Theme of the Competition

THEME: Architecture in Transformation
TOPIC: Transformation: Place, Tradition and Modernism in Conceptual Unity and Diversity
JURY CHAIRMAN: Meinhard von Gerkan
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:Aug 20 (updated!), 2015
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: August 31, 2015

MISSION STATEMENT

Architecture in Transformation should make responses to current situation and era. What concerns us is the relationship between architecture and city, and between architecture and natural environment. The competition aims at searching and constructing human space with a sense of place in the increasingly fragmented cities and unordered villages, exploring environment-friendly and sustainable ideas in the information age, and integrating creative design concepts with solid basic skills effectively in architectural education. The competition requires the participants to make detailed examinations and reflections on architectural history, exploring complicated requirements to architecture and environment by current users, pay attention to events in specific sites, and configure viable urban and architectural spaces.

BACKGROUND

2015 marks the fourth edition of UIA-HYP Cup International Student Competition in Architectural Design, the sole annual international architecture competition for students in mainland China that receives the support of Union International des Architectes (UIA). It is a platform for global architecture students to approach the theme “architecture in transformation”, and for the rest of the world to check out the latest trend of Chinese architectural education. The jury members include the leading architects, deans and directors from top architecture schools. With its challenging topics, prestigious jury panel as well as professional operation, UIA-HYP Cup competition has grown to become a major student competition in China and its global profile continues to rise.

TOPIC OF COMPETITION

Transformation: Place, Tradition and Modernism in Conceptual Unity and Diversity

How do we create architecture that corresponds to the term "transformation" in a comprehensive, rather than one-dimensional sense? When designing spaces and forms, what are the roles played by a place and its geographic location, and by tradition and modernism in architecture? What influence do the characteristics of typological multiplicity determined by the respective function have on the unity of an ensemble?

Architecture is a form of art bearing social responsibilities. The topic of 2015 UIA-HYP Cup proposed by Meinhard von Gerkan confronts the fundamental challenges of our time, society and architecture profession. Participants are expected to draw from their own experiences regarding the function and characters of campus buildings and design an campus architecture with a vision for the future. The projects should reflect the current state of science and adopt a contemporary style while being rooted in local culture in their specific conceptual expression, and taking into consideration the climatic, topographic and landscape conditions of the site. Participants have the option to place the design on the fictitious sites in northern or southern China proposed by Mr. von Gerkan or choose his or her own site.

In this context, the themes of "adopting a contemporary pattern language, the building culture, diversity in unity" play a key role. The project is not about designing a high-tech building with all the technical facilities available today but dressed in local costume. Instead, the direct and tangible experiences that have their roots in the regional culture and factors relating to climate conditions should become the starting point of a more in-depth analysis.

The design program serves as a guide (please return to homepage and find the "Documents download" section for the design program PDF).

PROCEDURES

1. This is a fair competition open to all architecture students around the globe. Full-time on-campus architecture students from accredited institutions (including graduate students and PhD candidates) can participate alone or as a team with team members of no more than four people and advisors of no more than two.
2. Only the team leader will be contacted when necessary if students participate as a team.
3. Log on http://hypcup2015.uedmagazine.net/en_index.html, click “Online Registration” to fill out the registration form and submit online. Participants will get a serial number (please take care to preserve it as each participant/participating team has only one serial number). The registration concludes on June 30, 2015. It is free to register.
4. Please submit the digital version of drawings and related documents to uedcompetition@163.com before the submission deadline. The organizing committee accepts no printed version. Entries will be printed and exhibited together in due time.
5. With the assistance of the committee, the jury will meet and decide the winners.
6. The committee will announce the winners in September 2015. In December 2015, the winning entries will be exhibited and there will be a prize-awarding ceremony early next year.
7. Inquiries related to the competition will be responded to via e-mail: uedcompetition@163.com .
8. Schedule:
Registration Begins: January 16, 2015
Registration Deadline: Aug 20 (updated!), 2015
Submission Deadline: August 31, 2015
Jury Convenes: September 2015
Results Announced: September 2015
Award Ceremony: March, 2016

REGULATIONS

1. Individual participants and groups 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 relating to the name or department of participants in the digital drawings will be disqualified from the competition.
3. All entries are accepted (while including author’s name) with the explicit free right of publication, reproduction, and promotional use by competition organizers and sponsors without need for further approvals.
4. 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.
5. Any participant that contacts jurors about the competition during the entirety of the competition process will be disqualified from the competition.