eVolo Magazine is pleased to invite architects, students, engineers, designers, and artists from around the globe to take part in the 2016 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious awards for high-rise architecture. It recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the implementation of novel technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution. It is a forum that examines the relationship between the skyscraper and the natural world, the skyscraper and the community, and the skyscraper and the city.
The participants should take into consideration the advances in technology, the exploration of sustainable systems, and the establishment of new urban and architectural methods to solve economic, social, and cultural problems of the contemporary city including the scarcity of natural resources and infrastructure and the exponential increase of inhabitants, pollution, economic division, and unplanned urban sprawl.
The competition is an investigation on the public and private space and the role of the individual and the collective in the creation of a dynamic and adaptive vertical community. It is also a response to the exploration and adaptation of new habitats and territories based on a dynamic equilibrium between man and nature – a new kind of responsive and adaptive design capable of intelligent growth through the self-regulation of its own systems.
There are no restrictions in regards to site, program or size. The objective is to provide maximum freedom to the participants to engage the project without constraints in the most creative way. What is a skyscraper in the 21st century? What are the historical, contextual, social, urban, and environmental responsibilities of these mega-structures?
eVolo Magazine is committed to continue stimulating the imagination of designers around the world – thinkers that initiate a new architectural discourse of economic, environmental, intellectual, and perceptual responsibility that could ultimately modify what we understand as a contemporary skyscraper, its impact on urban planning and on the improvement of our way of life.
Registration
Architects, students, engineers, and designers are invited to participate in the competition. We encourage you to have multidisciplinary teams.
Participants must register by January 19, 2016.
Early Registration: USD $95 until November 17, 2015.
Late Registration: USD $135 from November 18, 2015 to January 19, 2016.
One registration = One project
Participants may submit various projects, but must register each entry.
There is no limit as to the number of participants per team. Individual entries are accepted.
After your registration has been approved eVolo will send the registration number (within 24 hours), which will be necessary for submission boards.
-> REGISTER
Schedule
July 10, 2015 – Competition announcement, registration begins, acceptance of questions.
November 3, 2015 – Deadline for submitting questions.
November 17, 2015 – Early registration deadline
December 1, 2015 – Answers to questions posted on website
January 19, 2016 – Late registration deadline
January 26, 2016 – Project submission deadline (23:59 hours US Eastern Time)
March 22, 2016 – Winners’ announcement
Submission Requirements
This is a digital competition and no hardcopies are necessary. Entrants must submit their proposal no later than January 26, 2016 (23:59 hours US Eastern Time) via email to skyscraper2016@evolo.us.
The project submission must contain the following files:
Two boards with the project information including plans, sections, and perspectives. Participants are encouraged to submit all the information they consider necessary to explain their proposal. These boards should be 24″(h) X 48″(w) in HORIZONTAL format. The resolution of the boards must be 150 dpi, RGB mode and saved as JPG files. The upper right corner of each board must contain the participation number. There should not be any marks or any other form of identification. The files must be named after the registration number followed by the board number. For example: 0101-1.jpg and 0101-2.jpg.
A DOC file containing the project statement (600 words max). This file must be named after the registration number followed by the word “statement”. For example: 0101-statement.doc.
A DOC file containing the entrants’ personal information, including name, profession, address, and email. This file must be named after the registration number followed by the word “info”. For example: 0101-info.doc.
All the files must be placed in a ZIP folder named after your registration number. For example: 0101.zip
Jury
Matias del Campo [principal SPAN]
Matias del Campo studied architecture at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria, where he graduated with distinction. Together with Sandra Manninger he founded the Architecture Office SPAN in 2003. Apart from his role as founder and principal of SPAN, his academic qualifications include an appointment as visiting Professor at the DIA, Dessau Institute of Architecture (Dessau, Germany), the ESARQ, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, in Barcelona, Spain, a lecturer position at the University of Pennsylvania, UPenn, USA. In fall 2013 he was appointed as Associate Professor of Architecture at Taubman College, University of Michigan. In 2008 and 2010 he served as curator for the ABB, Architecture Biennale Beijing. His main projects include: The Austrian pavilion at Shanghai EXPO 2010; The Microblur project, commissioned by Microsoft Austria and The Austrian Winery Boom, exhibition design for ACF, New York, commissioned by the Architecture Center Vienna. In 2012 the work of SPAN was on show at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2013 the work of Matias del Campo and Sandra Manninger was on display at the 9th Archilab Exhibition of the FRAC Center in Orleans France, Naturalising Architecture. His work is part of the permanent collection of FRAC Orleans, the MAK in Vienna and the Albertina, Vienna.
Thom Faulders [principal Faulders Studio]
Faulders Studio works at the intersection of commissioned architecture, speculative design research, permanent public art installations, and international museum and gallery exhibitions. Directed by architect Thom Faulders, the multi-disciplinary practice believes that the design of today’s built the environment can be positioned as an open condition: a responsive medium formed in direct exchange with active contextual phenomena and dynamic perceptual tactics. With a focus on new production methodologies and innovative material applications, the projects embed architecture with spatial variability that sync stability with change, and are informed through and defined by investigations into emergent behaviors of complex systems. Participation in leading international museum and gallery venues includes the FRAC Centre Orleans in France, Oslo Triennale, SOMarts Cultural Center San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, New York Museum of Modern Art, New York Center for Architecture, San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design, UC Berkeley Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Fondazione La Triennale di Milano, Lisbon International Biennale, Maison de l’Architecture et de La Ville, Kunstlerhaus Vienna, Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art San Francisco, and is included in the permanent architecture and design collections at the FRAC Centre Orleans and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Awards include AIA New Practices Award, AIA Building Awards, Emerging Architect Award from the Architecture League of New York, SFMOMA Experimental Design Award, Society of Environmental Graphic Design Award, Private Plots International Design Awards, Winning Competition Award SF Bay Conservation & Development Commission, Miami Bienal + Beach Competition Award, plus others.
Marcelo Spina [principal P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S]
P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S is a design research architectural practice based in Los Angeles and operating globally. Founded in 1999 and headed by Principals Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich, P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S work has gained international recognition for its subtle approach to architecture; one that seamlessly integrates digital technology with an extensive consideration of form, novel tectonics and innovative materials. P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S aims to generate innovative spatial forms that actively engage, enhance and influences the body, constantly challenging its relationship to the built environment akin to the complexity of contemporary life. With a decidedly global reach and working across multiple scales, programs, cultures and economies, P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S has completed projects in the US, South America and Asia. Their work has been extensively exhibited and published worldwide and is part of the permanent collections of the SF MOMA, Chicago Art Institute and MAK Museum in Vienna. Recipient of numerous professional prizes and awards, in 2011 P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S integrated the prestigious Emerging Voices Series of the Architectural league of New York, and were the recipient of the Arch is Award by the AIA Los Angeles Chapter. In 2004 the firm was recognized as one of the 11 most progressive offices working worldwide by Architectural Record Design Vanguard issue. In 2003 they received the third prize in the prestigious Young Architect of the year Award that propelled the firm to an early international recognition and most recently were finalists for the Ordos Prize and the Iakov Chernikov Prize.
Skylar Tibbits [principal SJET]
Skylar Tibbits’ research focuses on self-assembly and programmable material technologies for novel manufacturing, products and construction processes. Skylar is currently a Research Scientist in MIT’s Department of Architecture, teaching graduate and undergraduate design studios and co-teaching How to Make (Almost) Anything, a seminar at MIT’s Media Lab. Skylar was recently awarded a 2013 Architectural League Prize, The Next Idea Award at Ars Electronica 2013, the Visionary Innovation Award at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit, a 2012 TED Senior Fellowship and was named a Revolutionary Mind in SEED Magazine’s 2008 Design Issue. Previously, he has worked at a number of renowned design offices including: Zaha Hadid Architects, Asymptote Architecture and Point b Design. He has designed and built large-scale installations at galleries around the world, has been published extensively in outlets such as the New York Times, Wired, Nature, Fast Company, various peer-reviewed journals and books. Skylar has a Professional Degree in Architecture and minor in experimental computation from Philadelphia University. Continuing his education at MIT, he received a Masters of Science in Design Computation and a Masters of Science in Computer Science.
Regulations
This is an anonymous competition and the registration number is the only means of identification.
The official language of the competition is English.
The registration fee is non-refundable.
Contacting the Jury is prohibited.
eVolo Magazine, as the competition organizer, reserves the right to modify the competition schedule if deemed necessary.
Entrants will be disqualified if any of the competition rules are not considered.
Participation assumes acceptance of the regulations.
Awards
1st place – US $5000 + press kit distribution by v2com
2nd place – US $2000
3rd place – US $1000
Winners and special mentions will be published in the book eVolo Skyscrapers 3 and several international print publications. In addition, the results are covered by the most important online architecture and design publications and general media such as the Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Previous winners have been featured in the following print publications:
ABC Magazine – Czech Republic, About:Blank Magazine – Portugal, Aeroflot – Russia, Architect Builder – India, Architecture and Culture – Korea, Architecture Design Art – Pakistan, Architektura Murator – Poland, AT Architecture Technique – China, Archiworld – South Korea AWM – The Netherlands, Azure – Canada, B-1 – Thailand,Bauwelt – Germany, Blueprint – United Kingdom, BusinessWeek– USA, C3 – Korea, CAAOH – Ukraine, Casamica – Italy, Casas y Mas – Mexico, Concept – South Korea, Courier Mail – Australia, Discover Magazine – USA, Donga – South Korea, Enlace – Mexico, Focus – Canada/Italy, Future Arquitecturas – Spain, Geolino Extra – Germany, Grazia Casa – Italy, Kijk – The Netherlands, L’Installatore Italiano – Italy, L’Arca – Italy, L’Uomo Vogue – Italy, La Razon – Spain, Le Courier de l’ Architecte – France, Le Fourquet – Mexico, Mark Magazine – The Netherlands, Maxim – USA, Mercedes Benz Magazine – Germany, Mladina – Slovenia, Modulo – Italy, Modulor – Switzerland, NAN – Spain, Natur + Kosmos – Germany, New Scientist – United Kingdom, Oculus – USA, Of Arch – Italy, Pasajes de Arquitectura – Spain, Peak Magazine – Singapore, Popular Mechanics – USA/Russia, Popular Science – USA, Puls Biznesu – Poland, Quo– China/Spain, Rogue Magazine – Philippines, RUM – Sweden, Salt Magazine – The Netherlands, Science et Vie – France, Sciences et Avenir– France, Shanghai Morning Post – China, Space – South Korea, Spade – Canada, Spazio Casa – Italy, Specifier Magazine – Australia, SMW Magazine – Taiwan, Stafette – Germany, Tall Buildings – Russia, Tatlin – Russia, The Broker – The Netherlands,The Outlook Magazine – China, The New York Times – USA, The Wall Street Journal – USA, Time Style and Design – USA, Travel and Leisure – USA, Vida Simples Magazine – Brazil, Vogue - Australia, USA, Vox Design – Poland, Wettbewerbe Aktuell – Germany, Wired – USA/Italy, Woongjin – Korea, World Architecture – China
FAQ
Who can participate in the competition?
Everyone is invited to participate, including students and professionals from any country worldwide.
Can we submit more than one entry?
Yes, but each project must be registered individually.
Can we submit printed boards?
No, this is a digital competition and all submissions must be in digital format as outlined in the competition brief.
Is there a specific height requirement for the skyscraper?
There is no specific height requirement.
Is there a specific program requirement?
No, participants have complete freedom to establish their own program, site and conceptual agenda.
-> REGISTER