educational aspirations and the potential income that could be earned by a working adolescent becomes greater.
Archstorming is calling for proposals to design a secondary school in Benga (Malawi). The winning proposal will be built.
Benga is located in the Nkhotakota District, situated 10 km east of Lake Malawi and 30 km west of the Ntchisi Forest Reserve. It is 60 km south of Nkhotakota Township and 50 km north of Salima Township. Benga is located halfway of these towns, in a tar road.
Competition Goals
The aim of this project is to provide a better education to the youngest citizens of the country by giving them the opportunity to access a decent secondary school infrastructure.
The school must be designed to accommodate four academic years. At first only one classroom per academic year will be constructed, but participants will have to take into account that the school could be extended in the future to three classrooms per academic year, which means twelve classrooms could be build at some point.
In the proposals, participants have to adapt on using local materials, easy constructive systems and energetic technologies in order to make proposals as realistic and efficient as possible.
To achieve the goals set the following program is proposed:
Four classrooms, Teacher office, Computers room, Library, Laboratory/ research area, Animal area, Multipurpose space, Dry latrine, Director and secretary office, Meeting room, Storage room, Students dormitories, Twelve basic houses for the teachers.
Competition Category
Student, Open
Entry Fees
Currently: 80 € +VAT
Awards
1st Place: 4,000 €
2nd Place: 2,500 €
3rd Place: 1,000 €
10 honorable mentions
Entry Format
Participants must submit two A1 format boards (594x841 mm or 23.4x33.1 inches) oriented either landscape or portrait with the registration number in the lower right corner. The content of the boards is open, as long as the idea that the participants want to communicate is clearly expressed. However, it is important to detail the proposal with the materials and constructive systems thought. The boards must be delivered in JPEG format. One description of the project no longer than 400 words must be submitted.
Competition History
The Metals in Construction magazine 2019 Design Challenge is a competition to generate ideas for making foot travel a more attractive, engaging component of living and working in a city.
Jury Members Background
Fernando Aguirre - Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle
Kenneth Kim - MOREMAS Architecture
Steven Ochieng - Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle
Teresa Garolera - Active Africa NGO
James Barasa - Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle
Teresa Valenzuela - Du Rivau & Associés
Jury Composition
The jury will evaluate the projects based on the proposed objectives, the main being the creation of a new secondary school were students are respected and encouraged in order to contribute in having better opportunities in the third world countries. The jury is free to add other criteria that they consider important for the secondary school project needs.
A total of 50 proposals will be selected for the final round. Among the 50 finalists, the jury will choose the winner, the second and third place, and the 10 honorable mentions.
Competition Sponsor Information
Active Africa
Young Bird Plan
The BLW
Escola Politecnica Superior
WiinContest
Studio Marcha!
Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle
Entry Graphics from Similar Previous Competition
Unbuild the Wall
There is a past competition on ArchStorming that has example images from the winners about the standard of work that the jury might be looking for.
Entry Concepts
Research into site conditions, health and wellness, meeting the needs of the people, affordability and feasibility.
Did concepts meet competition goals?
The winners from the previous ArchStorming competition accomplished what the project had asked, which was to design a transition space between the borders to promote safety and community among different people. The entries did not tell a whole lot about the program, but were eye catching in their designs and looked comfortable to theoretically inhabit.
Overall Commentary
This project seems like quite a bit with a large program that is required, as it is designed to be built, not just a conceptual or facade design. However, it seems like a very rewarding project to accomplish.
Strengths and Weakness of Individual Team Members
This project is only two boards, but they must be filled with all the relevant information which will take multiple people. Everyone can bring different skills to the project, from 2D drawings to 3D renderings, and also lots of relevant research.
Research into site conditions, health and wellness, meeting the needs of the people, affordability and feasibility.
Did concepts meet competition goals?
The winners from the previous ArchStorming competition accomplished what the project had asked, which was to design a transition space between the borders to promote safety and community among different people. The entries did not tell a whole lot about the program, but were eye catching in their designs and looked comfortable to theoretically inhabit.
Overall Commentary
This project seems like quite a bit with a large program that is required, as it is designed to be built, not just a conceptual or facade design. However, it seems like a very rewarding project to accomplish.
Strengths and Weakness of Individual Team Members
This project is only two boards, but they must be filled with all the relevant information which will take multiple people. Everyone can bring different skills to the project, from 2D drawings to 3D renderings, and also lots of relevant research.