|
|
A Writer's
Retreat
Preamble
"There are writers who find comfort and inspiration to pursue
their activity in noisy cafes, smoky wine-bars, crowded trains, busy
airport lounges, in public urban spaces... and there are writers who
prefer the isolation of a private room, the ascetic conditions of
a monastic cell, or the seclusion of a small cabin cut off from the
rest of the world."
The CAA Student Design Competition 2003 invites you to design a sustainable
retreat that addresses the needs of a reclusive writer.
Brief
Competitors are asked to design an autonomous, minimal dwelling for
a famous writer who wishes to escape the distractions of everyday
life. Entrants should choose a site from within their own region.
There are no restrictions - the site can be real or imaginary, located
in an urban or rural context - but the choice of site and the architectural
response to it will be among the criteria for judging the competition.
The writer wants a retreat within which he or she can work every day
of the year. Of considerable importance will be the ambience of the
space created. It should be designed in such a way that it will encourage
creative writing and reflect the character and needs of the user.
Competitors are free to choose any well-known author from the past
or present, as their assumed client. Preferably, the writer should
be associated in some way with the region in which the retreat is
to be placed. The word 'writer' may be interpreted widely (e.g. novelist,
songwriter, playwright, composer, scientific writer, newspaper columnist,
etc). The defining characteristics are the act of writing and the
need for a good place in which to write.
At first sight this project might seem rather esoteric but the judges
will be looking for imaginative and innovative responses to some universal
human needs. The building has to provide for basic comfort, safety
and shelter, in all seasons; to accommodate the necessary functions
of living and working (sleeping, eating, washing, writing, etc) and
to sustain these activities in an uplifting manner. The occupant wishes
to work in an environment that is tactile, supportive, and therapeutic.
One strong requirement from your client is to provide 'a room with
a view'. Writers are notorious for allowing distractions to prevent
them writing. How can this retreat encourage writing, rather than
discourage it?
This competition is about detail. Proposals should indicate the structure
of the building, its construction, materials, spatial quality, lighting,
fittings and furniture. The writer wishes to live in this structure
for reasonably long periods of time. It should be comfortable. It
will have running water and electricity (which can be mains supplied
or self-collected/generated, according to site situation and design
ethos). The total internal area should not exceed 40 sq metres. The
structure can be in a tree, underground, on stilts, within an existing
building, on a roof, on water..………let your imagination
fly!
The locational dimension should be given emphasis. The design should
reflect in some way the culture, climate and context in which the
building is placed. Entrants should also consider ways in which the
architectural character of the proposal might be emblematic of the
author's writing and/or the author.
Above all, the design should demonstrate clear principles of sustainability
through the choice of materials, management of energy and waste, climate
modification, reusability, and so on. Where appropriate, designs may
show ways in which the building can be used as an energy collector/generator/store
and a water collector.
Whatever the design approach, entrants should be aware that your client
wants a building that requires minimal maintenance and one that is
not over-complicated to operate.
Eligibility
The competition is open to all students, who at the time of their
submission, are studying in a Commonwealth country. Individual and
group entries are acceptable. Entries from multi-disciplinary groups
are welcome.
Prizes
First Prize: £1200 Second Prize: £500 Third Prize: £200
A bonus of £200 will be awarded to the best prize-winning, multi-disciplinary
group entry (ie a submission from a team comprising two or more people
from different disciplines that is placed first, second or third).
All students are eligible for first, second and third prizes. An additional
£200 has been reserved for the best submission from a student
(or team of students) in the first or second year of academic study
at the time of the entry being made, where the entry has not been
awarded one of the principal prizes. Any prize awarded for a group
submission will be shared equally by members of the group.
Presentation
Drawings should be on a maximum of two A1 (841mm x 594mm) sheets,
sent rolled or they may be mounted on two A1 lightweight boards. A
brief, written explanation saying something about the writer, and
the context and thinking behind the scheme, should be included on
the sheet(s). Photographs (of the site, 3D model, etc) may be mounted
or scanned onto the drawings.
No specific drawings or scales are prescribed, but the presentation
must convey the ideas underlying the design of the building, its overall
forms and spaces, its character and atmosphere. As the building is
relatively small, contestants are encouraged to show some of the detail
of the building in the context of its fabrication. The following aspects
should be explained:
the site and its context (built and natural)
construction (indicative), materials, textures and colours
the strategy for environmental sustainability
the surrounding landscape/external spaces
life and activities in and around the building including the writer's
workspace and the qualities of enclosed spaces showing furniture,
fittings and finishes.
Drawings should be suitable for photographic reproduction for the
purpose of publication. It is intended that the winning entries will
be published in The Architectural Review.
Queries
Any questions concerning the brief and arrangements for the competition
may, until 01 April 2003, be addressed to the CAA Secretariat, email:
admin@archexchange.org.
Questions and answers will be published on the CAA Website at: www.comarchitect.org.
Submission
Each entry must be accompanied by a registration form, endorsed by
the entrant's head of school/department. Additional copies of the
registration form and this brief are available from CAA Website or
Secretariat (addresses above).
The name of the entrant or school should appear only on the registration
form and not on the drawing sheets. Registration forms should accompany
the entries, in a sealed envelope clearly marked 'CAA Design Competition
2003'. For identification, entrants should devise a name and/or symbol
and that name and/or symbol should appear both on the drawing sheets
and on the registration form.
Drawings with registration forms, must arrive in Bloemfontein by 08
August 2003, at the following postal address (or street address for
international courier service):
Postal
address
CAA Design Competition 2003C/o
Free State Institute of Architects (FSIA)P O Box 12396, Brandhof 9324,
South Africa
Street
address
CAA Design Competition 2003C/o
Free State Institute of Architects (FSIA)
Fichardt House, 40 Elizabeth Street,Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
The Jury
will meet during August and the winners announced by 08 September
2003.
Jury
The competition will be judged by an international jury including
CAA President Phillip Kungu, of Kenya and Peter Davey, Editor of The
Architectural Review. The results will be announced on the occasion
of the next CAA General Assembly and Conference that is scheduled
to take place in Bloemfontein, South Africa in August 2003. The organisers
propose displaying the winning entries at the Conference. The jury's
decision will be final.
Copyright
The copyright of a submission will remain with the competitors, but
the CAA reserves the right to keep entries for exhibition, and to
publish them. Entries will not be returned. Schools/authors are advised
to keep copies of drawings submitted for the competition.
Acknowledgement
The topic of this competition was inspired in part by a design project
written by Styliane Philippou and run at The Plymouth School of Architecture,
UK, during the academic year 2000-01. The quotation (1) is taken from
the introduction to the project handout ('Writer's Cabin on Stilts',
University of Plymouth September 2000) and is reproduced here with
the permission of the author.
|
|
|
