COMPETITION YEA! 2020 – YOUNG EUROPEAN ARCHITECTS

CA’ASI is organising an architectural competition to highlight the vitality and originality of young European architecture.

The best projects in this international competition, which is open to young architects from across Europe, will be exhibited at CA’ASI as part of the 17th International Architecture Biennale in Venice (May 23 to November 29, 2020). This competition represents a unique opportunity to showcase the important role contemporary European architecture plays in finding innovative solutions to improve living conditions on our fragile planet.

We have steered clear of prescribing a set theme in order to encourage new ideas to emerge, as it has been the case for previous editions of the competition, when the same invitation was issued to young Chinese, Arab, African and Latin American architects.

Architecture-Studio founded CA’ASI in 2009 as a venue tasked with promoting the dialogue between architecture, contemporary art and visitors to the Venice Biennale. As part of the 17th Biennale Architettura, CA’ASI is throwing open the doors of the Palazzo Santa Maria Nova to emerging architects. The aim is to spotlight the creativity and originality of new architecture in Europe and help raise its profile on the international stage.

We have had the pleasure over the last ten years of celebrating Biennales where the visual examination of the expression of contemporary architectural research has enriched the presentation of a superb overview that goes beyond the mere production of our discipline in a globalised world.

We have attended exhibitions where works are presented as beautiful stories and approaches that transcend paradigms of contemporary architecture production. Thanks to enormous efforts, exemplary ethical productions and generous instant actions, the design processes on display transform (sometimes severe) contexts and constraints into enlightened work, a place of life, poetry and truth…

As part of the Venice Architecture Biennale, the exhibition on new architecture in Europe will present a rich, fresh image. The selected projects will become objects of contemplation and a well of emotion for architectural professionals and the general public alike. We are particularly sensitive to emerging topics that are dedicated to transforming architecture, including the following lengthy list: the energy transition, resource scarcity, new living modes, participatory processes, the circular economy, diversity as a response to “how we will live together”, the imagination as a medium of constructive rigour, the duality between periphery and centrality in territorial expression, and the exercise of the profession based on a new method of commisioning management, the digital revolution has altered our conception and production modes…

The competition is being launched in October 2019, and the deadline for submitting entries is February 14, 2020. An international jury will meet in Paris at the end of March to select the winners and the projects to be exhibited. The award ceremony will take place in Venice, with the winners invited to present their projects in a selective exhibition at CA’ASI in Venice as part of the 17th Architecture Biennale.
Entry requirements:
• Candidates must have been working in the field of architecture and heritage creation and / or preservation for less than 15 years, combined with a degree in architecture or from an art and / or design school.
• Candidates must be EU nationals.
• Candidates must present a project (which may or may not already have been completed) in one of the following European states: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Czech Republic.
• Candidates may enter the competition as an individual, in a group or as a partnership of a firm (with proof of their involvement in the work). Each candidate may present a maximum of one project.
• The age limit for candidates is 40 years old. Candidates must have been born after 1980.
Application package:
Candidates must complete an application package written in French or English containing the following:
• A registration form duly completed and signed in editable digital format, including a 500-character summary note presenting the project in French, English and local language. (a Word template can be downloaded from www.ca-asi.com)
• A one-page CV (A4) per application
• A cover letter of 2 (A4) pages maximum
• A presentation about the project of 10 pages maximum (text and / or images; A4 format)
• A folder consisting of a selection of pictures of the project in TIFF or JPG format (300 DPI minimum)
• A PowerPoint document including the same images (the PowerPoint template can be downloaded from www.ca-asi.com)
• A representative image of the project in TIFF or JPG format (300 DPI minimum)
• A (square) photo of the candidate in black and white, TIFF or JPG format (300 DPI minimum)
The jury will base their decision on the projected images in addition to the hard copies.
The folder must be sent by post as a hard copy AND on a USB key.
The deadline for submissions is February 14, 2020, with the postmark serving as proof.