The International Living Future Institute and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Bestow Top Honors and $75,000 to Paris team for “visionary pragmatism”

The International Living Future Institute today announced the winners of the Living City Design Competition, which it hosted in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, at Living Future ‘11.  The competition called for teams worldwide to create powerful visualizations of how existing cities might be transformed to achieve and transcend the Living Building Challenge 2.0, the built environment’s most rigorous performance standard.

More than 80 teams submitted entries, addressing 69 different cities spanning 21 countries. Submissions were evaluated based on their ability to capture the attention and imagination of a broad audience and reassess assumptions about a future filled with high-tech, ecologically dislocated cities.  Rather than constructing new cities from scratch, submissions also focused on the premise that a “living” future will rely on retrofitting the existing built environment and regenerating the evolutionary capacity of life.

“Each of the entries represented the crucial first steps in redefining our urban ecosystems and how they work in tandem with their natural environment,” said Jason F. McLennan, CEO of the International Living Future Institute and a member of the seven-person jury panel that selected the winners.  “This process was at least as important as the impressive end results.”

The Houses Awards celebrate Australias best residential projects in seven categories, and will culminate in the announcement of the 2011 Australian House of the Year.

212 projects submitted from throughout Australia. Seventy one projects have been selected as finalists and can be viewed in the online gallery at www.housesawards.com.au.

The seven categories include:

New House under 200 sqm
New House over 200 sqm
House Alteration and Addition under 200 sqm
House Alteration and Addition over 200 sqm
Apartment, Unit, or Townhouse
Outdoor
Sustainability

The difficult task of deliberating between entrants lay with the judging panel, which includes such celebrated architects and designers as-

Brian Zulaikha, Director, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer (NSW)
Camilla Block, Director, Durbach Block Jaggers (NSW)
Paul Owen, Director, Owen and Vokes (Qld)
Kerry Phelan, Director, Kerry Phelan Design Office (Vic)
Cameron Bruhn, Editorial Director, Architecture Media (Vic), and
Sustainability Category Advisor, Scott Drake, The University of Melbourne

The Australian House of the Year Award winner stands to win a $5,000 cash prize, while winners of individual categories will each receive $1,000.

Winners will be announced on July 15, 2011.

The Bat-Yam Biennale has just announced the open call for participation in The 3rd Bat-Yam Biennale: Urban Action, due to take place during October 2012.
The theme chosen for this third Biennale is "Metamorphosis".

The 2011 inaugural Houses Awards program presented by Houses magazine is now calling for entries from Australian and international design professionals working on an Australian project.

One of the country’s most sought-after architectural accolades, the awards celebrate Australia’s best residential projects in seven categories, with the best house receiving the premier award of Australian House of the Year.

“The inaugural Houses Awards program is a unique opportunity to celebrate Australian residential architecture,” says Cameron Bruhn, Houses magazine Editorial Director. “The peer-judged awards will recognize achievement through categories that reflect the way architects and designers are shaping Australian homes.”

Each year the Houses Awards provides a unique insight into contemporary residential design and the contribution Australia’s architects and designers make to enhancing the way we live today.

The categories include:

•    New House under 200 sqm
•    New House over 200 sqm 
•    House Alteration and Addition under 200 sqm
•    Apartment, Unit, or Townhouse
•    Outdoor
•    Sustainability
•    Australian House of the Year

The Australian House of the Year Award winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize, while winners of individual categories will each win $1,000.  All Awarded and Commended projects will be presented with a certificate and use of the Houses Awards logo for printed and promotional materials.

Entrants and their projects will also receive recognition through a range of Architecture Media titles including Houses, Houses: Kitchens+Bathrooms, Architecture Australia, Landscape Architecture Australia, Artichoke, Architectural Product News and Selector, as well as other media.

Entries close on Thursday 31 March 2011 and full details can be found at the awards website – www.housesawards.com.au

Winners will be announced on July 15, 2011.

The Diversity Recognition Program seeks to recognize architects for exemplary commitment and contributions to diversifying the profession of architecture. A diversified profession mirrors the society it serves; celebrates and encourages the contributions of all architects, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, religious belief, geographic location, or practice; encourages alternatives to traditional practice models; and provides opportunities for a greater variety of individuals to become architects, take advantage of leadership opportunities, and influence our practices and our professional lives.The jury will select up to 12 submissions as diversity best practices meriting the following recognition: