The National Endowment for the Arts recently announced the award of $20,000 to Architecture for Humanity to support the 2011 Open Architecture Challenge: [UN]RESTRICTED ACCESS - transforming military space into civic space.
[UN]RESTRICTED ACCESS is an open invite to the global design and construction community to identify retired military installations in their own backyard, to collaborate with local stakeholders, and to reclaim these spaces for social, economic, and environmental good. The Challenge launched in October, with registrants being accepted through March and submissions due May 1.
The Challenge this year is a departure from what we're used to, in that it is a pre-development competition. We encourage entrants to engage a decommissioned (or decommissioning–see the rules for more details) military site in their neighborhood that they'd like to see transformed into a virtuous space for the community. The 2011 Challenge is awarding the best concepts for addressing an increasingly topical, and somewhat controversial, issue. Entries will be judged by leading military and civilian authorities, and finalists becoming powerful voices in a global, transformative effort.
The Challenge was this week featured on Foreign Policy in Focus – check the article out for some more context on why it is we're doing what we're doing.
We're seeking like-minded financial supporters to help garner the best solutions for decommissioning military spaces–if you're interested in supporting [UN]RESTRICTED ACCESS and its pursuit of a more harmonious world, send a message to challenge@architectureforhumanity.org.
So far over 80 teams from 32 countries have enlisted...is YOUR homeland on the map?
Image of WWII Mokulele bunkers, Maui, by Maria Williford for Architecture for Humanity
- Attachment: OAC_entries_map_2011-12-14.png (1.15 MB)
