Architecture competition

The federal government, cantons and communes as well as professional builders often hold architecture competitions for the awarding of their major building contracts.

Characteristics are:

Organiser

  • Professional private builders
  • The federal government, cantons and communes for public buildings

Participants

  • Most architects
  • Public invitation

Evaluation body

  • Jury of experts, who are considered (should be) well known

Objectives

Organiser

  • Planner solution proposals
    • Planning competition
      • Idea competition
      • Project competition
    • Overall performance competition
    • Combination of the above

Architects

  • Ranking as winner
  • Possible follow-up contracts

Procedure

  • Rigid, anonymous procedure (pre-formulated competition terms and conditions)
  • Consistent separation of solution proposals and creators (anonymity, experts do not know the identity of the participants)
  • No rolling solution optimisation
  • No interaction for development and no knowledge of the jury’s rationale

Awarding

  • Prize (for the winner) as part of a ranking with secondary possible compensation
  • Entitlement to possible follow-up contracts for the winner
  • Binding decision of the awarding body

Architecture competitions (AW) are disputed. Advantages and disadvantages are known. The architecture competition (AW) as a “promotional contest of architectural work” is a thing of the past.

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