“Cities are made, they are assemblies of parts, which is why I like playing scrabble which was invented by an architect. It starts in the middle, which is where cities start, it wanders out to the edge, and some of the goals at the edge are great.”

— Richard Wentworth via phone conversation on lost spaces, 9/17/14 

ELIGIBILITY

The Lost Spaces competition is open to anyone including architects, artists, designers, engineers, and students. We’re looking for cross-disciplinary teams to collectively respond to the diverse challenges of design, social sustainability and low impact design improvements. Students and members of the public who wish to submit an idea are encouraged to team up with an artist, designer, planner or engineering professional for their proposal.

To adapt your entry to the local climate conditions, please note that Calgary has a prairie climate. It benefits from high sunshine hours but also experiences unpredictable weather at times. A winter Chinook might increase the temperature by 30 degrees Centigrade within a few hours. Please consult more detail about the local climate in our FAQ.

CRITERIA

The competition is a call for alternatives improving the use, public realm and ecological value of a lost space. Responding to an area’s deficiency in the public realm, can lost space offer greater links and connectivity for people? How can a lost space connect fragments into corridors and attract biodiversity? How might they contribute to the management of stormwater?  How can lost space be remembered and utilized? Is a lost space still “lost” if not used?

Judges will base their assessment on the following criteria:

• clarity of concept and quality of design
• successfully blends social, ecological and economic considerations
• integrates multiple approaches to the design challenge
• impactfully connects environments to allow greater access, linking people and wildlife to the space
• advances thought on current use of the site
• feasibility of realization

AWARDS

• 1st Prize: $7,500 CAD
• Five field prizes: $3,000 CAD each  Fields include: Water Services, Roads and Transportation, Parks, Planning, and Public Art.
• shortlist renumeration fee (up to six awarded): $1,000 CAD each

A top prize and up to five (5) field prizes will be awarded. A shortlist of up to twelve (12) will be exhibited in the spring of 2015. Those shortlisted and not awarded a prize will receive a shortlist renumeration fee. An entry is not entitled to more than one prize. Only shortlisted projects will receive renumeration. Awards and renumeration will be granted only to projects considered by the jury to meet the formal regulations and the criteria.

THE JURY

• Susan Szenasy, Editor in Chief, Metropolis Magazine
• Shane Coen, Principal, Coen + Partners Landscape Architecture
• Pierre Thibault, Principal, Atelier Pierre Thibault Architecture
• Shauna Thompson, Curator, The Esker Foundation
• Diana Sherlock, Independent Curator

The panel of five industry professionals will judge the submissions. They will select a shortlist of up to 12 of the most successful entries.  Each of the shortlisted designs will be included in an exhibition in 2015, presented in collaboration with d.talks and WATERSHED+.

The competition is an anonymous submission process. A team of four individuals from d.talks and two from WATERSHED+ will manage the competition process, numbering entries and ensuring all identifying materials are removed prior to judging. The jury will select a winning entry from the shortlisted selection. The advisory panel will each select an additional winner from the shortlist that best responds to the challenges faced in their department’s concern for lost spaces.

“Compared to the territories submitted to the control and exploitation by man, the Third Landscape forms a privileged area of receptivity to biological diversity. Cities, farms and forestry holdings, sites devoted to industry, tourism, human activity, areas of control and decision permit diversity and, at times, totally exclude it.”

— Gilles Clement, writing on the Third Landscape 

SITE DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE

We are seeking designs that re-envision a remnant public space. The call is for alternatives improving the use, public realm and ecological value of a lost space. Submissions may be based upon one of the below conditions, or may identify an independent space qualifying as lost. Designs must adapt to the climatic conditions of Calgary. Please visit our FAQ for further detail.

Sample Site Conditions:

• Underpass example
• City set-aside for future development such as this plot in the middle of a residential zone or this set aside.
• In-between two buildings (or a service or lane way) example
• Traffic Leftovers example
• Verges or third landscapes such as this one
• Space leftover surrounding fire hydrants example
• Traffic circle example
• Bus stop example and another example
• Areas around light rail transit stations example and another example