FuturArc Prize 2020 , Singapur

FuturArc Prize 2020

Organizers
BCI Group of Companies
FuturArc Journal

FuturArc Prize
300 Beach Road
#34-01 The Concourse
Singapore 199555

Competition Assignment
The Asian metropolis has grown disconnected from Nature.

Biodiversity habitats that were once embedded within cities have shrunk or disappeared altogether. Ecosystem services that we relied on are impaired or lost. The cumulative impact of these changes has been devastating.

For instance, many rivers that once provided fresh water to urban populations now function as sewers. Not only do they fail to support aquatic life, they are also an outright health risk to humans. Forests that were rich in flora and fauna have been encroached or cut down, often by the very people who depend on them for everyday needs. Lakes that were part of urban water catchments have been filled and turned into profit-making real estate.

The loss of ecosystem services is the cause of many environmental risks – floods, pollution, diseases and diminished well-being. The cities that deal with these are also less able to cope with the effects of climate change. Despite knowing this, and how its impacts affect millions across Asia, we do little to change course or avert further losses.

FuturArc Prize 2020 asks how an Asian city might restore a human-nature balance.

In most cities, change must be strategic. We must alter the urban fabric with precision and inventiveness, introducing elements and networks that work with what already exists. Within a dense landscape of buildings, roads and engineered infrastructure, we must somehow create room for new kinds of networks, which can be home to other species, and which restore natural flows and cycles.

This year, we ask what co-existence and partnership with Nature looks like. How do we introduce new natural systems or restore degraded ones? How are the needs of Nature balanced against human ones? What does it mean to construct Nature? Can we engineer ecology? Can human actions have a restorative and regenerative impact on natural systems?

The Task
Pick a city in Asia. This may be the city you live in or one that you are familiar with.

Evaluate the loss of natural habitats and ecosystem services.

Understand the impact of this loss on the well-being of humans and other species.

Propose new elements and networks that will invite Nature back and restore ecosystem services.

This year, you decide the scale and boundary of the intervention. Your proposal can be at the city-scale; it can be a retrofitted neighbourhood; or it can be a prototype for a building typology, say an office tower. Regardless, you must justify your decision on the basis of necessity, impact and replicability.

Remember that this challenge cannot be solved with an ad hoc addition of greenery and water to an urban fabric. It also cannot be solved by architects and planners acting alone. Entrants are encouraged to consult a biologist or an ecologist, where possible, or at the very least, make inroads into available knowledge on natural systems. The goals of co-existence and partnership with Nature can only be reached if there is an understanding of how natural and urban systems can be integrated. Your approach should illustrate a win-win solution for both humans and Nature.

Competition Type
Prize / Award

Admission Area
International

Participants
Students: Undergraduates, postgraduates, doctoral students of any recognised tertiary institution
Professionals: Architects, engineers, planners, urban designers, landscape designers, environmental designers, etc.

Schedule
Competition launch: September 2019
Submission deadline: 30 November 2019
Jury meeting: February 2020
Winners announcement: April 2020

Prizes
Professionals:
First Place: Cash prize of SGD15,000 plus 2-year subscription to FuturArc
Second Place: Cash prize of SGD8,000 plus 1-year subscription to FuturArc
Third Place: Cash prize of SGD4,000 plus 1-year subscription to FuturArc
Citations (several citations will be given at the discretion of the jury): 1-year subscription to FuturArc

Students:
First Place: Cash prize of SGD10,000 plus 2-year subscription to FuturArc
Second Place: Cash prize of SGD5,000 plus 1-year subscription to FuturArc
Third Place: Cash prize of SGD2,000 plus 1-year subscription to FuturArc
Citations (several citations will be given at the discretion of the jury): 1-year subscription to FuturArc

More information and documents at
www.futurarcprize.com