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not-winning a competition

barbaric

What happens (legally and logistically) when a client cancels a winning project's contract? Two examples of the top of my head are the Steven Holl and Cornell University affair and Eric Owen Moss and Queens Museum (Grimshaw has been awarded recently) affair........

The client ultimately pays the fees, but the architect went through alot of work and screening and won the competition organized by the client.

Does the client hold the right to cancel or withdraw the winner's project even after the competition-mechanism has been started (actually finished)?

What does an architect do when faced with such a situation? Any compensations? And what about the 'new' winner (like grimshaw in the last example): does it do anything to the ego knowing that you came technically not in first position, or do you just collect the spoils of the other?

I find all this fascinating in a field governed by rules, codes and measurements.....

 
Apr 16, 05 5:53 am
g-love

barbaric -

impossible to know for every particular competition or situation, but my guess is that the architects sign a contract like every other project once they've won. that contract almost certainly contains language allowing either side to terminate the contract, given certain conditions or provisions.

as to the fees: presumably, the clients have - or will have - paid for the services received by the architect to date. it would be very unlikely that the clients will pay for the remaining fee or profit on the fee, although i have seen that in some contracts before.

to quickly answer your other questions: yes, the client can cancel the project or remove the winning architect. fee arrangements are noted above. as to the ego of the new architect: unless they were in the original competition (and most aren't), i doubt there is much bruising going on. if anything, they are probably thrilled to get the commission and probably figure that their interests, goals, etc. are closer to what the client actually wants, versus what they had to settle for with the competition winner.

Apr 16, 05 8:08 am  · 
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TED

what i think would have really pissed me off if i was a univeristy group and entered the 'so-called highly ethical mr. bill mcdonough: self promotional book launch exposee called "C2C" where the prize for university teams was to be paid internship; they picked no university team and stated:

University Category:
The jury has determined that the final pool of University submissions did not achieve the same level of resolution, artistic skill and richness of integration of the Cradle to Cradle conceptual framework as the entries in either the Professional or Student categories and has decided not to select any of these submissions as award winners.


come on. lets be real. the university team work was probably the best of all. just BS!

go to the website, look at the other entries and you will also say: what the F was this guy smok'n?

oh sorry. he's a green guy. it must have been all up and front.

Apr 16, 05 9:24 am  · 
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barbaric

g-love and TED, I want you next to me if I ever need to sign a document!

Apr 17, 05 3:29 am  · 
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