COMPETITIONS & AWARDS

International Design Competition – Vietnam
An international design competition for Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Thiem New Urban Area is now open. The focus of this competition is the Central Plaza, Crescent Park, and Saigon River Pedestrian Bridge.

The Thu Thiem project has an area of 740 hectares and is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City on the east bank of the Saigon River, opposite the existing historic city centre. This is the dominant area for the growth of Ho Chi Minh City in the 21st Century. In 2005, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee approved the comprehensive Master Plan of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area at the scale of 1:2000.

In 2008, ICA was given permission by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to organise a two-stage open, international design competition for key public spaces in the plan. The Central Plaza will be the largest integrated park and plaza within Ho Chi Minh City; the Crescent Park will be Ho Chi Minh City's great waterfront park and promenade; the Saigon River Pedestrian Bridge will be an impressive architectural symbol and represent the future city.

The competition will have two stages over approximately six months (it opened on March 17). The first stage will be open to domestic and international professional design firms and teams (registration from host country required). Six (6) firms will be shortlisted for the second stage and be paid $20,000 to continue with the work. One (1) winning team will be selected from the shortlist.

The Design Competition is being run completely through the competition website: thuthiemcompetition.com

International Competition for Sustainable Housing
Living Steel has launched its 3rd International Architecture Competition. Architects are invited to create energy efficient, single-family, detached housing that minimises climate change emissions and can withstand temperature extremes, yet is affordable to build and to buy.

Architects around the world can enter until April 28, 2008. Architects entering an Expression of Interest must do so as a team of two architects to be eligible for short-list consideration.

The winning architects will use the exceptional qualities of steel to construct their design in Cherepovets, Russian Federation, where temperatures can range from -49 C to +34 C. The homes constructed from the winning designs will be part of a community for use by employees of Russian steel maker, SeverStal JSC, headquartered in Cherepovets.

Total prizes and honoraria are €100,000, with the winning design awarded €50,000.
Learn more and enter online at livingsteel.org/extremehousing

World Habitat Awards
Architects worldwide are invited to participate in the 23rd World Habitat Awards. These awards recompense practical, innovative and sustainable solutions to housing problems today.

The awards ceremony will take place during the celebrations of the United Nations 2008 World Habitat Day.

Participation conditions and further information concerning prizes are available at: worldhabitatawards.org

Candidatures must be submitted before June 1, 2008.

Green impact at Dulux Colour Awards
Green has made a statement in more ways than one, with the Carr Design Group making a colourful impact at this year’s Dulux Colour Awards. Their submission, Deacon Law Tenancy in Sydney, was awarded the coveted Grand Prix title ahead of some of the highest-calibre finalists in the Awards’ 22 year history.

Carr Design Group also received the prize for the most outstanding environmentally-friendly project, a category making its inaugural debut into this year’s program. Carr Design Group’s success is rewarded with a business class return flight and accommodation to Milan for next month’s highly-regarded Salone Internazionale del Mobile as part of a $15,000 prize pool, which includes $3,500 in cash.

Full list of winners:

Commercial Interior – National Gallery of Victoria for ‘Juan Davila’
Dulux colours: Black, Exploding Star, Great Star, Studio Cream and White Awarded for the daring role colour played to showcase art, rather than simply serving as a neutral background. This project used colour to create an experience as opposed to supporting the experience, and was deemed a sophisticated use of colour and design to form an entire space.
Commercial Exterior – Terroir for ‘Kiosks’
Dulux colours: Orange Wood, Capsicum Red, Orangeade, Sunlounge Rather than competing with its significant Civic positioning, this project succeeded in concealing intense colours in a pocket of space, therefore creating an intelligent but enjoyable element of surprise.
Residential Interior - Matt Gibson a + d for ‘Albert Park residence’
Dulux colours: Anitique White USA, Chalk USA, Vivid White, Hot Lips, Namadji, Sunshine Surprise A fresh, predominantly neutral palette helped to exaggerate this space. Subtle, clean application was accentuated by shots of Dulux Sunshine Surprise, appearing on the home’s original features – such as the timber door – as well as more modern amenities, thus cleverly accentuating (but also connecting) old and new.
Residential Exterior – McBride Charles Ryan for ‘Klein Bottle House’
Dulux colours: Elephant, Antique White, Pear Ash, Red Clown, Spanish Olive, Black Reflectivity allowed the same colour to be read in many ways through this design. A bright doorway cutting through the predominantly white and black palette, thus drawing the eye towards the entrance, was also admired.
Environmentally Friendly – Carr Design Group for ‘Deacons Law Tenancy’ in Sydney
Dulux colours: Mamba Green, Tree Frog Green, Grass Court, Green Paw Paw An enormous palette of 21 colours contributed to this project, yet it was the way in which three distinct palettes were then extracted from this combination that impressed. By using neutrals to run through these three palettes and create a seamless journey through the spectrum, the effect demonstrated how colours can at the same time work independently but also together.
Students Years 1-6 – Kitinana Kietgumjorn of University of Melbourne
Dulux colours: Capstan, Modal, Mizu, Vibrant Hue, Wizard Time, Purple People Eater, Gengiana This was an interesting means of playing with and applying colour and had the ability to shift its own perception in harmony with the constant change of natural light. Committed to encouraging the development and creating opportunities for student specifiers, Dulux was particularly thrilled to see a significant jump in entries from university students, with Kietgumjorn awarded $1,000 cash.

As part of their prize pool, all winners will be exhibited at designEX, coinciding with the RAIA national architecture conference, Critical Visions, April 10-12.

Please visit www.dulux.me.com.au for high-resolution imagery of winning entrants.

Dulux is a supporting corporate partner of the RAIA.