Reinvent a capital city for the future, repurpose a former Carnegie library or design an African conservation centre: these are some of the latest architecture competitions and contracts from across the industry
For updates on the latest competitions, contests and contracts follow us on twitter #ribajopportunities @RIBAJ.
Ideas competition
NLA call out for one-page concept proposals for a 24-hour capital of the future
Deadline 12 noon, 17 June 2024
Built environment membership organisation New London Agenda (NLA), in collaboration with architect and creative network LDN Collective, has launched a contest calling for ideas that reinvent the capital.
‘As London undergoes a massive shift in working and living patterns, it faces enormous challenges in delivering housing and infrastructure needs,’ say organisers. ‘Covid-19 has also made inequalities and vulnerabilities even more apparent, and the city must rapidly decarbonise. London finds itself at an extraordinary moment in time, and the built environment is a crucial part of London’s future - which is why your ideas can have an enormous impact.’
NLA is looking for suggestions that single out an issue the capital is facing or outline an ambitious new concept for the city. ‘Ideas can be theoretical, blue-sky thinking or they can focus on specific areas, buildings or tactics to push the limits of how we work’.
Submissions will be judged on originality, creativity and relevance to the brief, which focuses on NLA’s ‘Six Pillars of Placemaking’: health, future generations, thinking beyond boundaries, diversity, innovation and working in partnership.
Judges will decide on a shortlist of up to 50 entries that will go on public display and up for a public vote at a London exhibition. The idea with the most votes will win a People’s Choice award. The main winner and winner of a Young Londoners Prize will be selected by the judges. Ten shortlisted applicants will also have the opportunity to present their ideas at an NLA Reimagine London PechaKucha event.
The NLA contest is inspired by the 2015 Reinventing Paris competition, which produced a raft of inspirational proposals for neglected areas across the city.
Eligibility Competition is open to all: multidisciplinary groups of built environment professionals, community organisations, Londoners and national and international London enthusiasts – ‘from designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, students, and community groups to everyone who has an interest in shaping our city’.
Requirements One-page summary or poster outlining idea; 200-word summary of idea; 3 bullet points explaining how the idea meets the brief; 2 images, designs or photographs that accompany idea.
Prizes £10,000 prize fund.
Registration fees Free for community organisations, charities, non-profits, students and young people. Organisations, from £60, depending on size.
Judging panel Includes Alison Brooks, Alison Brooks Architects; Amy Lamé, Office of the Mayor of London; Adam Nathaniel Furman, Atelier Adam Nathaniel Furman; Johanna Agerman Ross, Design Museum; Nikki Linsell, Public Practice; Rob Heasman, The Earls Court Development Company; Emily Prideaux, Derwent London (sponsors).
Other deadlines and dates Shortlist announced, 31 July 2024. Shortlist exhibition and People’s Choice vote, September to December 2024. Winner announced, September 2024.
To apply or find out more, go to the competition website
Competition contact info@nla.london
Contract
OLD LIBRARY REFURBISHMENT, WREXHAM
Principal designer sought to repurpose former Carnegie library and lecture hall built in 1907
Deadline: 10am, 6 June 2024
Wrexham County Borough Council is looking for a principal designer to lead a £4 million remodel of the city’s Old Library on Queen’s Square.
Grade II listed, the Vernon Hodge-designed library and lecture hall was built in 1907 with funds donated by the Scottish-US philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It has been used as council offices since 1972 when a new library opened in the city.
According to the council the building will be transformed to create a ‘new focused creative hub, a symbolic and transformational lever to stimulate the regeneration of the new city centre. This will deliver a facility which will complement nearby leisure offer in the city centre and enhance Wrexham’s offer as a cultural/business/visitor destination. The proposal will safeguard a Carnegie heritage asset within Wrexham City Centre, which adds further value to the Creative Hub project.’
The Old Library will form the centrepiece of a creative cluster and link with Ty Pawb, The Memorial Hall, and other sites across the city.
‘By transforming this landmark building into a creative hub, the Old Library can become a focal point for the UK City of Culture 2029 bid,’ says the brief. ‘The building’s frontage onto Queen’s Square creates significant opportunities to blend indoor and outdoor activity, increasing the flexibility and appeal of the space.’
Concept designs have been completed as part of a feasibility study carried out earlier this year and works for this contract will cover RIBA stages 3 to 6. Award criteria: 70 per cent quality; 30 per cent price.
Procedure Open procedure.
Location Wrexham, Wales.
Other dates Contract dates, June 2024 to August 2025.
To apply or find out more, see the contract notice
Buyer contact Wrexham County Borough Council, 01978 292798, procurement@wrexham.gov.uk
Project competition
MASAI MARA CONSERVATION CENTRE, KENYA
RIBA has launched an international design competition for a tourist facility that will celebrate the traditions of the Maasai people
Deadline: Stage 1, 12 noon, 18 June 2024
RIBA is looking for an architect to design a new conservation centre at the Oloololo Gate, Masai Mara in Kenya on behalf of travel firm Abercrombie & Kent.
The purpose of the centre is to educate visitors about conservation, biodiversity and the ecosystems of the Masai Mara and explain the Maasai’s custodianship of the land.
According to the brief, the centre will serve as 'a focal point for visitors to the Masai Mara, providing an immersive educational experience that highlights the significance of the natural and cultural heritage of the area. From the spectacle of the great migration to the intricate coexistence of the Maasai people and wildlife, the centre aims to deepen visitors' understanding and appreciation of the Mara’s unique ecosystem’.
The site for the new building lies next to Oloololo Gate, one of six gates to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, set in the north-east of the reserve near the Mara River and a short distance from the rift valley known as the Oloololo escarpment.
‘The architects’ design should respect and integrate elements of Maasai culture and heritage, creating a harmonious blend between the centre and its surroundings… Entrants are asked to create an imaginative, eye-catching structure that will be a talking point across the continent and leave visitors with a sense of wonder.’
The building design should not exceed 485sqm and will need to include a parking area, entrance, exhibition spaces, classrooms, an outdoor experience, gift shop and café. Budget for the build is US$750,000.
This is a two-stage contest with anonymous concept designs shortlisted to five and proceeding to stage two where teams will be invited to develop their ideas and present them to an evaluation panel.
The winning team will be asked to develop and implement their design, working with the client to take the project to completion.
Registration To enter, visit eventbrite.co.uk/masai-mara-convention-centre to register. Registration fee is £50 plus VAT.
Eligibility Open internationally to registered architects. Architects should be registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in the UK or an equivalent, recognised overseas regulatory authority.
Requirements Stage 1: three A3 landscape sheets; 500 word design statement; team member declaration; one visual image of design concept. Stage 2: briefing information will be provided to shortlisted teams.
Honorarium £4,000 plus VAT for each shortlisted team.
Evaluation panel Includes Florence Nyole, Architectural Association of Kenya; Brian Heath, Mara Triangle; Murray Hardman, architect adviser at Luxury Frontiers and representatives from Abercrombie & Kent.
Other dates Shortlist announced, week of 22 July 2024. Stage 2 designs, August to September 2024. Interviews, end of September 2024. Winner announced, October 2024.
To apply or find out more, go to the competition website
Competition contact RIBA Competitions, 020 7307 5355, riba.competitions@riba.org
Project competition
FINNISH MUSEUM OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, HELSINKI
Open call for innovative new building design to house Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum, Helsinki
Stage 1 deadline: 29 August 2024
Finnish real estate company ADM and the City of Helsinki have launched an open international competition to find a design team for a new museum building.
The project, planned to complete in 2030, will house the city’s existing architecture and design museums, which merged earlier this year.
The new Architecture and Design Museum will occupy a vacant former dockside in a UNESCO World Heritage Site buffer zone close to Helsinki’s 18th-century Suomenlinna sea fortress. The historic waterfront is also home to the Market Square, the Orthodox and Lutheran cathedrals and Esplanade Park.
According to the brief, the main objective of the new museum will be ‘democratising the tools of design, drawing on the history and present of Finnish and Nordic architecture and design to guide a programme of public activities that will look at how design thinking and skills are relevant to the challenges we face as individuals and societies in a rapidly changing world.
‘The newly-formed collection… will contain over 900,000 artefacts, including objects, correspondence, models and photographs documenting the work of internationally famed practitioners such as Aino and Alvar Aalto, Eero Aarnio, Maija Isola, Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Paavo Tynell, and design brands such as Marimekko, Nokia and Fiskars.’
Proposals for the 10,050sqm building will need to split public and back-of-house uses equally and include facilities for diverse exhibitions, historical collections, contemporary design, architecture and a wide range of media. Other requirements include spaces for events, conferences, workshops, a library and a waterfront café-restaurant.
Total budget is around €105 million with construction costs capped at €70 million.
The competition is organised in collaboration with the Finnish Association of Architects. Funding of €120 million comes from the City of Helsinki and the State of Finland with a €20 million donation from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation and €30 million to be raised by private donors.
Format Two-stage contest. Stage 1, open call, after which three to five entries will be selected. Stage 2, development of concepts into viable proposals.
Stage 1 eligibility Open to individuals and design teams with a lead designer who has completed a university level master’s degree in architecture, has the right to practise as an architect in their country of residence, is a resident of a European Union country or a resident of countries that are parties to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA 2012). Design teams can include members from countries that do not fall under the scope of the European Union and its procurement legislation.
Stage 1 requirements Maximum of 12, A3 boards showing conceptual-level proposals only, ie with emphasis on the overall concept, rather than detailed plans and sections or photorealistic visualisations.
Honoraria and prizes Each team selected for Stage 2 will receive €50,000 in two instalments: €30,000 at the beginning of Stage 2 and €20,000 on completion. Prizes of €50,000, €35,000 and €25,000 for first, second and third place, with purchase options of €20,000 for the remaining two designs.
Jury panel Mikko Aho (chair) and Juha Lemström (vice chair), both ADM; Gus Casely-Hayford, V&A East; Beatrice Galilee, The World Around; Kaarina Gould, Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design; Salla Hoppu and Anni Sinnemäki, both City of Helsinki; Riitta Kaivosoja, Ministry of Education and Culture, Department for Art and Cultural Policy; Beate Hølmebakk, Manthey Kula Architects; Matti Kuittinen, Aalto University; Mikael Silvanto, AD Museum; Sari Nieminen, Sari Nieminen; Hannu Tikka, APRT Architects.
Other dates Online information session, 24 April 2024 (see competition website link, below). Stage 2 shortlist notifications, December 2024. Stage 2, February to May 2025. Winner announced, September 2025.
To apply or find out more, go to the competition website
Project competition
BRITISH MUSEUM WESTERN RANGE GALLERIES
Architect-led design team sought to reimagine section of the museum housing the Parthenon Sculptures and Rosetta Stone
Stage 1 deadline: 12 noon, 21 June 2024
Competition organiser Colander has launched a two-stage, open international contest later to find an architect-led design team to reimagine part of the British Museum in Central London.
The 15,000sqm that make up what is known as the Western Range cover about a third of the Bloomsbury building’s footprint and contain public galleries housing collections from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome as well as back-of-house spaces.
Organisers say they are keen to see how the competition brief will be met ‘bearing in mind the need for pragmatism, vision, collaboration and bold thinking, while all the time meeting the Museum’s exacting sustainable agenda for its estate’.
According to the brief, 'This is not a competition to judge a finished design for the Western Range. It is a competition to find a visionary team with which the Museum can work, to conceive and deliver an exceptional design solution that is full of creative endeavour, while also being functional, realisable and operational. The Museum is needing to balance awe-inspiring architectural vision and design clarity with pragmatic respect for the existing historical and contextual fabric'.
The competition launch comes as the British Museum appoints a new director and controversies continue around its right to hold onto treasures such as the Parthenon Sculptures and Benin Bronzes.
Last year the Museum launched an independent review of security after discovering that potentially thousands of artefacts from its collection were missing, stolen or damaged.
Format Two stages. Stage 1, open call for expressions of interest requiring details of team expertise and creative vision. Stage 2, five teams shortlisted to further develop their proposals. Abridged versions of the Museum’s vision and masterplan for the Western Range (up to RIBA stage 1) will be made available to shortlisted teams.
Honorarium Five shortlisted teams will each receive an honorarium of £50,000.
Jury panel Stage 2: George Osborne (chair), Nicholas Cullinan, Mark Jones, all British Museum; Tracey Emin, Charlie Mayfield, Alejandro Santo Domingo, all trustees of British Museum; Yvonne Farrell, Grafton Architects; Meneesha Kellay, Victoria and Albert Museum; Mahrukh Tarapor, museum professional; Sarah Younger, National Gallery London.
Other dates/deadlines Shorlist announced, mid-August. Stage 2 starts, September 2024. Winner announced, February 2025.
Team skills required Architectural design, including non-exhibition interior design (design team leader); conservation architecture; gallery exhibition design; architectural lighting design; exhibition lighting design; BIM lead; structural and civil engineering; mechanical, electrical, public health, fire engineering and sustainability expertise; 2D design - wayfinding.
Location Central London.
To find out more, go to the competition website
Buyer contact britishmuseum@colander.co.uk
Ideas competition
VELUX ‘LIGHT OF TOMORROW’ CONTEST 2024
Biennial competition for global students of architecture launches 11th edition with €30,000 prize fund
Registration deadline: 11.59pm UTC-12, 14 April, 2024
Window manufacturer Velux Group is asking architecture students around the world to explore the role of daylight in architecture and inspire new thinking.
Its open ideas competition is organised in two phases with two categories. In the first, regional prizes are awarded to projects from the UIA member regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the Americas, Asia+ Oceania, Africa. In the second phase, prizes will be awarded to overall winners. The two categories under the overall theme of ‘Light of Tomorrow’ are Daylight in Buildings and Daylight Investigations. Details of each can be found in the spec.
According to the brief, The award ‘welcomes projects that celebrate the privilege of being a student; with curiosity and with the willingness to think “out of the box” – as well as consider the social, sociological and environmental dimension of light. The award also encourages specific focus on the existing built environment by looking at: how to recycle, adapt, upgrade or reuse buildings by considering daylighting as a driver for lower energy demand consumption and better indoor comfort’.
The awards have been running every second year since 2004. 2022 Global winner of the Daylight in Buildings category was TIP: Time Indicate Protection from Poland. FLight from Iran was 2022 Global winner in the Daylight Investigations category.
Eligibility Open to any registered student of architecture – individual or team – all over the world. Every student/team must be backed and granted submission by a teacher from a school of architecture. Projects from individuals or groups of students enrolled as bachelor’s or master’s students during the academic year 2023/24 are welcomed.
Requirements One image file that depicts the project; description of project, maximum 800 words, in English; thumbnail image; banner image.
Evaluation criteria Daylighting as a premise for architecture; how the project is researched and documented; how it addresses contemporary and future challenges; level of experimentation and innovation; overall graphic presentation and how the project presents itself.
Prizes Grand prize of €5,000 for each category (€4,000 to the student; €1,000 to the teacher) for the most outstanding projects. Regional prizes of €1,250 per category for the best projects (€1,000 to the student and €250 to the teacher). Plus special prizes, including for the innovative use of Velux products.
Jury panel Includes Alberto Veiga, Barozzi Veiga; Ewa Kurylowicz, Kurylowicz & Associates; Jenni Reuter, Aalto University; Song Yehao, SUP Atelier; and Kent Holm, Velux.
Other dates Submissions, 11.59pm UTC-12, 30 May 2024. Regional winners announced, June 2024. Global winners announced, week beginning 26 August 2024.
To apply or find out more, go to the competition website
Competition contact iva@velux.com
Project competition
REINVENTING CITIES 2024 URBAN DESIGN CONTEST
Creative multidisciplinary teams sought for climate-friendly redevelopment of 15 brownfield sites around the world
Deadline Dates vary. For UK project, expressions of interest, 2pm, 5 September 2024.
C40, a network of mayors from 100 cities, has launched the fourth edition of its global competition Reinventing Cities. The contest was set up to encourage the decarbonised urban regeneration of underused brownfield sites.
Organisers are looking for creative multidisciplinary teams - including architects, developers and community groups - to design and develop projects that will serve the needs of local communities and become sustainable city landmarks.
Fifteen cities will participate in 2024. They are Almere, Bilbao, Bologna, Brussels, Glasgow, Milan, New York, Palermo, Renca, Rome, San Antonio, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seattle and Venice.
The only site in the UK is at Applecross Wharf and Baird’s Brae in Glasgow and is part of the city’s Canal Regeneration Action Plan. According to the project brief, proposals ‘should utilise the existing heritage buildings in a vibrant way and create an activity node at this important point on the canal. The project presents an opportunity to unlock the potential of the canal to create a further vibrant neighbourhood for people to live, work and visit’.
Scottish Canals, which owns the site, says it is keen to work with interested parties to create a suitable financial development model with its contribution to be ‘via land ownership solely, with external funding coming from the project providing development capital and ultimately delivering a suitable return to Scottish Canals’.
Winning submissions across all the brownfield sites in the contest are expected to be ‘highly ambitious regarding environmental and social benefits and go beyond business as usual. To date, Reinventing Cities has engaged over 3,500 businesses worldwide with 40 projects under development globally, demonstrating how urban climate leadership and collaboration with the private sector can enable zero-carbon development to serve the needs of local communities’. The competition is supported by Ingka Group.
Procedure Two-phase procedure. Phase 1, expression of interest. Phase 2, restricted to the finalist teams.
Evaluation panel The jury will be set up by the relevant city with the support of C40.
To apply or find out more, go the competition website
Ideas competition
Buildner launches seventh edition of its international competition looking for radical designs for off-grid small scale architecture
Competition organiser Buildner, in partnership with online platform ArchDaily, is calling for innovative housing ideas that will ‘propel the micro home from a mere architectural form to a revolutionary genre in its own right’. Sponsored by Kingspan, the organisers are asking entrants to design an off-grid home for a young professional couple with a maximum floor area of 25m2. The home can be located anywhere. ‘The competition challenges participants to radically rethink spatial organisation, to introduce distinctive aesthetics and to implement state-of-the-art technologies and materials.’ According to the brief, ‘designs that prioritise sustainability and present solutions to economic, social and cultural challenges through fresh architectural methods will receive preference’. Registration deadline is 29 April 2024.
Eligibility The competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (four team members maximum).
Procedure ‘Participants are required to upload four A2 landscape-orientated presentation boards (board must not exceed 10MB per jpg) with sketches, renderings, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams and/or other presentation tools to explain their proposal.’ See the brief for full details.
Prizes First, €40,000. Second, €20,000. Third, £10,000. Student Award, €10,000. Sustainabilitiy Award, €10,000. Kingspan Award (designs must use at least one specified Kingspan product), €40,000, plus four €5,000 ‘Kingspan Compliments’. Note that one entry has the potential to win both the primary competition and the Kingspan Award.
Registration fees From €150 (students, from €130).
Jury panel Ben Van Berkel, UNStudio; Paolo Flores, Zaha Hadid Architects; Flora Lee, MAD Architects; Martina Martino, Mario Cucinella Architects; Silvana Ordinas, Peter Pichler Architecture; Carlo Ratii, MIT Senseable City Lab; Brent Trenga, Kingspan; David Basulto, ArchDaily.
Deadlines and dates Submissions by 11.59pm, 30 May 2024. Winners announced, 24 July 2024.
To apply or find out more, go the competition website
Competition contact contact@buildner.com
For updates on the latest competitions, contests and contracts follow #ribajopportunities @RIBAJ
If you have a competition or contest you want architects to know about, email details to julie.butterworth@riba.org