What does it mean to build? Traditionally, building has been defined as the assembly of parts or materials toward the creation of a whole. While to build is often perceived as an Apollonian pursuit, to destroy appears to be its Dionysian counterpart. Understanding that our built environment is the product of many forces, it can dialectically be reduced to the tensions between creation and destruction, addition and subtraction, and erection and demolition. 

In a design culture focused on the superlative (the tallest, the newest, the priciest), in which destruction is often perceived of or produced by an act of violence, the processes of removal appear as secondary concerns or collateral damage. However, if we are to better understand the life cycles of our built environment, we must explore the possibilities and implications of Taking Buildings Down.

This competition of ideas is simultaneously a political act, a means of criticism, and a method of speculation.

Taking Buildings Down asks proposals for the production of voids; the demolition of buildings, structures, and infrastructures; or the subtraction of objects and/or matter as a creative act. Removal is all that is allowed.

ELIGIBILITY: This call is open to anyone interested in articulating visions for the future of our built environment.

CONTENT AND CRITERIA:  Each proposal should consider and present three items:

1. A pre-existing current condition
2. A process of removal
3. A resultant condition of removal

Proposals should consider contemporary contexts. There are no limitations in scale or scope. The focus of the proposal may be on the process of removal, the resultant condition, or both.

Projects will be judged on their ambition, vision, methodology, and clarity.