The International Criminal Court (ICC) was founded in 2002 when the Rome Statute, which was adopted in 1998, came into force. Currently 105 countries have become parties to this International Treaty. The ICC is an independent and permanent court that prosecutes those accused of the most serious crimes of international concern: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The establishment of this Court is a milestone in the development of international justice.
The aim of this project is to construct permanent accommodation for the ICC on a prime site bordering the North Sea dunes and the city of The Hague and covering over 72,000 m². The ICC and the host State of The Netherlands share the conviction that the new ICC premises should provide suitable working conditions, functionality, security and ecological fit.
Within the premises, up to 1,200 workstations, courtrooms, and various ancillary facilities will have to be provided with a total gross floor space of up to 46,000 m². Furthermore, parking facilities as well as plans for two expansions of 150 workstations each are foreseen. The spatial and functional design should take into account the need for flexibility and scalability on the long term.
A worldwide architectural design competition will take place in order to select the best architect for this unique project for which this is a call for candidature. The competition is organised by the Chief Government Architect of The Netherlands. It is a restricted anonymous project competition that begins with an open application for candidature, followed by a pre-selection of up to 20 participants and a design competition.

For entry details, please visit ICC.

Call for entries
The Royal Institute of British Architects is once again on the lookout for potential RIBA Stirling Prize winners. Following on from the success of David Chipperfield’s Museum of Modern Literature in Germany in October, the search has begun to find the best examples of new British architecture. Practices up and down the country are urged to submit projects of architectural excellence to the 2008 RIBA Awards scheme.

The RIBA awards programme, supported by The Architects’ Journal, is largely unchanged following the successful introduction of a new pyramid structure in 2007.

RIBA Awards |are judged and presented locally. The next level is the RIBA National Awards |which are judged and presented nationally.

The RIBA Stirling Prize |shortlist is selected following further visits to winners of the RIBA Awards and of RIBA European Awards |for buildings in the rest of the EU.

From 2008, the RIBA Stirling Prize goes back to its roots as a ‘built or designed in Britain’ prize, for which only RIBA Award-winning buildings in the UK by RIBA chartered members and International Fellows, or buildings in the rest of the EU by practices whose principal office is in the UK, will be considered. The move will strengthen the British connection with the prize, while maintaining the competitive edge that buildings in Europe have always provided. Eligibility for all awards up to the RIBA Stirling Prize remains unchanged.

Now in its third year, the Lubetkin Prize |shortlist is drawn from winners of RIBA International Awards for buildings in the rest of the world. Supported by The Architectural Review, the Lubetkin Prize will be presented to the most outstanding work of architecture outside the UK and the European Union by an RIBA member. The Lubetkin Prize will be judged by a jury which will visit the buildings on a shortlist drawn from winners of the RIBA International Awards|.

Awards ceremonies
The RIBA Awards will be presented at local ceremonies; the RIBA National, European and International Awards, the Lubetkin Prize and the award for RIBA Client of the Year, will be presented at a dinner to be held at the Hilton Hotel, London on 27 June 2008. Winners of RIBA National Awards and RIBA European Awards will be eligible for the RIBA Stirling Prize (given the above proviso) and for the Stephen Lawrence Prize|. All RIBA Award winners will be eligible for a series of special awards to be presented at the RIBA Stirling Prize Dinner in Liverpool on 11 October 2008.

Commitment to sustainability
Once again the RIBA’s commitment to sustainable architecture is reflected in its awards programme, with all entries requiring a description of the building’s performance in use with particular reference to energy use. Energy performance statistics, signed by an environmental engineer, are highly desirable for all entries and mandatory for those projects with a contract value over £1 million.

To download the entry forms, please visit www.architecture.com/awards

Zehnder America is excited about the fact that their products have been so well accepted by the design community for their high quality, innovation and functionality. For this reason, Zehnder is announcing the first Zehnder Design Contest. The contest is open to industry professionals who would like to showcase their talents and ideas through their entry of a completed bathroom, master bathroom, powder room, spa or mudroom. The project must demonstrate the practicality, versatility and functionality of a Zehnder towel radiator with regard to efficient heating and creation of a comfort zone in the home.

The contest is open to kitchen and bath designers, architects, interior designers, and custom builders. Each entrant must show the use of a Zehnder towel radiator in the project. First place winner walks away with $3,500. Entries must be postmarked no later than 15 August 2008. Download the PDF to learn about more prizes and rules and regulations.

The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art [SMoCA] announces a major design competition and public exhibition, “Flip a Strip.” This innovative project will foster creative new visions for the renovation of the small-scale strip shopping plazas that line the streets of this metropolitan area-and virtually every suburban zone in the country. (Note: this is an idea-generating competition, not a design/build project.) “Flip a Strip” continues SMoCA’s commitment to creating a forum for public issues of both local and national importance and to generating ideas that better the quality of civic life.

The competition is a hybrid, both open and invitational, with a nominal registration fee of $60. Participants must be professional architects with at least five years professional experience. Participants can select one model site from among three sites that have been submitted by city planners from the municipalities of Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona.Ringed by parking and adjacent to thriving neighborhoods, these strip malls have great potential for adaptive re-use and architectural upgrades. They are an undervalued and neglected building stock. This competition will look at options for making strip malls economically viable, aesthetically interesting and communally meaningful.

Specifications and detailed information will be available through the competition/registration web site. Submissions must be received by mail at SMoCA by 31 March 2008.

The Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, the Stiftung Zürcher Kunsthaus and the City of Zurich announce an international architectural competition for the Kunsthaus extension. Architects are invited to apply for the pre-qualification round. Design work will begin in April, and the winning submission is to be chosen by the end of 2008. The application deadline is 1 February 2008; relevant documents and an updated list of jury members can be found at http://www.stadtzuerich.ch/hochbau.

Re: Dexigner

The Chronicle of Higher Education is currently hosting a contest for Bush Library Design Proposals that are to be sketched on the back of a size-10 envelope as if you were just conversing with the President and quickly jotting down some ideas.

Design proposals cans be ’serious, humorous, adventurous, or all of the above’ and the grand prize is a iPod Touch. Plus, the posterity of being the one who offered the design in the first place. I know I’m going to enter this one. I have a great idea (it has something to do with the moon). Postmark deadline is 1 February 2008.

Via: TOI Studio

AIA St. Louis hosts AIA National Photography Competition for Architects each year. The competition was founded to capture and highlight the multi-talents of the architect. Winning images from the competition are published in a succeeding year’s Rizzoli Engagement Calendar, an internationally recognized and sold publication. Entries are juried by a panel compromised of acclaimed architects, professional photographers or graphic designers.

The competition is open to any and all architects actively registered in the United States. The contest is also open to Associate members of the AIA, and student members of AIAS in good standing. Professional Affiliate or Allied members are not eligible. Entries must be postmarked no later than 1 March 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

Ballistic Publishing is now calling all artists to submit digital images for consideration to be included in ELEMENTAL 3. Images should be predominantly created using Autodesk products. They are interested in digitally-created fine art for commercial use, or personal satisfaction, in the following categories: Architectural Interior, Architectural Exterior, Architectural Reconstruction, Character in Repose, Character in Action, Creature in Repose, Environment, Conflict, Product Design, Abstract & Commercial Design, Cinematics & Visual Effects, and Transport.

There is no cost or limit to enter work for inclusion in ELEMENTAL 3. In the legacy of all Ballistic Publishing showcase publications, all artists with work published in ELEMENTAL 3 will receive a complimentary copy of the book and will enjoy worldwide exposure in the premier collection of Autodesk-created artwork to ever be published.

ELEMENTAL 3 Entry Deadline: 24th March 2008, Midnight GMT. Visit the site to learn more.

Throughout the world climate change is affecting the conditions of nature and local weather. Most people experience these changes as an imbalance between nature and the human environment. This IFLA student competition, with the theme, “TRANSFORMING WITH WATER, THE WAY TO PARADISE?” seeks to stimulate the discussion about the specific contribution of landscape and urban planning and design to realize a new balance between nature and the human environment.

You are invited to name the (local, regional) problem in nature or the human environment that you are most intrigued with, and to link the problem to a specific site/region. You are asked to invent a new, innovating and inspirational solution for the problem and site. Your ideas should include one or more of the following concepts: utopia, autarchy, paradise, sustainability, self-sufficiency. You will also present plans and designs that reflect your ideas. You are free to use a variety of graphic methods to present your ideas. Part of the challenge is to graphically communicate your work as effectively as possible. Scales are free. You are to add a brief (max.350 words) written summary of the project, including project context, ideas and issues addressed and main features.

The 1st place award of $3500 will be awarded by the landscape architecture firm HAN GROUP KOREA, the 2d place award (the Zvi Miller Prize) of $2500 by IFLA and the 3d place award of $1000 by the host association. Closing date of submission is 1 May 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

Works carried out by students usually disappear into drawers after presentation to a relatively small college audience. There the work remains invisible. :output, the biggest international competition for students in design and architecture, wants to change that. The works selected by the jury will be published in the yearbook :output. The Deadline for submission will is 15 February 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

Anyone who is currently studying communication design, product design, architecture, interaction design or film at a university or a college is eligible to participate. Students who have graduated within the last 12 months may also submit final degree works. Any work, which has been produced as a student project, is eligible for submission. The work may not be older than one year. The project does not have to be published. Work related to any area of design and architecture, such as: graphic design / architecture / product design / typography / photography/ illustration / typeface design / multimedia, moving image and television graphics / experience design is eligible for submission.

Latest date for submissions is 15 February 2008. Visit the site to learn more.