Architectural design competition

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An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel of design professionals and stakeholders (such as government and local representatives). This procedure is often used to generate new ideas for building design, to stimulate public debate, generate publicity for the project, and allow emerging designers the opportunity to gain exposure. Architecture competitions are often used to award commissions for public buildings: in some countries rules for tendering public building contracts stipulate some form of mandatory open architectural competition. [1]

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Winning first prize in a competition is not a guarantee that the project will be constructed. The commissioning body often has the right to veto the winning design, and both requirements and finances may change, thwarting the original intention. The 2002 World Trade Center site design competition is an example of a highly publicized competition where only the basic elements of the winning design by Daniel Libeskind appeared in the finished project.

History

Architecture competitions have a more than 2,500-year-old history. The Acropolis in Athens was a result of an architectural competition in 448 B.C., as were several cathedrals in the Middle Ages. During the Renaissance, many projects initiated by the Church have been decided through design competition. Examples are the Spanish Steps in Rome or in 1419, a competition was held to design the dome of the Florence Cathedral, which was won by Filippo Brunelleschi. Open competitions were held in the late 18th century in several countries including the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, France and Sweden. [2]

In 19th century England and Ireland there have been over 2,500 competitions in five decades, with 362 in London alone. The Royal Institute of British Architects drafted a first set of rules in 1839 and a set of formal regulations in 1872. The German Regulations were introduced in 1867. In the same period in the Netherlands, an association for the advancement of architecture (Maatschappij tot Bevordering van de Bouwkunst), started organising conceptual competitions with the aim of stimulating architects' creativity. [3]

Competition for the design of the Peace Palace in The Hague, 1905
O. Wagner competition design for the Peace Palace The Hague.jpg
Competition entry by Otto Wagner
International Court of Justice HQ 2006.jpg
Building by competition winner Louis M. Cordonnier

Competition types

There are a variety of competition types resulting from the combination of following options: [4]

Rules and guidelines

The rules of each competition are defined by the organiser; however, these often follow the guidelines provided by the International Union of Architects, [5] respectively the relevant national or regional architecture organisation. Competition guidelines define roles, responsibilities, processes, and procedures within a competition [6] and provide guidance on possible competition types, eligibility criteria, jury composition, participation conditions, payments, prizes, publication of results and other aspects. [7] [8]

In France and Germany design competitions are compulsory for all public buildings exceeding a certain cost. [1] [9]

Major international architectural design competitions

Most significant among architectural competitions are the ones which are internationally open, attract a large number of design submissions, and the winning design is built.

Competition NameLocationYearWinner(s)Design entries
White House Flag of the United States.svg Washington D.C.1792 James Hoban 9
Walhalla memorial Flag of Germany.svg Donaustauf1816 Leo von Klenze
Houses of Parliament Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London1835 Charles Barry 98
Vienna Ring Road Flag of Austria.svg Vienna1858 Ludwig Förster - Friedrich August von Stache - Eduard van der Nüll and August Sicard von Sicardsburg 85
Hofoper Flag of Austria.svg Vienna1860 Eduard van der Nüll and August Sicard von Sicardsburg
Paris Opera Flag of France.svg Paris1860 Charles Garnier 171
Rijksmuseum Flag of the Netherlands.svg Amsterdam1863 P.J.H. Cuypers
Law Courts Flag of England.svg London1866 George Edmund Street 11
Reichstag Flag of Germany.svg Berlin1872 Paul Wallot
Beurs Flag of the Netherlands.svg Amsterdam1884 Hendrik Petrus Berlage
World Exhibition tower Flag of France.svg Paris1889 Gustave Eiffel
Austrian Postal Savings Bank Flag of Austria.svg Vienna1903 Otto Wagner
Stockholm City Hall Flag of Sweden.svg Stockholm1903 Ragnar Östberg
Helsinki Central railway station Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki1903 Eliel Saarinen 21
Peace Palace Flag of the Netherlands.svg The Hague1905 Louis Marie Cordonnier and J.A.G. van der Steur
Tribune Tower Flag of the United States.svg Chicago1922 John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood 260
League of Nations Building Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Geneva1926Henri Paul Nénot & Julien Flegenheimer; Carlo Broggi; Camille Lefèvre; Giuseppe Vago377
Lenin Library Flag of Russia.svg Moscow1928 Vladimir Shchuko
ANZAC War Memorial Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sydney1929 Charles Bruce Dellit 117
Termini Station Flag of Italy.svg Rome1947Leo Calini, Eugenio Montuori, Massimo Castellazzi, Vasco Fadigati, Achille Pintonello and Annibale Vitellozzi
Town Hall and Church Flag of Finland.svg Seinäjoki1950 Alvar Aalto
Sydney Opera House Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sydney1955 Jørn Utzon 233
Toronto City Hall Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Toronto1956 Viljo Revell 500
Amsterdam City Hall Flag of the Netherlands.svg Amsterdam1967 Wilhelm Holzbauer, Cees Dam, B. Bijvoet and G.H.M. Holt804
Supreme Court Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo1968Shin-ichi Okada217
Centre Georges Pompidou Flag of France.svg Paris1971 Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers 681
San Cataldo Cemetery Flag of Italy.svg Modena1971 Aldo Rossi and Gianni Braghieri
Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Flag of Hong Kong.svg Hong Kong1979 Foster Associates
Parliament House of Australia Flag of Australia (converted).svg Canberra1979 Romaldo Giurgola 329
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie Flag of France.svg Paris1980Adrien Fainsilber and Sylvain Mercier
La Grande Arche de la Défense Flag of France.svg Paris1982 Johan Otto von Spreckelsen 420
Parc de la Villette Flag of France.svg Paris1982 Bernard Tschumi 471
Opéra Bastille Flag of France.svg Paris1983 Carlos Ott 750
Carré d'Art Flag of France.svg Nîmes1984 Norman Foster 12
Shonandai Cultural Centre Flag of Japan.svg Fujisawa1985 Itsuko Hasegawa 215
New National Theatre Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo1984Takahiko Yanagisawa and Tak Associates228
Tokyo International Forum Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo1987 Rafael Viñoly 395
Kansai Airport Flag of Japan.svg Osaka1988 Renzo Piano Building Workshop 48
Jewish Museum Flag of Germany.svg Berlin1989 Daniel Libeskind 165
Bibliotheca Alexandrina Flag of Egypt.svg Alexandria1989 Snøhetta 523
Bibliothèque Nationale de France Flag of France.svg Paris1989 Dominique Perrault 244
Centre for Japanese Culture Flag of France.svg Paris1989–1990Masayuki Yamanaka, Kenneth Armstrong & Jennifer Smith453
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Flag of Spain.svg Bilbao1991 Frank Gehry
Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki1992 Steven Holl 516
Austrian Cultural Forum Flag of the United States.svg New York1992 Raimund Abraham 226
Royal Danish Library Flag of Denmark.svg Copenhagen1993 Schmidt Hammer Lassen 179
Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal Flag of Japan.svg Yokohama1995 Foreign Office Architects 660
Felix Nussbaum Museum Flag of Germany.svg Osnabrück1995 Daniel Libeskind 296
Millennium Bridge Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London1996 Norman Foster, Sir Anthony Caro, and Ove Arup 200
Federation Square Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne1997 Lab Architecture Studio 177
GeoCenter Møns Klint Flag of Denmark.svg Møn Island2002 PLH Architects 292
Philharmonie de Paris Flag of France.svg Paris2011 Jean Nouvel 98

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Jacques Cabanieu: Competitions and Architectural Excellence, in Places 9:2, MIT, 1994, retrieved 2009-09-25
  2. 130 Years of Finnish architectural competitions, retrieved 2009-09-23
  3. De Jong, Cees and Mattie, Erik: Architectural Competitions 1792-1949, Taschen, 1997, ISBN   3-8228-8599-1
  4. "Guidelines for Architectural Design Competitions" (PDF). Australian Institute of Architects. October 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  5. UIA competition guide Archived 14 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 2009-10-10
  6. Canadian competition rules Archived 9 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 2009-10-10
  7. Finnish competition rules Archived 13 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 2009-10-10
  8. Indian competition guidelines Archived 12 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 2009-10-10
  9. German competition guidelines Archived 25 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 2015-09-24

Further reading