Copenhagen,
01
October
2004
|
00:00
Europe/Copenhagen

Competition for Schools of Architecture in the EU, the USA and Canada


On 24 September the jury in the international architectural competition EAAE, Writings in Architectural Education, met in Copenhagen to consider the almost 80 proposals for the design of the architectural education of the future.

A number of well-known international architects gathered in Copenhagen to decide on the entries received in a very large architectural competition. Teachers from schools of architecture all over Europe, the USA and Canada had been invited to present their ideas on the changes that the information society will create for future knowledge and innovation at the schools of architecture.

Almost 80 architects from 23 countries are participating in the competition, which has a total prize of 25,000 euros, corresponding to DKK 185,000, and is sponsored by VELUX. The reason for holding the competition is to obtain a clearer perception of the future challenges that can further develop and renew architectural education.

The Norwegian architect Per Olaf Fjeld, who is the chairman of the jury, says, "Tomorrow's architects must navigate a wealth of new knowledge. That means that the traditional architectural education no longer suffices. The aim of the competition is to obtain ideas for a new content and an educational profile that will ensure that new architects are given sufficiently strong technical ballast to use the opportunities and demands of the information society to achieve a higher architectural level."

On 24 September the five members of the international jury met in Copenhagen to select the 10 entries that will go on in the competition. The selected competitors will be invited to participate in an international workshop in Copenhagen on 25 and 26 November, at which they will have the opportunity of presenting their proposals and having them criticised. The final winners of the competition will be publicly announced in February/March 2005.

The members of the jury include the German architect and Professor at Southern California Institute of Architecture, Dagmar Richter, the Finnish architect and Professor at the University of Helsinki, Juhani Pallasmaa, Professor of the History of Architecture at McGill University in Montreal, Alberto Pérez-Goméz, and Associate Dean of the School of Architecture, Washington University in St. Louis, Peter MacKeith. The chairman of the jury is the Norwegian architect and Professor at the Oslo School of Architecture, Per Olaf Fjeld.

EAAE (European Association for Architectural Education) has 150 member schools of architecture in Europe and represents more than 140,000 architectural students. Besides its own member schools, the EAAE has invited a further 150 schools in Europe and 140 in the USA and Canada to participate in the competition. The EAAE Prize was first awarded in 1991 and has been sponsored by VELUX since 2001.