Architects
and students of architecture have been offered a special opportunity to
make a difference in their communities. The International Union of Architects
(UIA) has launched “A Celebration of Cities,” an international
ideas competition to collect ideas and create a global database of inventive
ways to repair and heal the nerve points of the city. The AIA will serve
as organizer for entries from the U.S.
Referring
to the architect as an “urban physician,” UIA President Jaime
Lerner, Hon. FAIA, calls the competition an “international consultation”
and an exercise in “urban acupuncture.” The emphasis is on
small-scale, sustainable solutions that are simple and have an immediate
effect, while remaining economical. All types of housing and urban areas
are targeted, including large housing complexes, shanty towns, historic
cities, and modern suburbs.
The
range of sponsoring organizations in addition to the AIA include: The
American Architectural Foundation, National Council of Architectural Registration
Boards, and American Institute of Architecture Students.
Architect and student projects selected in the international stage will
receive special recognition from the UIA and be presented at the UIA World
Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005. A representative of each winning
project will receive free registration to the congress.
Judging criteria:
- Pertinence of proposal in relation to the identified problem
- Originality of proposal
- Contribution of proposal to living conditions
- Sustainable development
- Creation of social links
- Architectural quality of proposal
- Harmony between proposal and natural and cultural environment
- Feasibility.
Timetable
Deadline for registration with the AIA: October
6
Deadline for receipt of submissions at the AIA: December
12
AIA national jury: January, 2004
Deadline for receipt of national-level winners
at UIA Headquarters in Paris: February
19, 2004
International jury: March 2004.
Categories and eligibility
The competition is organized in two categories: professionals (an individual
architect or a team led by an architect licensed in any one of the 55
U.S. jurisdictions) and students (an individual student currently pursuing
an undergraduate or graduate degree in architecture from an accredited
school or a team of students led by a student currently pursuing an undergraduate
or graduate degree in architecture from an accredited school).
Registration
Registration fees are $100 (US) for architects and $25 for students. (Schools
will jury their own submissions and submit one entry per school). The
AIA jury will select 10 from among these submissions: 5 for the student
category and 5 for the professional category. For
registration details, click here.
Submission requirements
Projects must not have been implemented, and must be:
- Submitted on two A1 format panels (84.1 centimeters. x 59.4 centimeters
or approximately 33 inches x 24 inches) that show the present state
of the relevant site as well as the proposed project and an explanatory
text of 500 words, maximum
- Accompanied by an electronic version of the proposal on CD-ROM sent
with the paper version (.dxf and/or .jpg files, resolution suitable
for publication)
- Accompanied by an identification envelope marked with the category
and identification code. (Follow
this link, see Article 10.)
Prizes
Awards will include:
- One grand prize per category of 5,000 euro (approximately $5,500)
- One prize per region in each category of 1,000 euro (approximately
$1,100)
- Free registration to the UIA World Congress in Istanbul in 2005 for
one representative from each winning team
- Two mentions per category and per region.
Copyright
The authors of projects shall retain copyright, but the organizers shall
have the right to publish photos of these projects along with the names
of the authors. Entries will not be returned.
Copyright 2003 The American Institute of Architects.
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