Short Description
In our cities, we sometimes come across a department store transformed into a public library, a factory into a shopping mall, a church into a contemporary art gallery, a power plant into a discotheque, a shopping mall into housing, an airport into a refugee camp or a water tower into a house…
In France as in Germany, many buildings are suddenly and suddenly losing their uses. Systemic crises and instabilities, which are increasingly difficult to anticipate and control, are turning new construction projects into uncertain adventures. At the same time, existing buildings that are functionally unsuitable or financially unprofitable are being abandoned and contributing to the freezing of the outskirts and city centres. Emptied of their substance, inaccessible to the public, they punctuate urban spaces with their ghostly presence.
Faced with this growing problem, it is becoming imperative to consider strategies for the transformation and revitalization of these abandoned constructions. The objective of this competition is to convert vacant or disused buildings by assigning them new functions that are both useful and original. Demolishing to build is no longer the norm. A virtuous attitude then makes it possible to preserve the existing building – which contributes to the genius of the place and the constitution of a collective unconscious – while limiting the environmental impact of these interventions as much as possible.
Eligibility
The SPACE IS THE PLACE ideas competition invites artists, architects, designers – students or graduates, alone or in groups – to choose an unused building or whose use is now being questioned to give it a new lease of life. It may be located in France or Germany, be of certain historical interest or of relative importance. Anything is possible, provided that we are inventive to demonstrate that the future of architecture is no longer limited to the construction of the new but to the transformation, adaptation and mutation of the existing.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have a residence in France or Germany,
- Have a SIRET number (or Steuernummer),
- Practice in the field of architecture, landscape and urban planning, interior architecture, design or visual arts
- Be at least 18 years of age.
Submission Requirements
- 3 to 6 images (plans, drawings, sections, collages, computer-generated images) in A4 format (21×29.7) -JPG-300dpi)
- A text of no more than 500 words in English as a PDF file
- The completed entry form (in French or German)
- The contest rules duly completed and signed.
How to Apply
Send the application form to: perspektive@institutfrancais.de
Program Benefits & Awards
The 3 best ideas will be rewarded with the following prizes: €5,000 for first place, €3,000 for second place and €2,000 for third. In addition, the top 10 ideas will be exhibited as part of the awards evening at the Kunstraum Techne Sphere Leipzig in November 2025.
Entry Fee
None
Location
Berlin, Germany
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 30 June 2025
Website Link: https://bav-ifa.de/fr/programmes/fonds-perspektive/architecture/concours-d-idees-d-architecture-2025
