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An architectural design competition is a type of
design competition A design competition or design contest is a competition in which an entity solicits design proposals from the public for a specified purpose. Architecture An architectural design competition solicits architects to submit design proposals for a b ...
in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
s 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.Jacques Cabanieu: ''Competitions and Architectural Excellence, in Places 9:2, MIT, 1994''
retrieved 2009-09-25
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 Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design a ...
appeared in the finished project.


History

Architecture competitions have a more than 2,500-year-old history. The
Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
in Athens was a result of an architectural competition in 448 B.C., as were several cathedrals in the Middle Ages. During the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
, many projects initiated by the Church have been decided through design competition. Examples are the
Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps ( it, Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairway ...
in Rome or in 1419, a competition was held to design the dome of the
Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally c ...
, which was won by
Filippo Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi ( , , also known as Pippo; 1377 – 15 April 1446), considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, and is now recognized to be the first modern engineer, p ...
. Open competitions were held in the late 18th century in several countries including the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, France and Sweden.130 Years of Finnish architectural competitions
retrieved 2009-09-23
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 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
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.


Competition types

There are a variety of competition types resulting from the combination of following options: * Open competitions (international, national or regional) or ''limited'', ''selected'', ''non-open'' competitions, depending on who is allowed to participate. * Project competitions or ''ideas'' competitions: depending on the intention of building the project or generating new ideas. * Single-stage or two-stage competitions: depending on the scale and complexity of the competition. * Anonymous or cooperative procedures: anonymity supports greater objectivity during the evaluation and award-granting deliberations. In cooperative procedures, the authors are invited to make in-person presentations to the jury in order to explain their design strategies and allow individual discussion. *
Student design competition A student design competition is a specific form of a student competition relating to design. Design competitions can be technical or purely aesthetic. The objective of technical competitions is to introduce students to real-world engineering situati ...
s.


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 The International Union of Architects ( French: ''Union internationale des Architectes''; UIA) is the only international non-governmental organization that represents the world's architects, now estimated to number some 3.2 million in all. About ...
, respectively the relevant national or regional architecture organisation. Competition guidelines define roles, responsibilities, processes, and procedures within a competition and provide guidance on possible competition types, eligibility criteria, jury composition, participation conditions, payments, prizes, publication of results and other aspects. In France and Germany design competitions are compulsory for all public buildings exceeding a certain cost.German competition guidelines
, retrieved 2015-09-24


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.


See also

*
Architectural design values Architectural design values make up an important part of what influences architects and designers when they make their design decisions. However, architects and designers are not always influenced by the same values and intentions. Value and intent ...
*
Student competition A student competition is any student event where an individual or a team compete for a prize where skill is the main predictor of the winner. There can be a competition between students or teams of students within a classroom or across different s ...
*
Student design competition A student design competition is a specific form of a student competition relating to design. Design competitions can be technical or purely aesthetic. The objective of technical competitions is to introduce students to real-world engineering situati ...


References


Further reading

*Andersson E., Bloxham Zettersten, G. und Rönn, M., (eds
''Architectural Competitions - Histories and Practice''
Stockholm: The Royal Institute of Technology and Rio Kulturkooperativ, 2013. *Chupin, Jean-Pierre, Carmela Cucuzzella and Bechara Helal (eds
''Architecture Competitions and the Production of Culture, Quality and Knowledge: An International Inquiry''
Montreal: Potential Architecture Books, 2015, *Collyer, G. Stanley, ''Competing Globally in Architecture Competitions'', Wiley Academy, 2004, *De Jong, Cees and Mattie, Erik: ''Architectural Competitions 1792-1949'', Taschen, 1997,


External links


Architectural Competition - Nordic Symposium

Canadian Competitions Catalogue

DesignCompetition.com
list of design competitions * DCC Directory of Architecture and Design Competitions, Awards, Associations and Design Residencie

list of 1500 architecture and design competitions
CABE: Making Competitions Work

RIBA Competitions
the Royal Institute of British Architects dedicated
RIBA Competitions RIBA Competitions is the Royal Institute of British Architects' unit dedicated to organising architectural and other design-related competitions. Architectural design competitions are used by an organisation that plans to build a new building or re ...
unit
Wettbewerbe Aktuell
a German journal specialized in architectural competitions
Handbook of Architectural Design Competitions
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
(AIA)

The Competition Project, Inc., a world-wide resource on competitions since 1990 with the periodical publication, COMPETITIONS (1991-2010) and COMPETITIONS Annual (2010-) {{DEFAULTSORT:Architectural Design Competition Architectural competitions, Architectural design