1.- OPEN CALL

The School of Architects of Santa Cruz (CASCZ) invites all architects to participate in the 9th International Biennial of Architecture in Santa Cruz, BASC 2014, by submitting their entries in Built Work, taken place in their region and/or their country in accordance with the conditions set out in this call.

2.- ENTRIES

• Open to architects who are authors of the submitted entries, in accordance with the categories and programs of this Call, and who are eligible to practice their profession in their respective home countries.
• Participants may submit their architectural production, either individually or as a group, specifying the author(s), project director and collaborators.
• All the Built Works completed and inaugurated between January 2021 and December 2023 may be submitted.
• The Competition is not open to architects who are members or partners of the members of the organizing committee of the BASC, and those who have a professional, employment, or family relationship with any member of the judging panel.

Entries that had been submitted in previous editions of the BASC will not be eligible for participation.

• All interested architects may submit their work in one or more subcategories of design, requiring individual registrations and payments for each of the submitted entries.

3.- PARTICIPATION CATEGORIES

A.- Professional Production (Architects)

A.1.- Built Work.

A.2.- Projects (Unbuilt Work).

4.- ABOUT THE CATEGORY: PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION:

It aims to acknowledge the production of architectural professionals at an international level with regard to their built work. Each entry will be submitted digitally through the website: www.bienalscz.com. The following must be provided:

• One (1) sheet in A0 format (841 x 1189 mm), designed vertically, in PDF format, and with a file size NOT EXCEEDING 40 MB. Please refer to the design template at: www.bienalscz.com. The panel should convey ideas and concepts through the highest quality synthesis using plans, perspectives and/or renders, photographs, diagrams, or photomontages. It is recommended to have a simple and legible layout. Architectural plans should not have backgrounds that confuse the project’s readability and must include a north arrow and a graphic scale.
• A project description document: Text with a descriptive memory of a maximum of 300 words, along with a brief technical data sheet with project details (Project Name, Surface Area in square meters, Year, Location, Category, Theme, Client, Author(s)). The Word document (.DOC) in its entirety MUST NOT EXCEED 1 MB.

5.- ABOUT THE DESIGN SUBCATEGORIES:

These are the various programs and scales of architectural and urban design in which the Built Works submitted in the Professional Production Category are developed.

5.1.- URBAN DESIGN:

• Conurbation, Urban Planning, Interdistrict, District.
• Urbanizations, Residential Complexes,
• Design of Urban Spaces, Refurbishment, And Enhancement.

5.2.- SERVICE ARCHITECTURE:

• Culture, Religion, Sports.
• Education, Health, Hospitality.
• Commercial, Business.
• Industrial, Transportation, Urban Mobility.

5.3.- RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE:

• Single-family Houses, Detached, Semi-detached, Row Houses.
• Multi-family Buildings, Housing Complexes.
• Mixed-use buildings, Experimental, or Hybrid.

5.4.- ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN ARCHITECTURE

• Interior Architecture.
• Landscape architecture, Exterior and Landscape Design
• Ephemeral architecture, Installations, and Stands.

5.5.- HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE

• Restoration, Rehabilitation.
• Repurposing, Revitalization, Recycling.

6.- REGISTRATION PROCESS

To register and participate in any of the design subcategories, visit the website: www.bienalscz.com, and complete the registration process within the specified deadlines, as follows:

6.1. REGISTRATION FEE

The payment for each registered entry must be made with a credit card through the website: www.bienalscz.com. The participation cost for each work is $100 (one hundred US dollars) in the International Category: Professional Production.

6.2. ONLINE REGISTRATION

Complete the Registration Form available at www.bienalscz.com and provide the basic information about the submitted entry: authorship, responsible party, client, category, geographic location, work name, and year of execution.

Upload the proof of payment or bank transfer made for the registration fee (in JPG or PDF format). The registration receipt should be individual for each entry in case you are submitting multiple entries.

Fill out the Registration Form by attaching graphic support for the project: two (2) representative general photographs of the work in JPG format with a quality of 300 dpi or higher, two (2) architectural floor plans, one (1) section, and one (1) elevation. The architectural plans should be in grayscale without hatching or dimensions, in JPG format with a quality of 300 dpi or higher.

Upload the project description in the Registration Form: A text with a descriptive memory of a maximum of 300 words, along with a brief technical data sheet of the project (Project Name, Surface Area in Square Meters, Year, Location, Category, Theme, Client, Author(s), Collaborators, Photo Credits, etc.). The Word document (.DOC) should not exceed 1 MB in total.

Upload the designed panel in A0 format (841 x 1189 mm) in PDF format, with a file size not exceeding 40 MB per panel. You can view and download the design template at www.bienalscz.com.

Participation in the competition is open, meaning there is no pre-selection. However, once the entries are received, the Review Commission will issue a report containing curatorial observations (if any) for each submitted entry. Participants will be notified if there are any observations that need to be addressed, corrected, or complemented. A brief deadline will be provided for making these corrections and submit the project again.

7.- AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS:

• The Judging Panel will award prizes and mentions in each design subcategory.
• The Judging Panel will award the Grand Prize International Biennial 2024 among the awarded works in the various subcategories in the Professional Production Category – Built Work, and will also grant mentions as deemed necessary. Each first prize will receive a statuette and a certificate. Each mention will receive a certificate.
• All submitted entries will receive a certificate of participation and will be published in the Biennial commemorative book. Each author will receive a copy of the book.
• The winning entries and mentions will be publicly disseminated through the web and print media of the Santa Cruz College of Architects, the International Architecture Biennial of Santa Cruz, and the Media Partners of the BASC, both nationally and internationally.
• The winning entries will be part of a traveling exhibition representing the BASC in other Latin American Biennials that are members of the BAAL Network.
• The winning entries in the Built Work category will be automatically nominated for the ON – Oscar Niemeyer Award of the BAAL Network, and the participation cost will be covered by the Santa Cruz College of Architects.
• The winning entries in the Built Work category will be automatically nominated for the Pan-American Biennial of Quito – BAQ, and the participation cost will be covered by the Santa Cruz College of Architects.
• The winning entries will be exhibited at the Encounter of Panamerican Biennials organized by the Panamerican Federation of Architectural Associations (FPAA).

8.- JUDGING PANEL:

• The Judging Panel will be formed by the Organizing Committee of BASC 2024, and its membership will be publicly known in advance of the evaluation process, according to planning calendar.
• The Judging Panel has the authority to declare any of the categories as void and to recommend special recognitions.
• The Judging Panel will consist of three (3) to five (5) professional architects, serving as International Jurors appointed by the group of foreign professionals invited to the event.

9.- JUDGING PROCEDURE

• The Judging Panel will act collectively and make decisions by consensus or majority vote in a closed session. The judging panel will define the evaluation criteria by consensus, in accordance with the terms outlined in this Call for Entries.
• The Judging Panel’s performance will culminate in conclusions and foundations for the evaluation of the submitted works, expressed in a chart of assessment and awarding of prizes and distinctions.
• The results issued by the Judging Panel will be announced at a public awards ceremony on a date specified in the Biennial’s chronogram.
• The decisions of the Judging Panel are final. Participants, at the time of their registration, implicitly approve and accept that the decisions of the judges are final and cannot be subject to subsequent claims.

10.- INQUIRIES

Further questions or inquiries that are not addressed under the present call, can be directed to the e-mail: coordinacion@bienalscz.com. You may send inquiries to architect Jesús Yépez, International Coordinator of the BASC.

11.- CHRONOGRAM

Launch of open call for entries:

Monday, September 4th

Inquiries and doubts:

September 4th to January 10th

Start of submission of entries:

Monday, November 6th

Closing date for entries:

Monday, Feb. 9th, until 11:59 P.M.

Evaluation by the international Judging Panel:

March 1st to March 14th

Biennial Inauguration ceremony:

Friday, March 14th

Public verdict reading ceremony:

Saturday, March 16th

Public Exhibition – Biennial Pavilion:

March 14th to March 22th

Award Ceremony:

Saturday, March 22th