Submission: March 23, 2020
Registration: February 14, 2020
Language: English
Location: Canada
Prizes: Please see details below
Type: Open
The NCC’s Urban Design Challenge 2020: Student Ideas Competition for Canada’s Capital is now on. Urban Design Challenge 2020 is a competition that invites students from across the country to come up with design concepts for important sites in Canada’s Capital Region. The competition is organized by the National Capital Commission (NCC), the federal Crown corporation dedicated to ensuring that Canada’s Capital is a dynamic and inspiring source of pride for all Canadians, and building a legacy for generations to come.
The NCC is challenging students to propose innovative planning and design ideas for two important destinations in the Capital Region.
• SITE 1: The Sussex Courtyards (Ottawa, Ontario)
OR
• SITE 2: The Gatineau Park Visitor Centre (Chelsea, Quebec)
Participants in the Urban Design Challenge are required to focus their ideas on one of the two sites.
Eligibility
The competition is open to any students who are currently enrolled in a design-focused program at an accredited educational institution in Canada. The maximum number of participants per team is three.
The NCC encourages students to form interdisciplinary teams. Proposals should consider aspects of urban planning, site design, architecture and landscape design. A diverse team of complementary skills is likely to result in a more successful submission.
• Participation is free and the deadline for registration is February 14, 2020.
• Submissions are due on March 23, 2020.
• The top 2 winning teams (maximum 3 people per team) will be invited to present their projects at a public Urbanism Lab event in Ottawa on April 30, 2020.
Jury and Evaluation Criteria
A jury of interdisciplinary planning, design and site management professionals will review the submissions and select competition winners. A winning submission will provide bold design concepts that consider the following:
• site context
• leading sustainability elements
• environmental and ecological features
• public access
• four-season use
• tourism and recreational opportunities
• current master plans and policies.
Questions regarding the competition will be accepted until February 28, 2020. Questions should be emailed to: stanley.leinwand@ncc-ccn.ca or gregory.kerr@ncc-ccn.ca. All emails sent should include “Student Competition 2020” in the subject line. Answers to all questions will be posted on the competition website: www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/2020-challenge.
NOTE: The Urban Design Challenge is an anonymous competition. Please follow instructions for the contest on the Website.
PRIZES:
First Place Prize Packages: one first prize package for each winning team (one the Quebec side and one on the Ontario side):
• Round-trip train or airplane tickets to Canada’s Capital (Ottawa) for each team member.*
• Two nights’ stay at a major hotel in the heart of Canada’s Capital (maximum of two hotel rooms per team).
• $750 cash prize per team.
• $250 per team member to cover meals and expenses of a personal nature.
• The winning team must attend the awards ceremony on April 30, 2020, at the Urbanism Lab at 40 Elgin Street, Ottawa.
*Train/airplane tickets:
• Students located within the Québec–Windsor corridor will be provided round-trip train tickets in economy class originating from the VIA Rail station closest to their location (place of residence, study or work).
• Students located outside the Québec–Windsor corridor will be provided round-trip airplane tickets in economy class originating from the major Canadian airport closest to their location (place of residence, study or work).
We look forward to great participation from across the country.
The challenge is on! Good luck to all participants!
