Archinect - News

The U.S., Australia, and New Zealand implement an updated reciprocity agreement for architects

2024-11-07T08:00:00-05:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA), and the New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB) have implemented a new Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). It replaces the previous MRA between the countries, created in 2016, further expanding licensure access for international architects.

The new agreement recognizes the professional credentials of architects licensed or registered in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand and acknowledges the value of the various pathways to licensure within each country. As a result, unnecessary barriers to reciprocal licensure, such as extended experience requirements and limited paths to licensure or registration, are being reduced.

As stated by NCARB President Kenneth R. Van Tine, “The updated agreement is pivotal to NCARB’s...

U.S., Canada, and Mexico update tri-national reciprocity agreement for architects

2024-10-08T19:22:00-04:00

A new tri-national Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) has been signed by the three largest North American groups representing professional architects in their respective countries.

The updated agreement between the Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada (ROAC), Mexico’s Comité Mexicano para la Práctica Internacional de la Arquitectura (COMPIAR), and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) recognizes the competencies latent in the initial licensure/registration processes while removing several post-licensure barriers to eligibility.

Victoria Rodríguez Mosqueda, the President of the Federación de Colegios de Arquitectos de la Republica Mexicana (FCARM), said the latest MRA amendment "includes more accessible requirements that will increase its potential coverage, while reducing the economic burden."

The revised agreement pertains to the existin...

UK Architects Registration Board announces proposal to overhaul registration for international architects

2024-10-04T13:06:00-04:00

The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) has announced its intent to issue major overhauls to its registration process for non-UK architects wishing to pursue work within the country.

The organization is now in the process of pursuing a public consultancy that will seek to eliminate demonstrated knowledge gaps while streamlining the number of examinations and outsourcing their administration. The proposed changes apply to the Prescribed Exam and UK Adaptation Assessment, the latter being a prerequisite for architects seeking to join the UK register through via the ARB’s international agreements with the United States, Australia/New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

The changes break down into one of five categories:

Competence-based assessment 

Assessment would be based on ARB’s Academic and Practice Outcomes (in place of the outgoing Criteria)
It would assess equivalent competence and UK context-specific knowledge (instead of equivalent qualifications)

Single gateway 

There would be a sin...

NCARB signs new reciprocal agreement with counterparts in New Zealand and Australia

2024-08-22T10:41:00-04:00

This week, the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) signed a new Mutual Recognition Agreement with their counterparts at the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) and New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB). The agreement expands on an existing one that’s been on the books since 2016, eliminating a requirement for 6,000 hours of post-licensure/registration experience while accepting the qualifications of architects who obtained a license through alternative pathways.

“We know Australian architects are sought after around the world for their high level of skill and creativity. This new agreement provides a wonderful opportunity for architects of all levels of experience to work overseas faster,” AACA President Dr. Giorgio Marfella said.

More on the important issue of architectural licensure can be explored in our ongoing Archinect In-Depth: Licensure series, including a detailed look at another reciprocal agreement between NCARB and th...

NCARB to explore ‘multiple pathways to practice’ frameworks

2023-10-13T16:45:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has outlined a commitment to creating a diversified framework that offers multiple avenues for attaining architectural licensure. The statement acknowledges not only the conventional route of obtaining an accredited education but also alternative pathways, such as community college education or professional experience replacing formal education.

While a significant majority of architects acquire their licenses through degree programs endorsed by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), 15% — which translates to over 18,000 architects — have secured their licenses through other routes. NCARB's consideration of these “multiple paths to licensure” seeks to ensure the various pathways are “afforded appropriate value through essential rigor,” the body says.

“There are many individuals working in or wishing to pursue architecture as a career who do not hold a degree from a NAAB-accredited program, but who clearl...

NCARB and ARB release reciprocal licensure guidelines for architects in the US and UK

2023-10-02T12:30:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has released information containing guidelines for architects attempting to find work authorizations in the United Kingdom through the newly-signed Mutual Recognition Agreement between them and the Architects Registration Board (ARB).

The two systems now offer registered architects in each country the chance to obtain reciprocal licensure and pursue contracts after a four-year-long research and negotiation process determined their educational and professional work experience in both are compatible side-by-side.

Speaking in February, NCARB's CEO Michael Armstrong said the agreement will “enhance the value of the NCARB Certificate as a facilitator of domestic and international mobility for many U.S.-licensed practitioners.”

Under the new agreement, architects must hold a valid license in their home country, hold a work visa or other permissions in the location where they are operating, and either an NCARB or ARB certifi...

British Architects Registration Board proposes reformed regulatory approach to architectural education and training

2023-09-08T12:18:00-04:00

The UK's Architects Registration Board (ARB) has published findings and recommendations from a three-month internal consultation aimed at suggesting a series of reforms to the education and professional licensure process for architects in the country.

The Board says it will now move to introduce new Academic and Practice outcomes along with some drafting amendments based on suggestions raised by the consultation's 672 respondents.

Under the proposed changes, the requirement that licensed architects obtain a Part 1 (Bachelor’s) degree would be waived. Part 2 and Part 3 would also be phased out by 2027, replaced by the new 49-pronged ‘outcomes’ path. A one-year-long independent commission aimed at developing further changes to the practical experience component of the process has also been announced after a majority of members surveyed (60%) expressed concerns over dropping the current two-year professional practice requirement.

Hugh Simpson, the ARB's Chief Executive and Registrar, ...

UK architects bemoan new trends of big-firm fee ‘undercutting’ and competition from non-registered designers

2023-07-27T03:00:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has issued a new report detailing a troubling new phenomenon affecting small office practitioners in the UK.

The Architects’ Journal has details on some of the newfound challenges for design contracts from those not included on the UK’s official register and licensed architects who are reeling in a business climate beset by increased competition on the part of their non-professionalized rivals and a dual culture of “constant undercutting” for fees from better-positioned large firms.

RIBA’s Future Trends report from June was the first published indicator of the concerns, which come at a time when market conditions have turned sour across all spectrums of the design sector. Speaking to AJ, London-based NIKJOO principal Alex Nikjoo explained the problem.

“We’ve recently experienced a client looking to use less experienced non-qualified designers for early concept stage design work to keep the consultant fees down, then seeking our help...

It takes over 13 years to become an architect, according to new NCARB data

2023-07-18T11:41:00-04:00

NCARB has released its twelfth annual data report, NCARB by the Numbers, highlighting key trends in architectural education and licensure.

The report, derived from NCARB’s database of over 128,000 licensure candidates and architects, shows a 9% rise in the number of architecture license candidates in 2022, exceeding 35,000. The average time from starting college to licensure was 13.3 years, with women achieving licensure about 11 months faster than men. New architects are also increasing diversity in the profession, with one in three new architects being a person of color and two out of five being women.

NCARB By The Numbers 2023 summary chart. Image credit: NCARB

The report indicates that in 2022, there were nearly 120,000 licensed architects in the U.S. Licensed architects held about 145,000 reciprocal licenses, a 6% increase from the previous year, which NCARB explains as a demand for professional mobility due to COVID-19.

Despite the 9% increase in licensure candidates, there wa...

RIBA decries proposed ARB educational overhaul

2023-05-17T14:31:00-04:00

A statement from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has called into question the recent slate of educational overhauls proposed by the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) in February in the interests of removing barriers for entry into the field.

In our February 2023 reporting, RIBA’s President Simon Allford said he "[did] not see much change” caused by the reform measures, adding: "The ARB accreditation model does not allow the new courses we are supporting to create a more accessible and open and representative profession. Nor does it speed things up. We need to support courses that recognize and reinforce the need for core skills and competencies but also the essential requirement to equip the next generation to create ever-evolving and appropriately different models of practice."

Now, with reforms moving forward for approval in the ARB’s vetting process, RIBA has issued its own response to the organization’s public feedback prompt stating, “The five-year UK a...

Work and study agreement signed between architectural registration bodies of the UK, Australia, and New Zealand

2023-03-31T13:19:00-04:00

A new Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) has recently been signed between the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB), the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA), and the New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB).

This follows the MRA reached between the ARB and the United States’ National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) in February.

Starting May 25th, a streamlined registration process, resulting in reduced costs and examinations, will make it easier for architects to register to work in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Additionally, architects educated up to and including a master’s degree will be able to complete their training in another partner country.

Previously on Archinect: NCARB and ARB sign Mutual Recognition Agreement affecting architects in the US and UK

“This is another welcome step that opens up the world for architects and architecture,” RIBA President Simon Allford said in response to the agreement. “Through these agreemen...

NCARB and ARB sign Mutual Recognition Agreement affecting architects in the US and UK

2023-02-16T14:15:00-05:00

Today, a landmark Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) has been reached between the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) and United States’ National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) that will streamline the registration process for architects in both countries beginning on April 25, 2023.

Under the new agreement, qualified architects will be able to cross-register in the opposing country in an effort to reduce costs and the need for examinations while “upholding and maintaining the high standards and safety that help to protect the public in both nations.”

“Signing this MRA — creating a reciprocal arrangement whereby UK architects can register and practice in participating jurisdictions within the United States — is an exciting moment for the sector,” Hugh Simpson, the Chief Executive and Registrar of the Architects Registration Board said in a statement. “The agreement helps to open up opportunities for cooperation between individuals and firms in the UK and Un...

UK ends EU licensure reciprocity with new Architects Act 1997 amendments

2023-01-23T15:03:00-05:00

A pair of unprecedented changes to the UK’s Architects Act 1997 has been announced jointly by the British Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Architects Registration Board (ARB), ending the reciprocal acceptance of qualifications for EU-trained architects that has been observed since it was first established by Parliament.

Under the new guidelines, the UK will “end, in law, the automatic recognition of architectural qualifications listed in the EU’s Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications.” It will also enable the ARB to enter into “regular-led” recognition agreements with international counterparts, in effect leaving the door open for reciprocity agreements to be negotiated with professional bodies from other individual countries on a case-by-case basis.

This comes after the ARB finally hammered out a deal last year with the American National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) to ratify a Mutual Recognition Agreement that...

A new white paper from RIBA outlines pathways for architecture students and emerging architects

2023-01-13T18:22:00-05:00

On January 11, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) published a new white paper examining potential solutions to cultivate a more diverse, skill-based educational environment and subsequent pathways into the profession.

The paper identifies a series of impactful steps to be taken in response to the slate of issues that are outlined. Among the most prevalent issues that the paper hammers on are the length of time it takes for architects to complete Part 3 of registrations, an expensive and outmoded process that RIBA says has surpassed its originally-intended 7-year window to 10 years and comes at a cost that’s increasingly over £100,000 ($122,310). In order to combat this restrictiveness, the organization recommends:

Continuing the growth of different educational models such as apprenticeships and collaborative practice along with the development of alternatives for non-UK graduates, with a simple test of competence used to access the register and RIBA Chartered membersh...

Architectural profession is recovering from COVID, and becoming more diverse, says NCARB

2022-06-23T12:55:00-04:00

The path to licensure within the U.S. is becoming more diverse from gender, race, and ethnic standpoints, according to NCARB’s annual NCARB by the Numbers report. The report also notes that the profession is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of candidates on the licensure path also increasing.

2021 saw a 23% increase in the number of candidates completing the path to licensure compared to 2020, when the pandemic saw a significant decline in participation in the licensure path. There was also a 39% increase in exams taken, and a 26% increase in exams completed.

The number of new architects increased by 23% from 2020, but is still 24% lower than pre-pandemic averages, suggesting the impact of the pandemic has still not waned.

The report also found that the average candidate takes 13 years to complete the path to licensure from starting college to receiving a ...

NCARB launches free practice exams for ARE ensuring 'equitable access to exam prep'

2022-06-17T08:10:00-04:00

NCARB has announced the launch of a suite of free practice exams for ARE candidates. The full-length, fully-scored tests have been created for each of the six divisions which comprise the ARE exam.

"The availability of high-quality, free practice exams will help ensure equitable access to exam preparation materials, leading to a more equitable experience for diverse candidates,” said NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong upon the initiative’s announcement.

Questions within the practice exams were developed using the same method as the real ARE, and can be taken in two modes. A test mode mimics the experience of the real exam with a score report afterwards, while a practice mode provides the correct answer and supporting notes for each item as the candidate proceeds through the test.

The resource was launched in response to findings from the NCARB/NOMA Baseline on Belonging study, which fo...

Deal reached for US/UK reciprocal architectural licensure

2022-06-14T18:49:00-04:00

Two of the most influential professional architectural associations in the western hemisphere have pushed forward with their plans for a reciprocal licensure agreement between the US and UK. The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the American National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) have recently ratified a new Mutual Recognition Agreement that will make the registration and licensure process much easier for practitioners in both countries.

The agreement makes it possible for architects to obtain business contracts, network with peers, and pursue new projects in new markets. This forthcoming arrangement is modeled after existing pacts between the American organization and Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. The basis of the agreement is three-pronged, and hinges on each architect’s ability to hold an active NCARB certificate, be lawfully permitted to work in the country in which they are registered and hold a valid license from their home country’s reg...

Catch Me If You Can: NY State's fake architect sentenced to 2 1/3-7 years in state prison

2017-09-05T20:21:00-04:00

Paul J. Newman, 49, was discovered back in April to have been practicing as an architect despite lacking both a license and registration. The investigation, dubbed "Operation Vandelay Industries," found that Newman, stealing the license number of a registered architect and forging a NY State Registered Architecture Stamp, had drafted architectural renderings for over 100 properties, as well as foundation inspections, field reports, energy compliance certificates and engineer letters.

The suspect was then arrested on three indictments charging him with 58 felonies related to his unauthorized practice of architecture, forgery, and submission of documents to various municipalities. In June, he entered felony guilt pleas in all three counties—Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga—to a total of six felony counts, including Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class D felony; Forgery in the Second Degree, a class D felony; Unauthorized Practice of a Profession, a class E felony; and Scheme t...

New York Man Found Guilty of Pretending to be an Architect, Faces up to 7 Years in State Prison and $155K in Restitution

2017-06-19T12:08:00-04:00

Back in April, we reported that Paul J. Newman, 49, was charged in three counties with pretending to be an architect. The man was neither registered nor licensed, yet worked on numerous housing projects in the Capital Region. Caught in an investigation dubbed “Operation Vandelay Industries,” Newman was accused of drafting architectural renderings for over 100 projects, as well as foundation inspections, field reports, engineer letters, and energy compliance certificates.

Now, Newman has entered felony guilt pleas in all thee counties. He will be sentenced anywhere from 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison. He will also have to pay over $155K in restitution.

“Throughout the course of his fraudulent career, the defendant repeatedly demonstrated a disregard for the public safety of New Yorkers and a determination to cheat the system,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “The state law is clear – no license, no architectural work for you. No one is above that standard.”

...

Put your furniture design skills to the test in eVolo's 2016 VMODERN Competition

2016-04-25T15:38:00-04:00

Are you currently working on a furniture project that you're yearning to showcase? Or maybe you're an architect who wants to challenge your skills in a different design discipline. Now's your chance to submit your ideas to the 2016 VMODERN Furniture Design Competition! Created by eVolo Magazine (the same people that established the annual Skyscraper Competition), VMODERN wants to explore the future of furniture design.

Designers worldwide are invited to submit their most creative and thought-provoking ideas for pieces of furniture that reinvent how we live and interact with our everyday environment.

Submitted ideas can be in production, prototypes, and/or concepts in the following categories: Seating (chairs, recliners, stools, etc.), Planes (beds, coffee tables, desks, etc), and Lighting (ceiling lamp, floor lamp, wall lamp, etc.)

Sign up during the Early Registration period now until July 19 (fee is US$75). Late registration deadline is September 20, and all submissions are due Septe...

Submit your Fairy Tales 2016 entries by January 16!

2015-12-17T14:31:00-05:00

Here's one last little reminder that the Fairy Tales 2016 submission deadline is January 16, 2016! It still about a month away, but it'll be here in the blink of an eye. Now that it's the Late Registration period, the entry fee is $75.

First launched by Blank Space in 2014, the competition lets participants write their own architectural fairy tale narrative to explore and discuss real-world topics. The 2014 and 2015 editions were a wild success, reeling in hundreds of submissions from around the globe.

The 2016 jury includes a noteworthy list of individuals:

Hans Ulrich Obrist (CoDirector of the Serpentine Galleries)
Elizabeth Diller (Founding Partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro)
Allison Arieff (Editorial Director of SPUR)
Bradford Shellhammer (Founder and CEO of Bezar)
Daniel Simon (Concept and Car Designer)
Dror Benshetrit (Founder of Dror)
Sylvia Lavin (Director of Critical Studies in Architecture at UCLA)
Cristina Goberna (CoFounder of Fake Industries, Architectural Agonism)
Aaron Betsky (...

Don't forget to register for the Fairy Tales 2016 competition!

2015-12-07T15:10:00-05:00

If you haven't already done so, sign up for the Fairy Tales 2016 competition now! Regular Registration ($55) ends this Wednesday, December 9. Once the Late Registration period starts, the entry fee goes up to $75. Submission deadline is January 16, 2016.

First launched by Blank Space in 2014, the competition lets participants worldwide write their own architectural fairy tale narrative to explore and discuss real-world topics.

The 2016 jury includes a notable list of individuals:

HansUlrich Obrist (CoDirector of the Serpentine Galleries)
Elizabeth Diller (Founding Partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro)
Allison Arieff (Editorial Director of SPUR)
Bradford Shellhammer (Founder and CEO of Bezar)
Daniel Simon (Concept and Car Designer)
Dror Benshetrit (Founder of Dror)
Sylvia Lavin (Director of Critical Studies in Architecture at UCLA)
Cristina Goberna (CoFounder of Fake Industries, Architectural Agonism)
Aaron Betsky (Dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture)
Alexander Walter (Editor in...

The Fairy Tales 2016 competition is now open for registration!

2015-10-14T17:37:00-04:00

Brush up on those storytelling skills, the Fairy Tales Architecture Competition 2016 launches today! First started in 2014 by Blank Space, the competition invites the creatively inclined — architects, designers, writers, artists, engineers, illustrators, students, and the like — to pen their own architectural fairy tale. Entrants get to use fictional storytelling as a means to explore architectural possibilities and discuss real-world topics.

The last two competitions were wildly successful, with 2015 reeling in a record-breaking 2,000 stories from participants in 65 countries. Who knows what the 2016 edition will bring?

2015 1st prize winner: “Empty” by Zigeng Wang.

2014 1st prize winner: “Chapter Thirteen” by Kevin (Pang-Hsin) Wang and Nicholas O’Leary.

The scale, location, and program of the submission is up to each entrant. A successful entry crafts a text narrative, along with 5 images, in the most spectacular way possible.

Participants can register for a special early-bird discount...

Late registration for Laka Competition 2015: "Architecture that Reacts" ends on October 20!

2015-10-12T16:10:00-04:00

Public arts initiative Laka wants to know how today's architects, engineers, scientists, and students interpret the theme "Architecture that Reacts" for the Laka Competition 2015. To get those ideas churning, architecture that reacts is responsive and highly adaptable to both current needs and unpredictable circumstances. It can be thought of like a living organism.

Entrants — who can participate individually or as teams — can still sign up during the late registration period, which ends on October 20, 2015 for a fee of $100. Also keep in mind that all submissions are due October 31, 2015 (23:59 UTC).

Three cash-prize winners and special mentions are scheduled to be announced on December 1.

The 2015 jury features:

Maria Aiolova (Architect, Educator, LEED AP, Assoc. AIA): Co-Founder of Terreform ONE
Chris Bosse (Architect, Educator): Co-Founder of LAVA
Giacomo Costa (Artist, Photographer): Author of The Chronicles of Time
Marc Fornes (Architect DPLG, Educator): Founder of THEVERYMANY™
Guy Ho...

Last chance to register for the ChiDesign CADE competition is August 19

2015-08-13T15:28:00-04:00

There's less than a week left to register for the ChiDesign CADE competition. Late registration closes next Wednesday, August 19.

As learning spaces become more open and communally oriented, the Chicago Architecture Foundation launched the competition seeking design ideas of a Center for Architecture, Design and Education (CADE), as a means to explore possible models for future educational facilities.

Competitors must incorporate the following into their CADE designs:

a new headquarters, visitor center and exhibition spaces for the CAF
a new headquarters for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)
a design and allied arts high school
flexible learning spaces for out-of-school-time youth programs

Late registration deadline: August 19, 2015
Submission deadline: September 9, 2015

The competition jury — who will evaluate all proposals as well as select the first, second and third prize winners — features:

Stanley Tigerman, Tigerman McCurry Architects
David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates...

Don't forget to register for the first ChiDesign competition by August 7!

2015-07-29T10:37:00-04:00

The registration deadline is almost here for the first ChiDesign ideas competition to design a Center for Architecture, Design and Education (CADE). As learning spaces become more open and communally oriented, the Chicago Architecture Foundation launched the competition as a means to explore possible models for future educational facilities.

Competitors must incorporate the following into their CADE designs:

a new headquarters, visitor center and exhibition spaces for the CAF
a new headquarters for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)
a design and allied arts high school
flexible learning spaces for out-of-school-time youth programs

Registration deadline: August 7, 2015
Submission deadline: September 9, 2015

The competition jury — who will evaluate all proposals as well as select the first, second and third prize winners — features:

Stanley Tigerman, Tigerman McCurry Architects
David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates
Monica Ponce De Leon, MPdL Studio
Billie Tsien, Tod Williams Billie...

eVolo's 2016 Skyscraper Competition is open for registration!

2015-07-20T18:14:00-04:00

eVolo wants to know the endless ways that the skyscraper can be reimagined in their annual Skyscraper Competition. First launched in 2006, 2016 is expected to be another popular year attracting hundreds of submissions worldwide. Participants rethink the skyscraper by incorporating novel technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations. Additionally, they're strongly encouraged to consider globalization, adaptability, and the various issues of contemporary urban living in their designs.

The registration deadline is currently scheduled for January 19, 2016 and the submission deadline is January 26, 2016. This year's jury includes: Matias del Campo, Thom Faulders, Greg Lynn, Marcelo Spina, and Skylar Tibbits.

To get a little headstart on those entries, check out a few winning entries from previous competitions below:

2015 1st prize - "Essence Skyscraper" by BOMP (Ewa Odyjas, Agnieszka Morga, Konrad Basan, and Jakub Pudo) | Poland

2015 2nd prize - "Shanty-Scraper" by...

Regular Registration for Dear Architecture ends June 24

2015-06-23T21:15:00-04:00

The Regular Registration period for the Dear Architecture competition is coming to a close tomorrow, June 24. Afterward, the current $40 fee will go up to $50 until the final deadline on July 24.

Presented by Blank Space — the creators of the successful Fairy Tales Architecture Competition — along with Archinect, our sister site Bustler, and ArchDaily, Dear Architecture invites participants worldwide to write their own 500-word letter to architecture — whether as a concept, a social practice, or as a community — along with an illustration to supplement their letter's message.

Through letter-writing, the competition hopes to initiate an open dialogue and valuable exchange of ideas about the role and responsibility of architecture in modern society.

Remember: The final registration + submission deadline is July 24.

The jury includes:

Beatrice Galilee: Associate Curator of Architecture and Design at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fernando Romero: Founder, FR-EE
Daniel Arsham & Alex Mustonen: ...

Laka launches 2015 competition: Architecture that Reacts. Register now!

2015-06-02T14:40:00-04:00

Public arts initiative Laka has launched their 2015 competition: Architecture that Reacts. The ideas competition invites architects, designers, engineers, biologists, and interdisciplinary teams worldwide to submit their interpretations of the theme: Architecture that Reacts. Like a living organism, architecture that reacts is responsive and highly adaptable to often unpredictable circumstances and its users' current needs.

Sign up now during the early registration period until July 1, 2015 for a fee of US$50. Regular registration lasts until October 1, 2015 ($75), and late registration ends on October 20, 2015 ($100). All project submissions are due on October 31, 2015 (23:59 UTC).

Three cash-prize winners and special mentions will be announced on December 1.

The competition jury features:

Maria Aiolova (Architect, Educator, LEED AP, Assoc. AIA): Co-Founder of Terreform ONE
Chris Bosse (Architect, Educator): Co-Founder of LAVA
Giacomo Costa (Artist, Photographer): Author of The Chronicl...

Articulate your feelings in the "Dear Architecture" competition. Register now!

2015-05-13T21:04:00-04:00

Needless to say, effective communication is vital in architecture, but how often do architects get the chance to elaborate their own thoughts and feelings on the discipline itself — in the form of a letter? Blank Space (the creators of the successful Fairy Tales Architecture Competition) along with Archinect, our sister site Bustler, and ArchDaily are presenting a new challenge: "Dear Architecture".

Dear Architecture invites participants worldwide to write their own 500-word letter to architecture — whether as a concept, a social practice, or as a community — along with an illustration to supplement their letter's message. Through letter-writing, the competition hopes to initiate an open dialogue and valuable exchange of ideas about the role and responsibility of architecture in modern society.

Register by May 27 to take advantage of the $30 early-bird special (Regular registration: $40; Late registration: $50). The final submission deadline is July 24.

As always, give this competition...