Activating the City with a Qpuncture!
I. Background
Opposite to the conventional concept and operation mode of urban planning, which is from macro to micro and from top to bottom, Q (the initial of pinyin “qu”, simplified Chinese: 趣, n. fun; adj. interesting) City Plan operates with a human-oriented spirit. The plan approaches the large-scale city by rediscovering its nooks and crannies, amending the sweeping generalizations and supplementing the grand narrative of traditional urban planning.
Q City Plan was initiated in Yantian District, Shenzhen in 2013 in the form of art installation, structure and landscape design. The Q City Plan features multiple and flexible formats, freedom to choose sites and projects, minimum cost and constructability while encouraging designers to take greater initiative in design, material selection, construction and cost management. The first edition of the Q City Plan received more than 60 proposals, 12 of which are now under construction in Yantian while drawing much attention in the contemporary press.
The Q City Plan International Design Competition is co-organized by the Shenzhen Urban Planning and Land Resources Committee, Shenzhen Yantian Government and China Building Centre (CBC). It invites all the design firms and designers in architecture, landscape, urban planning, design and art. We expect schemes that are both enlightening and feasible for the urban renewal for Yantian.
For more information please visit our website: qcityplan.uedmagazine.net/?r=site&en=1
Title
Call for Submissions: Q City Plan International Design CompetitionType
Competition Announcement (Built Projects & Masterplans)Website
Organizers
Shenzhen Yantian Government, China Building Centre (CBC)Registration Deadline
March 03, 2016 11:30 PMSubmission Deadline
April 20, 2016 11:30 PMVenue
shenzhenPrice
Free
II.
Topic Analysis
As the competition among cities intensifies, those that provide a good quality living environment will stand out and thrive. The Q city plan believes that better city and better life could be achieved by interesting and engaging public spaces. Instead of the landscape axis, key areas and nodes, it highlights the specific and often ignored sites where urban planning falls short. These sites are the “acupuncture points” of the living body of the city which, though small-scale, are capable of intervening and reinvigorating the entire city.
III. Organizations
Organizers: Shenzhen Yantian Government, China Building Centre (CBC) Co-organizer: Shenzhen Urban Planning and Land Resources Committee Hosting Media: Urban Environment Design (UED) Magazine Co-initiators:
Zhang Yuxing, Head of Urban Design Department of Shenzhen Urban Planning and Land Resources Committee
Peng Lixiao, Director of China Building Centre (CBC), Chief Editor of Urban Environment
Design (UED) Magazine, Guest Professor at School of Architecture, Tianjin University
IV. Supporting Media
New Architecture, Urban China, CITYIF, Residential Magazine, Human Settlements, China Real Estate Business, house.sina.com.cn, ccoo.cn, etc.
V. Requirements Design principles:
1) Safety: Safety comes first; manageability
2) Economy: minimum cost including maintenance; economic and environment-friendly
materials and construction; easy-to-replicate solutions
3) Distinctive: site-specific, highlighting characteristics of Yantian, namely its ecology and
landscape, waterside, coast culture and cultural creativity
4) Interesting: “Qu” (interesting) places for various groups of people to be
5) Accessible: user-friendly; intimate atmosphere
6) Feasible: more than concept design, constructible
Formats:
The design could take various forms, be it art installations, public art, land art, or any genres of creative space at the park, square, waterside space, street or any other space in the city. The design should revolve around the theme “Qu”, or fun.
Participant could design one independent work or a series of works under one scheme. One participant/participating team could only submit one work.
VI. Procedures
1. Registration
1) This is a fair competition to all the design companies and designers in architecture, landscape,
urban planning, design and art.
2) Log on the competition website qcityplan.uedmagazine.net/?r=site&en=1, click “Registration”
and fill in the information.
3) Registration Deadline: March 30th, 2016
2. Site
1) We encourage participants to choose their own site and define their own topic. The site
should be a real site in Yantian. Full site information like photos, satellite images and videos
are to be provided along with the proposal.
2) The organizing committee would provide several sites for the participants to choose from.
Selection of site is not factored into the judging process. (Please download the site materials
from the official website)
3. Submission
All the participants are required to submit digital files, including drawing and other information required to qcitycompetition@163.com. The submission deadline is April 20th, 2016.
4. Selection
There will be two rounds of selection. In the first round the finalist works will be chosen by a jury composed of famous designers and representatives of hosting organizations. In the second round, finalist works will be voted on the internet by Shenzhen citizens. The finalist works and winners will be announced in May, 2016.
5. Q&A
Please email your questions about the competitions to qcitycompetition@163.com.
VII. Submissions
1. Please submit the digital version of drawings and related documents to qcitycompetition@163.com. Please include "competition" in the e-mail subject line.
2. Language: English
3. Scale and dimensions must be in metric units.
4. Documents:
(1) Specification: 3 drawing in A3 size (420mm * 297mm) which should be horizontal.
Content: Site-plan that can fully express the design intention; plans, elevations and sections; perspective drawing, illustration and a design description of about 500 words (to be integrated in the pictures and drawings). There is no limitation on proportion.
(2) One booklet in A3 size, with no more than 20 pages (construction material list and total cost should be included).
(3) You could provide more supplementary documents (like model photos and videos) if needed.
5. A recognizable scanned copy of passport should be attached in the e-mail. The participants themselves are responsible for the authenticity of the documents. A TXT document must be attached in the e-mails of the submission, which include participants’ name, company name (if available) registration number, e-mail address, mobile phone number, name of the work and brief introduction
of the submitted work.
VIII. Awards
Finalist Series Work (6 entries)
Finalist Independent Work (10 entries)
Excellent Series Work (3 entries): Certificate and 60,000 CNY (before tax);
Excellent Independent Work (5 entries): Certificate and 25,000 CNY (before tax);
Award-winning works will be invited to shown at the Q City Exhibition and be published by UED magazine.
IX. Regulations
1. Individual participants and participating teams must agree with and follow the competition requirements and regulations. The organizing committee reserves its right of final interpretation.
2. Entries with words or pictures indicating participants’ names and company will be disqualified from the competition.
3. All entries are accepted with the explicit free right of publication, reproduction, and promotional use by competition organizers and sponsors without need for further approvals. Author names will be specified in the publication.
4. All submitted works have the opportunity to be constructed. it will be finally decided by Yantian government. If the work is to be realized, the designer will consult and sign a contract with Yantian government.
5. Entries that have been submitted to other competitions, published on other public occasions or found to be similar to other works in terms of design ideas will be disqualified from the competition.
X. Reference
1. Q City Plan International Design Competition Program
2. Q City-Yantian 2013-2014 Construction Works
3. Site Materials of 2nd Q City Plan International Design Competition
(Please download the documents from the official website)
XI. Contact
Urban Environment Design (UED) Magazine
CHEN Sijin
Address: 3rd Floor Inside-out Architect and Artist Colony, 50 Xingshikou Lu, Haidian District, Beijing, P.R.C. Post Code: 100195
Tel: 010-56290935
Fax: 010-56290935
Competition Email: qcitycompetition@163.com
Competition Website: qcityplan.uedmagazine.net/?r=site&en=1 UED Official Website: www.uedmagazine.net/
UED Weibo: UED 城市环境设计
UED WeChat: UEDmagazine
Download the information related to this competition here.