The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, in partnership with DesignConnects and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, invites architects, designers, artists and creatives from across the United States and its territories to submit exhibit design proposals for PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity, the U.S. Pavilion exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. 

PORCH focuses on the representation of the U.S. through the contemporary manifestation of the porch in American architecture – a quintessential constructed place that is at once social and environmental, tectonic and performative, hospitable and intimate, generous and democratic. The U.S. Pavilion’s theme highlights an enduring American architectural typology that persists across scales, geographies, communities, construction methods and histories. PORCH also complements the Biennale Architettura 2025’s theme, Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective., spotlighting architecture’s role in addressing climate change and fostering forward-looking solutions for adaptation and renewal.

Architects, landscape architects, designers, artists, design firms, nonprofits, public agencies and individuals from across the U.S. and its territories are invited to respond to the Open Call. The U.S. Pavilion’s interior exhibition will feature at least 50 participant displays, encouraging proposals from citizens, states and territories nationwide, as well as from design practices of any size or discipline. Eligible entries must have been built or completed after 2000. A separate call for participation, launching in mid-January 2025, will permit unbuilt and speculative projects from students and schools of architecture and design. 

The Open Call for Participation will be conducted in two phases, accepting initial submissions through a dedicated portal from December 3, 2024, to January 17, 2025. 

Projects will be evaluated by the PORCH design team leads, working with prominent figures from architectural and design arenas. The announcement of at least 50 exhibitors will be made on February 3, 2025, and selected participants will receive a modest stipend to support the further development of their proposals into a designated format for exhibition. 

PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity will debut publicly on May 10, 2025, at the opening of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition.

Schedule

December 3, 2024 / Open Call Submission Portal Opens

December 16, 2024 / Questions Due / [email protected]

December 23, 2024 / Answers to Questions Issued

January 17, 2025 / Initial Submission Due

February 3, 2025 / Selection Notification and Announcement, Phase 2 Instructions Issued for Selected Participants

March 31, 2025 / Phase 2 Submissions Due in Venice, Italy

May 10, 2025 / Public Opening of the 2025 Biennale Architettura & US Pavilion

Eligibility

We invite architects, landscape architects, designers and artists, design firms, practices, nonprofits, public agencies and individuals nationwide to submit design proposals that express and interpret the ethos of PORCH and its principles within the building. The Pavilion’s interior exhibition will allow for at least 50 participant displays, as specified in the Open Call project brief. Proposals for participation are encouraged from all citizens across the states and territories of the United States, and from design practices of any size and from all disciplines. 

Further eligibility criteria are listed below.

- Projects must be realized, completed works of artistic or architectural merit.  Projects that are theoretical, unbuilt, or under construction are ineligible.

- Projects must be located in the United States or Inhabited Territories: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

- Projects must have been completed since 2000.

- Projects completed by educational institutions as completed design-build projects are encouraged.

- Projects must be public and civic in nature, therefore ‘confidential’ projects are ineligible.

- Projects must be able to clear copyright so photographs and images can be published.

- Entrants are allowed to submit ONE proposal per individual, firm or practice, non-profit or public agency. If entrant is a firm or practice with multiple offices, it may submit ONE proposal per office. 

- A primary author of the project must be a US Citizen or hold a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) as defined by the US State Department.

Requirements and Jury Review

Registration is free of charge and entry can be completed via the submission portal.

Entrants are allowed to submit ONE proposal per individual, firm or practice, non-profit or public agency. If entrant is a firm or practice with multiple offices, it may submit ONE proposal per office. Please provide the direct contact information and name of the “Company, Organization or Agency” in the field on the registration form. 

Upload Materials for Jury Review

- Proposals must be submitted in a single .PDF file, not to exceed 20 MB and 10 pages, including project title or motto, project narrative and description, and images. Pages MUST BE 11 x 17, landscape orientation. Any other size is subject to disqualification.

- Portfolios must be anonymous: no individual or firm identities are permitted in the filename or on portfolio pages. Please do NOT reveal your name, firm or practice, organization name, or other identifying marks on the file name, proposal title or motto, written material, and visual components of the submission.

- Upon the jury's final selection, if your proposal is selected, you will be contacted to provide high-resolution images. Without these your proposal will not receive proper recognition. 

- Please note that all material submitted will become the property of PORCH and will not be returned. By submitting an entry, the firm or individual agrees that all the submitted material is cleared for release for use in publicity and publication. If necessary, PORCH will contact the submitting firm or individual for clarification or further information regarding their submission.

Submission should include

Project Information

Project Title or Motto:  Please provide a title or motto for the project. This title or motto will be used in all announcements and publications should your proposal be selected as a final exhibitor. Please note that "Confidential" is not acceptable.

Project Narrative and Description:  Describe how the project expresses and interprets the ethos of PORCH and its principles (250 words maximum, min. 10-point font, Helvetica typeface)

Project Information:
Project Address
Street Address
City
State
Zip Code
USA or USA Territory  

Images that best describe your proposal. Images may be photographs, renderings, and drawings, and it is suggested to include the following:

- A site plan, with north arrow, that shows the project in context. 

- Diagrams and graphics that support the conceptual drivers and organization of the project. These can be diagrams, sections or other images deemed appropriate by the design team.

- Drawings that clearly explain the project, as appropriate.

- Photographs that walk the viewer through the project and/or convey the experience of project. Clearly label photographs or provide location thumbnails. Include before and after photos if appropriate.

- Composite pages are acceptable. Entrants are encouraged to keep composite pages to a minimum.

- Text/notes on images/drawings are allowed.

- 10-point text minimum, Helvetica typeface preferred.

Top image in the article: Photograph © Timothy Hursley (Folsom, Alabama). Courtesy "PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity" Co-Commissioners.

> via PORCH Architecture of Generosity

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