Competition introduction
Competition organisers
In Partnership With
Milan has a long history of navigable canals that formed a fundamental part of the city’s economy and the growth of the whole region, providing a direct connection between the northern lakes down to the sea.
Within Milan, the Navigli canal transported both people and goods throughout the city, but at the start of the 20th century the city’s inner canals were covered to add to the city’s road system. The Navigli canals now run underneath the streets but have the potential to be rediscovered and bring back Milan’s “water city charm”. 
[left] The Navigli system starts from the lakes located north of Lombardy and Switzerland, and leads to the longest river in Italy: the Po. [right] Open Navigli and Navigli to be re-opened.
Within Milan, the Navigli canal transported both people and goods throughout the city, but at the start of the 20th century the city’s inner canals were covered to add to the city’s road system.
For the Milan Navigli Canal Challenge, participants are tasked with conceptualising the Milan of the future and envisioning a symbiotic relationship between the city and the Navigli canal. Projects should focus on environmentally - friendly design, mobility, and the relationships between water and urban spaces.
Cassina de Pomm is the area located at the start of the Navigli. It is the final point where the Naviglio Martesana runs above ground before submerging under what is now the Via Melchiorre Gioia – one of the main roads in Milan.
Participants are asked to select one of the 8 defined smaller sections of the Navigli canal path to reinvent. Each section has its own unique characteristics, key points of interest, and problems that participants are tasked with designing solutions for. Participants can choose one of the 8 portions: 01 Cassina de Pomm; 02 Via Melchiorre Gioia; 03 Conca dell’Incoronata; 04 San Marco; 05 Via Senato-Via Marina; 06 Università degli Studi; 07 Parco delle Basiliche; 08 Parco Archeologico.
The Milan Navigli Canal Challenge is being run in collaboration with Riaprire i Navigli Association – "Reopen the Navigli Association'' – and Primitivo studio Milan, who are proposing a complete renovation of the existing canal. Their goal is to create a new way for the city to operate, with competition entries to play a big part in swaying public opinion on the subject.
Download full competition brief for more information!
Competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum). Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English; All information submitted by participants must be in English
Full competition brief
All information can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information or material will be provided after registration.
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- (!) FULL COMPETITION BRIEF
- SITE CAD & 3D
- SITE PHOTOGRAPHS
Prizes
10,000 €
Total Prize Fund
1st PRIZE
5,000 €
PublicationsCertificate of Achievement
2nd PRIZE
2,000 €
PublicationsCertificate of Achievement
3rd PRIZE
1,000 €
PublicationsCertificate of Achievement
CLIENT'S RIAPRIRE I NAVIGLI ASSOCIATION + PRIMITIVO STUDIO FAVOURITE AWARD
Certificate of Achievement
1,000 €
Publications Certificate of Achievement
ARCHHIVE STUDENT AWARD (more details)
500 €
+ 50 € ARCHHIVE BOOKS Gift Card + 50 Points BEE BREEDERS Architecture University Rankings
Publications
Certificate of Achievement
+ 6 HONOURABLE MENTIONS
PUBLICATIONS:
The winners will get international art and design media coverage and will be featured on the Bee Breeders website and social pages.
CERTIFICATE:
Bee Breeders will also acknowledge the outstanding performance of all winners and honourable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.
Jury panel
James Biber
Biber Architects, USA
Grazia Comai
Townshend Landscape Architects, UK
Carola Enrich
Townshend Landscape Architects, UK
Samista Jugwanth
Zutari
Silvana Ordinas
Peter Pichler Architecture, Italy
Lukas Rungger
noa* network of architecture, Italy
Sean Shen
ZJJZ Atelier, China
Rituparna Simlai
Studio Arth LLC, USA
Alessandro Zoppini
Studio Zoppini, Italy
Jury members shall under no circumstances be contacted by competition participants or their representatives. Participants who attempt to contact jury members, shall be disqualified. All jury members are involved in the evaluation based on their availability at that time.
All communication regarding the competition should only be carried out with Bee Breeders staff. For any questions please contact us on [email protected]
Key dates
Closing date for registration
21 April, 2022
Closing date for project submission
26 May, 2022 (11:59pm GMT+0)
Announcement of the winners
07 July, 2022
Competition Q&A deadline: 28 April, 2022
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants,
no new questions will be answered after this deadline!
Email me reminders about Milan Navigli
Canal Challenge
deadlines
Canal Challenge
deadlines
Registration fees
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Registration Deadline28 January - 21 April
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Architects / Enthusiasts / Companies135 €
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Students115 €
+4.5% VAT
STUDENT REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
Contact us to receive special student rates for group registrations (discount applies for 3+ registrations from one university/school) and to receive further information and support for getting your students involved in architecture competitions. Send us request from your university email address along with basic information about yourself and your university/school. Please note that only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.
Competition results in media
F.A.Q.
Competition related questions
Yes, it is expected that the road cover over the Navigli is removed.
Unfortunately, there is no additional data on the Navigli river available. Participants are encouraged to source it at their own discretion.
The river transportation can be proposed as a result of the Navigli re-opening.
The 8-km-long stretch of the Navigli to be re-opened can be found in the competition brief on page 5.
Participants are recommended to focus only on one of the 8 defined smaller sections of the Navigli canal.
General questions
Click on "register now", fill in all the required fields, choose your payment method and submit your information. You will be forwarded to Paypal or CPS secure payment gateway, to cover the competition fee. Once we receive your payment, we'll send you an email with your username and password to upload your submission directly to the website.
You can add/remove/edit team member information as often as you want in the upload panel, up until the submission deadline.
Only one proposal per registration is permitted. Participants are entitled to register multiple times if they wish to participate in the competition with several proposals.
Yes we are in the process of negotiating with multiple international industry-related media representatives. The list of media partners is constantly updated on our website, please check it regularly to find latest updates.
Yes. If the jury panel selects a Student award's submission for the top 3, it will automatically be awarded both prizes.
Yes. If the jury panel selects a Green award's submission for the top 3, it will automatically be awarded both prizes.
No. Competition entries are evaluated anonymously. The participant registration type is only revealed upon the announcement of the results.
Please contact us – [email protected] and we will address the problem directly.
The short answer is yes, you may submit a previously published design concept as long as you are the author. Before re-submitting your project, please carefully read the following clarification points listed here - architecturecompetitions.com/resubmit-your-design
