Any questions regarding the competition may be submitted to the professional advisor (formshift@wfrancl.com) by April 6, 2009 by including "FormShift Vancouver" in the subject line.
Eligibility, Submissions, and General Information
Q: What is the purpose of this competition?
A: The aim of FormShift Vancouver is to generate and showcase new architectural ideas for denser, environmentally sustainable, vibrant urban living, building on the principles of the Vancouver EcoDensity Charter.
Q: Do I need to be an architect in order to participate in this competition?
A:The competition is completely open. You do not have to be an architect to participate.
Q: There is only space for three people on the formshift registration form. Is there a maximum number of people per team?
A: There is no limit to the number of team members. Please add in as many names as you wish.
Q: I am a grad student from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture who is interested in registering for the competition. Is it possible to register online?
A: You can register by completing the registration form that you download from the website and e-mailing it to formshift@wfrancl.com
Q: Are there any geographic or professional restrictions on who can enter the competition?
A: FormShift Vancouver is an open, international competition that invites participation from any individual or team. The only exceptions to this are employees of the City of Vancouver and the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, the competition’s lead sponsors. There are no professional requirements to participate. Given the nature of the challenge, however, it is strongly recommended that each submission involve at least one architect or other design professional.
Q: Are jurors' firms permitted to enter? Are their employees?
The Jurors' firms and employees of the Jurors' are not permitted to enter.
Q: Can I submit a design scheme that I’ve already developed?
A: FormShift Vancouver calls for new and original work, but entrants may adapt previous work or ideas that are reconfigured to address the competition brief and theoretical site plan.
Q: Would it be possible I scan & email you the form with the Creditcard information etc.?
A: Yes you can.
Q: Can the registration form be submitted by email for the FormShift Competition?
A: Yes the formshift registration can be submitted by e-mail.
Q: I Tried to fill out the .pdf registration form but I wasn't able to do so on my Mac. Do I have to print and fax the form to you, is there any other option/format for submitting with credit card, via email?
A: You can fax the the entry form to the AIBC at this number: 604-683-8568. The entry can be completed with a payment by credit card in the spaces indicated on the form. Or you can send it via email.
Q: We would love to come drop off our Registration form at the Architectural Institute of British Columbia on Friday, March 20. We are aware that is the deadline for those forms. We're wondering what the Institutes's hours are, and who should we give our form to?
A: AIBC office hours are 8:30 to 5:00. You can give the application to the receptionist and ask that it be given to either David Weibe or Michael Liu.
Q: The submission form say that it must have three paragraph of text explaining what the project was about. I included that text on my panels. So do I still need to submit written text in addition to the two A1 panels? Could you please let me know what exactly needs to be submitted along with the panels?
A: You do not have to submit written text beyond what is on your panels. All the site information is downloadable from the website under "Resources" with hot buttons for "Sketch-up Models" and "Site Drawings". The registration form is also located under Resources. Please include your team members names and contact information separately but in the same package as the panels that you submit.
Q: We understand from the brief that there is a limit of 3 paragraphs of text of no more than 100 words each. Other than labeling (plans, elevations etc), can additional text be included?
A: The intention is to limit the amount of text so that it does not become too small to read when viewed on screen. We are not going to count the number of words in each submission but we would hope that the graphic content of the submission would stand on its own with a minimum of verbal explanation.
Q: Should I expect to receive a participation number to include in the submission for identification/anonymity purposes?
A: We will assign numbers to received submissions prior to the adjudication process.
Q: I am preparing the A1 posters and wanted to ask, can I write project name and my name on the poster? The actual project that I am submitting for the competition was a collaborative project, but I submitted for FormShift under my name only. My team partner was not interested in entering for the competition, but she is fine with me submitting our project for the competition. So where can I mention her name?
A: The entries must all remain anonymous for the adjudication process. Do not identify yourself or any of your team members on any of the presentation material. Provide your name and contact information and any team member credits in the transmittal that accompanies the submission material.
Under submissions it says “All submissions must be provided elec tronically, either on CD/DVD or by FTP downloads (see contest web site for FTP instructions)." I am trying to find the FTP instructions.
A: All submissions must be provided electronically, either on CD/DVD or by FTP download. For FTP instructions, please email communications@aibc.ca.
Q: In the competition brief, will the judging criteria be listed in order of priority?
A: No. The various criteria for judging is simply identified. Entrants may then decide which environmental and design characteristics they wish to emphasise. The overall assessment will then be at the discretion of the jury.
Due Dates
Q: When and where can entrants access competition materials?
A: As of February 26, 2009, the competition brief, online entry form and supporting material will be available online at www.formshiftvancouver.com.
Q: There appear to be two different dates indicated for Registration, March 13th and the 20th. Can you please confirm the Registration form due date?
A: The registration due date is March 20th, 2009.
Q: What are the competition deadlines?
A: The deadline for online registration is March 20, 2009. Completed submissions must be received by April 6, 2009.
Fees
Q: Can I enter more than one scheme?
A: Individuals or teams are welcome to submit as many schemes as they wish. However, each submission must be designated for a specific award category and each requires an entry fee of $100 ($50 for students & interns).
Q: I would just like to confirm that students of the RAIC Syllabus will be given opportunity to enter the Form shift competition at the student rate [$50].
A: Yes, RAIC Syllabus students may enter at the $50.00 entry fee.
Q: The following are the two categories listed on the application form, I am neither a student nor a professional architect so what fee do you require?
A: The fee for all non-students or non-intern architects is $100.00 Canadian.
Q: Is a site plan that I need to focus on based on a design option? I am interested in designing these projects but I do not know how to approach the design if it is going to be on selected site(s). Also, do I have to be present to any events? How much money (USD) should I submit for an American intern/collegiate student?
A: The site plans are available on the web-site. It would be preferable but not necessary that you attend any events. The entry fee for students is $50.00 Canadian.
Q: I'm part of a group of designers who are planning to enter the formSHIFT competition. Unfortunately, while your website implies that we are eligible to enter, your registration form only gives 2 categories, neither of which apply to us. We are neither professional architects nor students- which category do we enter, and what is the
entrance fee? Will we be judged in the same category as the professional architects?
A: The registration form was incorrect. The competition is open to all entrants and all entries will be judged together. The registration form has amended to read: Intern / Student: $50.00, Other $100.00
Do Architectural Technologists (AT.AIBC) enter with $100 entry fee or $50 entry fee?
A: Only interns or students in a Post Secondary institution pay the $50.00 entry fee. All others, whether architects, technologists or others who are no longer students, pay the $100.00 entry fee.
Technical Questions
Q: Can one (1) board be submitted instead of two?
A: One board can be submitted instead of two. The maximum number of boards is two.
Q: What stage of design development do you expect or require for a submission?
A: That is entirely at the discretion of each entrant. FormShift Vancouver is looking for innovative ideas, rather than highly polished schemes, but the innovations should be either visible or clearly described within the submission.
Q: Are entrants required to address the various pragmatic considerations of a project development, such as transportation, parking, or garbage pickup?
A: The proposed schemes should be theoretically viable. While they may not address directly practical elements such as parking and garbage pickup, these considerations should not be precluded. If a submission proposes an innovation on a particular element (e.g. garbage recycling), that should be made clear in the submission. Keep in mind that some considerations, such as transportation, are central tenets of the Vancouver EcoDensity Charter.
Q: Is the " rapid transit station" in this competition refer to a skytrain/subway system or a rapid bus system?
A: The rapid transit station refers to an underground subway system with a station entry at grade located as noted on the site plan.
In regards to the Transit Station as hatched on the primary site: Are the location and dimension of the transit station predetermined? Is this an above grade station? Below grade? Is it a train station or bus station? Does it matter?
A: The location of the station and its dimensions are determined. It is an underground subway station with its entry in the location noted on the site plan.
Q: Can the hatched footprint for the transit program on the primary site be reconfigured, or are these dimensions and area fixed?
A: It is possible to reconfigure the transit station footprint.
Q: What zoning is it specifically and do we have to consider FSR and building area and building height?
A: This is an ideas competition and compliance with any zoning requirements is not a specific criteria for evaluation of a proposed design. The zoning for the sites would imply the following limitations:
- For the Vancouver Primary site: A total gross building area for all floors of 3 times the site area with a maximum building height of 18 meters and a setback from the lane of 10 meters for any portion of the building above the ground floor.
- For the Vancouver Secondary site: A maximum of two dwelling units, a maximum height of 10 meters and a setback of 6 meters from the street-front property line
Q: For the Two sites, (Primary, Secondary), please provide answers for the following Questions:
1. Is this design for the whole neighborhood including the residential area? Or is it only for the empty site shown beside he transit station? 2. Is it allowed to change the whole neighborhood? I mean is it acceptable to remove the existing one and to add a totally new design?
3. Is it allowed to block one of the streets or change it to be for pedestrians only? Also is it allowed to minimize the streets penetrating through the site?
4. What is the program for both sites, I mean is there any specific type of building required to fill in the sites? Can my design include a school, shopping plaza, and residential area? If so, is I am free to choose the percentage of each use (educational, residential, retail, etc.)?
Q: For the Vancouver wild card, provide answers for the following Questions:
1. What do you mean by this “Solutions that are adaptable to other sites are strongly encouraged”
2. Can the concept be a housing prototype, an urban form, a planning concept, or even a low?
3. What kind of sites for the concept to be applied? A city, a rural area, or Mountains …?
Response for the Primary and Secondary Site:
1. The design is for the site only, whether it is for the larger Primary Site with the transit station or the smaller Secondary Site.
2. It is acceptable to modify the surrounding neighborhood context if this is desirable
3. It would be permissible to modify street use or assign it to pedestrian use or otherwise minimize streets penetrating the site
4. The existing context for the Primary Site is mixed-use residential and commercial uses and for the Secondary Site, primarily residential uses. The programming for the sites is left to the competitor, though it is expected that they would include a design rationale for the selection and placement of uses in their design
Response for the Wild Card site:
1. A solution for the Wild Card Site should ideally be applicable to other sites that one might find in the urban context.
2. The proposed design could be a housing prototype, an urban form or a planning concept
3. It should be a site that could be associated with a Vancouver location, whether on an urban location or a sloping location in more mountainous terrain.
If we entered in the secondary category, would it be bad form to base our entry on a 33' lot, being the most common size?
A: A submission that was based on a 33 ft. lot width would be entered in the Vancouver Wild Card category. A submission based on a 33 ft. wide lot would be acceptable in this category.
Q: Does the site of Vancouver Secondary has a plan or dimension?
A: The Vancouver Secondary site has a plan and dimensions in the Resource section of the website under Site Drawings.
Q: I have a couple of questions regarding the competition:
-Is the project to be built off of the sketch up panels provided in the reference section? Or can any area be used to build on?
-Are you looking for a snap shot picture of the area or a 3-D model?
-Does the view have to be from overhead or is a street level view acceptable to give better perspective on the buildings/development?
-For all categories are you looking for development over a 6 block radius or is this for 1 building within the community?
A: The sketch-up model provided in the reference section is for context only. The competitor can choose to use it as part of their presentation or not and they are free to alter the model as they choose. The competitor is free to assemble his presentation material in whatever manner they choose as long as it can be presented in the two panel A1 format described in the website. This could include shots of a model or other presentation techniques. Views of the proposed design, whether overhead or street are at the discretion of the competitor.
The proposed design is for the site only but the competitor is free to amend elements of the context if they choose.
Q: I have the following questions: Where do I find the existing zoning data on the website? Is there a program for the design of the Vancouver primary? (how many units, square footage required, requirements for designing the rapid transit station, etc..)
A: This is an ideas competition and compliance with any zoning requirements is not a specific criteria for evaluation of a proposed design. The zoning for the sites would imply the following limitations:
-For the Vancouver Primary site: A total gross building area for all floors of 3 times the site area with a maximum building height of 18 meters and a setback from the lane of 10 meters for any portion of the building above the ground floor.
-For the Vancouver Secondary site: A maximum of two dwelling units, a maximum height of 10 meters and a setback of 6 meters from the street-front property line.
-There is no program for the Vancouver Primary site. Competitors are free to make their own program assumptions.
Q: Regarding zoning requirements, your entry form states: "existing zoning data are included in supporting documents.* See “Links” section of this document and/or competition web site." There does not appear to be a "links" section on the form or website.
Can you provide the existing zoning data?
A: This is an ideas competition and compliance with any zoning requirements is not a specific criteria for evaluation of a proposed design. The zoning for the sites would imply the following limitations:
-For the Vancouver Primary site: A total gross building area for all floors of 3 times the site area with a maximum building height of 18 meters and a setback from the lane of 10 meters for any portion of the building above the ground floor.
-For the Vancouver Secondary site: A maximum of two dwelling units, a maximum height of 10 meters and a setback of 6 meters from the street-front property line.