London-based architecture company De-Urban Design Studio has launched a new ideas competition, entitled "De-Urbanized Epidemics: Re-Design of the Concept of Health in Relation to the Built Environment".

Call for entries

Urbanised humans are the most invasive species on Earth, consuming the majority of the planet's resources. In an endless battle with nature, the urban fosters an unhealthy condition resulting in extinctions and planetary crises, endangering the livelihood of both humans and non-humans. Meanwhile, in the contemporary urbanised world, health is interpreted as the temporal psychological and physical condition of a human body. A permanent and holistic conception of (well)being and its widened territory embracing the vitality of the entire nature are often neglected. Health in the urban environment is inscribed in infrastructures, rather than being a generative concept for a nurturing habitat. The paradigm of our times is that of treatment-an act after the damage has been done, rather than wellbeing, a sustained state of healthiness.

The emergence of epidemics brings forth the significance of a new concept of health and wellbeing in relation to the built environment and beyond. It is evident from the zoonotic sources of the latest epidemics that humans have penetrated deeper into ecozones not occupied before.

Not a competition but rather a “coopetition”, this is a call for planetary solidarity to change the unsustainable and fragile “status quo” with speculative scenarios that explore health and wellbeing from the lense of ecology.

How can we describe and imagine a permanent mode of well being that is dependent and grounded on co-existence?
What are the possible ways of “de-urbanising” the concept of health in relation to the built environment, with an emphasis on the issue of epidemics?

The coopetitive participation of diverse ideas will be shared widely, published as a book and will establish a ground for later studies and actions.

Competition schedule

Pre-Registration Deadline 15 April 2020
Questions Deadline: 15 April 2020
Deadline for Early-Bird Registration: 15 April 2020
Deadline for Late Registration: 20 May 2020
Submission Deadline: 30 May 2020
Results Announcement: 15 June 2020
Book Publication: 15 September 2020

Awards
All “coopetitors” win in various ways and will contribute to the publication of the coopetition work and will receive a copy. The review team will also announce 10-20 non pecuniary awards for the best ideas, texts, presentations and designs and select additional projects for the publication in the book. All the registration fees will fund the publication of the book.

Coopetitors:
Everyone, individual or as a team, is invited to contribute to this coopetition. However, we encourage multidisciplinary teams with diverse skills, from designers to scientists.

Submissions:
Collage or illustration, Bird’s Eye View Perspective, Section or any other creative image (1-3 A4 portrait), and 200 words text.

Review Team:
Aslihan Demirtas: an architect and the principal of the interdisciplinary studio Aslihan Demirtas Architecture & Research Office and cofounder of KHORA based in Istanbul.
Cristiano Luchetti: an architect, a researcher, and an educator. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the American University of Sharjah, UAE
Elizabeth Grace Tunka Bengil, a marine biologist, focusing on conservation of endangered species and habitats. She is also a permaculture practitioner.
Hossein Sadri: Associate Professor, Architect, Urban and Permaculture Designer, Co-Founder of De-Urban Design Studio based in London.
Melina Philippou: Urban designer, researcher and educator. She is the Program Director of the MIT Future Heritage Lab.

Download the competition brief here. 

Top image courtesy of De-Urban Design Studio

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