Waterfront 2.0 Design Competition , Indien

 

ArcDeck

 

What do Battery Park in New York, Darling Harbour in Sydney, Quartier du Port in Monaco or Marine Drive in Mumbai have in common? These are all amazing waterfronts that have not only defined the iconic image of these cities and become go-to destinations but also are the most sought-after and expensive real estate hot spots!

 

Sadly, climate change, global warming and rising sea levels are posing a grave threat to our environment and leading to erratic changes in weather across the world. Due to global warming and rising temperatures, several studies including a story in New York Times suggest that over 150 million people living on land may be below the high tide line by the year 2050.

 

“We still find ourselves in a situation where we are not doing nearly enough to save hundreds of millions of people from a miserable future” ~ Erik Solheim, ex-UN environment chief.

 

While coastal cities would be the first and worst impacted, other waterways and waterfronts will soon be affected as well because of the rising water levels. Already, climate change and global warming is leading to unseasonal rains and erratic incidents of flooding in major cities around the world. The most recent example is the flooding in Australia which has led to a declaration of national emergency.

 

The threat of rising water levels is real and imminent.

 

So, the question is: how will we live, work or play along our waterfronts in the future? What happens to the most expensive real estate in the world? How will the waterfronts around the world continue to be attractive and sought-after?

 

In other words, what is ‘Waterfront 2.0’ and how does it respond to the imminent danger of rising water levels? 

 

This competition challenges designers, architects, landscape architects, urbanists, urban designers, planners, and design thinkers (professionals as well as students) to imagine the future of waterfronts.

 

Submit conceptual ideas for design of a futuristic waterfront in any city around the world - by retrofitting  it OR proposing a new design - to combat the imminent danger of rising water levels. Participants are encouraged to showcase how their design integrates with the adjacent waterfront development / existing urban fabric.

 

For reference, participants are encouraged to review interesting concepts like ‘The BIG U’ in NYC by BIG architects, ‚South Bay Sponge‘ by Field Operations (part of the ‘Resilient By Design’ project series in the Bay Area), or this story about various concepts which seek to turn the increasing water level issue into an opportunity in the Netherlands.

 

Competition Launch: March 12, 2022

Submission Window Opens: June 1 to June 30, 2022

Submission Deadline: 11:59pm EST on June 30, 2022

Results Declared: July 20, 2022

 

FIRST PLACE: US $1,500 + CERTIFICATE

SECOND PLACE: US $1,000 + CERTIFICATE

THIRD PLACE: US $500 + CERTIFICATE

HONORABLE MENTION: FOR 10 ENTRIES + CERTIFICATE