Customer Reviews

Competing Globally in Architecture Competitions (Architecture in Practice)

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A great behind the scenes account. Tells you what you need to know on the competing and selection processes and the history of some of the most interesting architectural competitions in the past 2 decades. Very rich in illustrations.
However; it does not tell you much about how to compete and what to present in order to beat the competition.

There are few reference materials available to the architectural competitor and this release in Wiley's Architecture in Practice series by Stanley Collyer proves to be quite unique in the information presented. Rarely do we have access to the rather mysterious jury process, but here Collyer pulls back the veil to reveal the often controversial, behind-the-scenes deliberations. Serious competitors will find this insight useful in developing strategies for a specific jury type.

Collyer presents twenty-four case studies ranging from 1995 to 2003, organized by building type. Each architect's entry and approach to the project is discussed in detail and is presented with renderings, line drawings and model photos as available. What is lacking in the presentation of the work are the actual competition boards. The arrangement of text, diagrams and drawings is often key to a successful interpretation and understanding of a proposed design.

The introduction provides a cursory overview of the competition process, outlining the reasons to compete and what criteria is critical when making the decision to enter a competition (you will find that this is a bit thin on content in general). It doesn't answer all your questions but it definitely focuses you on the broader picture.