How To Architecture! is a design competition which invites students to reflect on contemporary culture and to do it with architecture. Leafing through headlines, lists, captions, zooming in and out of feeds, bold fonts, and articles made of images: we participate in the age of the listicle. Culture flashes before us—an extension of ourselves: the superabundant reel. As the cycle of consumption whirs on, architecture still stands. What does architecture say; how does it feed you? Tell us what you think! Tell us How To Architecture!
Prizes
- 1st Place / 50% HOW-TO $$!
- 2nd Place / 30% HOW-TO $$!
- 3rd Place / 20% HOW-TO $$!
100% of the Registration Fees Make Up 100% of The Prize Money (a.k.a. "HOW-TO $$"). So the More Participants, the Bigger the Prizes.
Dates
- Early Birdy Registration / 15 USD. Now - April 22, 2016
- Regular Registration / 20 USD. April 23, 2016 - May 13, 2016
- Late Registration / 25 USD. May 13 - May 22, 2016
- Submission Deadline: 11:59PM May 22, 2016. Winners Announced: [ TBA ]
Submission Requirements
(1) PDF OF TEAM INFO (UP TO 3 PEOPLE)
- 250 word max
- project description
- names, address, email
- registration code
- .DOC or .DOCx format
- (2) BOARDS
- 11 x 17
- 300dpi
- any orientation
- any content
- .PDF FORMAT
- (3) < 1 min
- Any Orientation
- Any Ratio
- .MP4 Format
Jury
- John McMorrough, Professor and former Dean of Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan
- Remaining jurors to be announced
What happened to us?
Think of our past year. Leafing through headlines, lists, captions, zooming in and out of feeds, bold fonts, and articles made of images: we participate in the age of the listicle. Culture flashes before us—an extension of ourselves: the superabundant reel. As the cycle of [cloud] consumption whirs on, architecture still stands. What does architecture say; how does it feed you?
- CONSIDER the way we read consume media, news and information. Visuals are often emphasized over text. We limit characters and the seconds it takes to make a statement.
- CONSIDER what makes a good meme, how one goes viral, and when the unspoken rules of Instagram came to be. Social media is used to manufacture different personas.
- CONSIDER the power of social media and its integral role towards globalization. Consider its capacity to propel revolutions, start movements, and unite the world through difficult events.
- CONSIDER that social media forms identity.
- [Like Powers of Ten] it contributes to personal, local,
- national, social and cultural identities.
- CONSIDER: How can architecture maximize on everyday culture to reach a larger audience? How does Buzzfeed look on architecture?
- CONSIDER: How does the use [and abuse] of contemporary cultural phenomena relate to architecture? In a culture of instantaneous feedback, where does architecture position itself in time and space?
The Festival
In quest of a place where we regain our footing and assess identity within the current time and setting, How To Architecture! presents The Festival. It is a festival designed for us to join together to reflect on our shared cultural moment and to celebrate not just the headlines, but also the whole stories. However, The Festival needs architecture to help facilitate it.
Paramount to The Festival is The Beacon—a meeting place on the festival grounds.
We invite you to participate as architect of The Beacon
- Here is everything you need to know about The Festival; please read and consider: The Festival happens mid-summer 2016. 72 consecutive hours. Day+Night. 00:00-24:00 (x3).
- The site is an 8 acre plot of land on Governor’s Island, New York City. Refer to map (download the PDF).
- Guests include thinkers, doers, celebrities, politicians, activists, survivors, mediators, contrarians, pretenders, sleepers, watchers, worshippers, reflectors ...controversial politicians, travelers, vegans, selfie-masters, starter-uppers, grass rooters, hackers, bloggers, lumbersexuals, and celiacs alike are invited. Activities include collecting and distributing, celebrating and protesting, conversing and contemplating, mourning and rejoicing ...silent discos, funerals for conflicts, complimentary DJ lessons, hackathons
- Resources include spectacular wifi + cell service, nature, decoration, food trucks ...charging hubs, outdoor air-conditioning, unlimited pastel spray paint, cold brew on tap, bacon-wrapped dates
The Prompt
We arm you with a How-To list of design guidelines for creating The Beacon—a meeting place at The Festival. The Beacon can be situated anywhere on the given site. Connect, assemble, translate, synthesize, or simply utilize these eight design guidelines to create your version of architecture, manifested through The Beacon.
Your design submission is required to make reference to each item from the How-To list:
1. CROSSROADS [typology]
an intersection, a marker, a meeting place. or perhaps it’s a difficult time in
one’s life, a turning point.
2. MARBLE [material]
marble is hip everywhere these days. it forms over time, it’s harvested from
specific locations, it looks good on your phone case.
3. CAFFEINE [taste]
the ultimate designer drug. how does The Beacon stay awake past 3AM?
4. "..." [icon]
...the dreaded ellipses...the anxiety and anticipation...the assumptions
made about that person on the other end as they think, type, erase, retype,
and respond to...you.
5. HIGH-LOW COLLABORATION [fashion]
i.e. Balmain x H&M.
sneakers hitting the runway. run-down is the new norm.
6. COMPLICATED FIGURE [person]
i.e. Zaha Hadid, Kanye West.
highly inspirational, highly controversial.
7. HOTLINE BLING [sound]
catchy song, catchier video. intentionally designed for reproduction
and proliferation.
8. “AN ARCHITECTURAL QUESTION:
IF THERE IS NO RIGHT,
WHAT’S LEFT?”
—Jeffrey Kipnis [quote]
Download the information related to this competition here.
Title
Call for Entries: How To Architecture!Type
Competition Announcement (Student Competitions)Website
Organizers
Registration Deadline
May 22, 2016 11:00 PMSubmission Deadline
May 22, 2016 11:30 PMPrice
Early // $15, Regular // $20, Late // $25