Architecture Competition SKYHIVE #5 2nd prize winner – Edgar Rodriguez

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 2nd prize winner of our "SKYHIVE #5" competition – Edgar Rodriguez from United States!

Edgar Rodriguez from United States

My name is Edgar Rodriguez. I am a co-founder of operadora, an architectural design studio based in Mexico City and Syracuse, NY, and an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Syracuse University School of Architecture. I hold a master's degree in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a bachelor's degree in Architecture from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

I founded operadora with Alexis Ávila in 2014, and since 2016 we have been directing the office in collaboration with José Juan Garay. Our operation has changed in size throughout this time but maintained a small scale of 4-10 full-time collaborators. Partnerships with other offices and practitioners have been fundamental to our way of working; in the past, we have worked with graphic designers, photographers, artists, programmers, and other architects to expand our reach into different scales and types of projects.

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?

I am interested in applying and developing architectural ideas within and outside the realm of building design. I believe this interest has informed our approach to practice and the types of projects we participate in, in favor of a broader range of project types and scales, sometimes outside the traditional boundaries of architecture. Previous projects include houses, commercial and housing buildings, retail and apartment interiors, urban interventions, pavilions, books, branding strategies, t-shirts, websites, and cultural events.

We are currently involved in designing and building a small rural residence, a couple of interior renovation projects, and an apartment building in Mexico City.

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

This question was one of our early discussions when starting our office. What is architecture, anyways? And we took the dictionary and redacted our definition of architecture. For operadora, architecture is: "The logical and physical structure of the components." Leaving the medium or subject open for interpretation was always one of our main interests and drivers in thinking about architecture.

Unfortunately, the role of architects is still generally misunderstood in our social context; architects not only design buildings. I believe that as creative thinkers, architects have the skills necessary to visualize and interpret complex problems, imagine alternatives, and initiate discussions.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Architecture competitions are a great way to explore risky and unconventional ideas and communicate them to a larger audience. I see a lot of value in having the chance to share my work with people from around the world and hopefully start new conversations about it.

Also, I believe that competitions help synthesize a concept into its core values and elements. I consider the design requirements of a brief as an opportunity to apply and test out the implications of an architectural idea.

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

Two pieces of advice: 1. look for calls that match your interests. This way, participating in competitions becomes more of a platform to test and refine your ideas rather than a matter of winning or losing. Hopefully, in preparing the submission for the competition, you will produce work that is valuable to advancing your thoughts and design skills.

And 2. test your ideas in different competitions. Different juries, different deliverables, or even different designs can help you develop and refine an idea.

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
project COMPETITION
Sansusī Forest Food Court

Design a sustainable food court structure for the heart of a classical music festival

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jan 10
Feb 08
Apr 06
ideas COMPETITION
The Home of Shadows

Design a home with no artificial lighting

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Dec 05
Jan 24
Apr 18
project COMPETITION
Portugal Elderly Home

Design a comfortable and accessible home for the elderly in Portugal

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Dec 06
Jan 25
Apr 19
project COMPETITION
Portugal Olive Guest House

Design a guest house and olive oil tasting room located in Portugal

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Dec 08
Jan 27
Apr 21
project COMPETITION
Yoga House in the Bog

Design a yoga guest house located within rich bog wildlife

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jan 11
Feb 08
Apr 26

Reccuring architecture competitions

ideas COMPETITION
MICROHOME
Small living, huge impact! Edition #6

Design a new concept of small-scale home

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + PUBLICATION IN MAGAZINE
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Feb 16
Apr 18
Jun 16
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 #3

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Mar 17
May 19
Jul 21
ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Architectural Visualization Award
Edition #2

Present your best work and submit your favorite architectural visualization

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Mar 23
May 25
Jul 27
Run repeatedly
Children's Hospice
Home for the Terminally ill / Edition #2

Design a safe and supportive space for children struggling with a terminal illness

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Dec 06
Feb 08
Apr 06
Register now
Run repeatedly
Milan Affordable Housing Challenge
Affordable Housing Series #15

Design a concept for affordable housing in Milan

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Dec 07
Jan 26
Apr 20
Register now
Run repeatedly
Virtual Home
Edition #2

Design virtual home as architecture moves into the metaverse

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
May 02
Jul 04
Sep 06
Register now
Run repeatedly
Office
Office Design Challenge / Edition #2

Reimagine the workplace of the future, and design the new way of working

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jan 03
Mar 01
May 04
Register now
Run repeatedly
Portable Reading Rooms
Edition #2

Design a portable reading room that encourages reading in any location

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + SCOLARSHIP
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Feb 13
Mar 23
May 15
Register now
Run repeatedly
Pavilion Of Humanity: First Contact
Edition #2

How would you represent the best that humanity has to offer through architecture?

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Mar 27
May 25
Jul 24
Register now

Creativity gym Short term competitions for you to exercise your creativity

T-SHIRT DRAWING COMPETITION
The Architect's T-shirt
Edition #18

Design THE architect's t-shirt!

Prize: 3,000 €
Eligibility: open to all

registration deadlines

Remind me
Feb 28
Mar 31
Apr 30
Register now
ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO COMPETITION
The Buildner's Architecture Portfolio Competition
Edition #2

Submit your online portfolio!

Prize: 5,000 €
Eligibility: open to all

registration deadlines

Remind me
Mar 31
Apr 30
May 31
Register now

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Competition results

Hong Kong 
Pixel Homes

Hong Kong Pixel Homes

Affordable Housing Series #2
MICROHOME

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #4

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