Architecture offices in Europe are facing many of the same challenges and problem, KÉK chairman Sándor Finta said at the symposium entitled Deadline Today! 99 stories on making architectural competitions. Still, there are differences: In Spain, it is easier for young architects to participate in competitions, because they don't have to present any completed work; and in some Scandinavian countries, one does not even have to have an architecture diploma to submit work in tenders. The system of competitions has operated for a long time in Western Europe: it is simpler and more efficient than in Hungary, he added.
In terms of openness, Hungary's tender system for building design is still in "baby shoes," said Zsolt Gunther, one of the heads of the 3h architectural office. It would be of great help to foreign participants if tender documentation would be available in English as well as in Hungarian, he added.
The symposium included an exhibition of models attached to the individual stories of participation in tenders from architectural offices all over Europe.
Wonderland developed as a bottom up project connecting young architects. Between 2004 and 2006 it developed into a European network of 99 teams from 9 different countries.
The new phase - started in Bratislava in July 2008 - focuses on the growth of the network both in term of geographical reach and capacity. Specific aim for this phase is the enabling of transnational collaborative project work beyond existing professional and cultural borders.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / Photo: octogon.hu
