Architecture Competition Office 2021 Design Challenge Honorable mention - RMIT UNIVERSITY

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Office 2021 Design Challenge" competition – Yiling Shen and Yuchen Gao from Australia!

Honorable mention winners from Australia

We are two young designers undertaking the Master of Architecture at RMIT University while working in the architecture industry. Previously, Yiling has worked on the editorial team for ArchDaily, as well as interning with the Office of the Victorian Government Architect. Yuchen is a two times recipient of the Design Excellence Award at RMIT, as well as being shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Design Award and being involved in the Tallin Biennale. We also worked on the editorial team of Caliper Journal for the past two years, creating a platform for design dialogue among academics, students, and those working in the profession.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

We have always been interested in the relationships between architecture and the public, exploring this in various ways through projects and competitions. In 2019, we were finalists for the Future Park International Design Competition, where we explored how burial places could be integrated with public space through a city-wide master plan. Currently, we are working together on a project for Melbourne Design Week 2022, called F*** Marry Kill (Melbourne Buildings Edition). This consists of a website which uses the familiar language of dating apps to create a more accessible and fun interface for people to engage with architecture, and a subsequent physical exhibition showcasing the findings and comments from the website.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

For us, architecture is first and foremost about people. It is not simply a beautiful, static object, but the envelope in which life happens. By creating the physical framework in which people live their lives, it has the capacity to enhance or challenge existing ways of living. By having people-focused architecture, it puts the variety of human experiences at the forefront of the design process, inevitably creating design outcomes which speak to the plural narratives of people, rather than a singular gesture. For us, the role of the architect is to recognise the potential of existing and future spaces to delight, confront, and question. It is to always look to the future, at ways in which our spaces can better facilitate our work, living, and play.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We participate in architecture competitions in order to test out ideas, and concretise the goals of our future practice. Architecture competitions allow freedom from real-life constraints such as regulatory and budget demands, while also setting up an ideas-led brief to create the basis for the testing ground.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

We would advise people to read the competition brief and consider whether it excites you, whether it gets the gears in your braining turning, and think about what you could learn from entering the competition. A lot of competition briefs give you the opportunity to test out ideas in a way you don’t have the chance to in real-life projects or even university Design Studio classes.

Open architecture competitions

  • Closest Deadline first
  • Project competitions first
    Selected winning projects have the potential to be constructed
  • Ideas competitions first
    Experimental competitions with the focus on pushing the boundaries of creativity
ideas COMPETITION
The Architect's Chair
Edition #1

Take a seat and make a statement!

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 06
Sep 06
Nov 01
ideas COMPETITION
Beyond Isolation: Senior Housing
Senior living. Edition#2

Reimagine senior living spaces

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 08
Sep 08
Nov 02
project COMPETITION
The Legendary Highway 14 Tower
South Dakota, USA

Design an iconic tower for De Smet, South Dakota, USA

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + POTENTIAL TO BE REALISED
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 09
Sep 12
Nov 03
project COMPETITION
Iceland Beer Spa

Design a beer spa in Iceland's captivating landscape

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + POTENTIAL TO BE REALISED
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 14
Sep 14
Nov 08

Reccuring architecture competitions

ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial
Edition #3

Design a memorial that speaks to the cause of ending all nuclear weapons programs

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 26
Sep 03
Nov 05
ideas COMPETITION
Workplace Reimagined
Edition #3

Redefine the future of workspaces

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Sep 14
Nov 16
Jan 18
ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Museum of Emotions
Edition #4

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Sep 27
Nov 28
Jan 30
Run repeatedly
Los Angeles Affordable Housing Challenge
Affordable Housing Series #16

Design affordable housing solutions in Los Angeles

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 07
Sep 07
Nov 01
Register now

Please enter your email address to receive download link

Thank you!

The download link will be sent to your email shortly

please check the spam folder
in case you can not find it
OK

Competition results

Hong Kong 
Pixel Homes

Hong Kong Pixel Homes

Affordable Housing Series #2
MICROHOME

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #4

Sign up for our newsletter

Be the first to know when
new competitions are launched!