The aim of the “Learning” competition is to develop design proposals for the university, intended as a space of higher education, training, and teaching on all levels and disciplines.

The participants are asked to create innovative and unconventional projects on this theme, questioning the very basis of the notion of the university. recently a series of new initiatives have emerged in relation to the learning experience.

The digitalization of education empowered processes of serious gaming as a learning tool, through app and interface, while video tutorials introduced a brand new dimension of bottom-up knowledge sharing movements. Organizations like Coursera, Ted, and Edx managed to grasp the qualities of remote learning and translated them into professional educational tools, providing online courses and lectures for anyone around the world. Along the same line, many universities started providing entire programs online, reducing costs and giving large flexibility to their students. On the other hand, many institutions still rely and invest in direct human interaction as the main vehicle for education. Innovation operates by empowering not only the teacher-student relationship, but also the potential for collaboration and mutual motivation between learners, trans-disciplinarity and inter-disciplinarity in the outside world.

Within this context, with critical thinking and a creative attitude, participants are urged to investigate what kind of spatial qualities can support or empower the process of learning in the future. Designers are asked to merge considerable programmatic innovation and valuable design tools. The proposal could be a device, piece of furniture, interior design project, pavilion, building, urban plan or something other. The scale of intervention, program dimensions and location are not given and they can be chosen by the participants to better suit their project.

ELIGIBILITY: Non Architecture Competitions are open to all human beings, from every age and cultural background, working in groups or individually.

PRIZES

WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN ONE WINNER

Non architecture competitions wants to be unconventional also in the way it rewards its participants. The winners will be in fact three, all equally important. In addition 9 honourable mentions will be awarded. Each one of the 3 jury members will select one winner and four honourable mentions.

The prizes are the following:

  • WINNERS (3 Prizes) 1.000 euros Publication in the Non Architecture Competitions books Publication on the Non Architecture Competitions website Reviews in digital magazines and several architecture blogs 3 Books by DOM Publisher
  • HONOURABLE MENTIONS (9 Prizes) Publication in the Non Architecture Competitions book Publication on the Non Architecture Competitions website Reviews in digital magazines and several architecture blogs
  • FINALISTS (38 Prizes) Publication in the Non Architecture Competitions book Publication on the Non Architecture Competitions website

JURY

  • Astrid Piber – Partner at UNStudio 
  • Arjen Wals – Professor Transformative Learning for Socio-ecological Sustainability/Unesco Chair at WUR 
  • Prue Chiles – Professor of Architectural Design Research and Acting Director of Architecture at Newcastle University