The ]present[ Architectures Challenge

Architecture cannot be performed in the past or future, since it speaks of ]present[ culture. The role of architecture is to provide answers to current challenges. Competitors are expected to discuss a wide range of particular challenges from the places they live in. The drawings will explicitly and clearly define both the author’s proposal and his/her solution.

Category Idea Competition / Open to Students
Type International Architectual Idea Competition
Genre Free-Theme
Country Romania
RegDeadline 31 March 2008 GoogleCal iCal
15 October 2008 (See "Timetable" below) GoogleCal
Eligibility Students

Description
It seems that ]present[ has become the most unattractive period. People look rather to past or future. The nostalgic think that past is much better, while the others wage everything on the future. It might be as well a sign of dissatisfaction with ]present[ or an attempt to escape in an ideal time. However, the problems posed by ]present[ keep on piling up, and people look backwards or forwards, mesmerized by the future; they are less motivated to take action today.
Traditional cities were architectural answers to people’s needs. Once they represented the communities and displayed their values, history, and aspirations. They went hand in hand with community life and promptly answered their changes. This is why we can easily read the history of the place in its architecture. Neither settlements, nor houses can feign history, because sometimes they narrate less desirable aspects of a given world. Modern city seems to have lost this kind of flexibility. Although it intended to anticipate society developments, it did not react to several changes; thus, architecture could not come up with a proper answer and the whole thing went into a state of crisis. Several dysfunctional cases arose, and architecture could not keep up with novelties.

International Final Jury
Mario BOTTA, Switzerland
Leen VAN DUIN, EAAE Representative, Netherlands
Cristopher ALLSOPP, United Kingdom
Petr FRANTA, Czech Republic
Pere RIERA I PAŇELLAS, Spain
Juhani KATAINEN, Finland
Emil Barbu POPESCU, UAUIM Representative, Romania
Lafarge representative to be nominated

Competition Type
Two-Stage, Anonymous Competition
1. Within each school participating in the competition
2. Final judgment

Prize
Prize I: 6,000 Euro
Prize II: 4,000 Euro
Prize III: 3,000 Euro
Mentions: 1,000 Euro each

Entry Fee
None

Entries
2 A1 drawings (594x841)
A CD with pictures of 2 A1 drawings (594x841) in .jgp format. The drawings will be set vertically (the longer side vertically, and the shorter side horizontally).

Timetable
End of question receiving: 17 April 2008
Mailing of answers: 30 April 2008
End of local judgment in the Schools of Architecture: 15 October 2008
Arrival of projects for final judgment: 25 October 2008
Final judgment and winners’ selection (at “ION MINCU” UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM, BUCHAREST, ROMANIA): 16-17 November 2008
Announcement of results and project exhibition (on the site of “ION MINCU” UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM – BUCHAREST): December 2008

Promoter
IMUAU together with EAAE
(Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism + European Association of Architectural Education)

Official Website
http://www.iaim.ro/en/aeea2008/