Open Architecture Network

Registration Requirements

Everyone is welcome to participate in the Open Architecture Challenge. No restrictions are set on your status, job, age or nationality. Entrants don’t need to be licensed architects and will be paired with a licensed architect if their design is selected. Designs may be submitted by an individual or by a team. There is no limit to the number of entries per person, or the number of teams with which an individual may participate.

Please note: Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee and must meet the requirements for submission outlined below.

Competition launches: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Submission deadline: Friday, February 29, 2008

How to Register

Designers must register with the Open Architecture Network at http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org to enter the competition.

The deadline for registration and submission is Thursday, February 29, 2008. The cost of registering depends on the number of designs submitted and may be waived in certain cases (see Registration Fees below).

Once payment has been received, entrants will be redirected to the competition page on the Open Architecture Network.

Team Entrants

One registered user must start the project and invite other team members. This individual is considered the Team Lead and will be the contact between designers and competition administrators. Please be certain to update all contact information throughout the Open Architecture Network. You’d want to know if you won, right?

Student Entrants

Students and faculty are invited to work together and submit entries as a team or individually. For jurying purposes, each design is considered as a separate entry and a separate fee must be paid for each entry. Multiple designs will not be considered as a single entry.

Student work is juried alongside that of professionals, and jury members will not be advised of the difference. In the past, students have won competitions hosted by Architecture for Humanity and must be paired with a licensed architect if their design is chosen.

Please contact us, if you plan to pay multiple entry fees together. The registration system only supports one payment at a time.

Registration Fees

Waived Entry Fees
The registration fee for the AMD Open Architecture Challenge is waived for entries from developing countries and communities in need. Please refer to the World Bank for a list of Developing Countries. Qualifying entrants should contact us before registering. If an entrant is found to have abused this waiver and the entry fee is unpaid, their design may be disqualified.

Individual and Team Entries

$25: Registrations received before December 1, 2007
$30: Registrations between December 2, 2007 and February 29, 2008

Academic Studio Entries – Schools can pay a per-studio fee and allow up to 20 students to enter

$250: Studio Registrations received before December 1, 2007
$300: Studio Registrations between December 2, 2007 and February 29, 2008

The registration fee is paid through a link to PayPal, and the link can be found during your online registration process.

PayPal is the preferred method of payment. Receipts will be sent by email directly from PayPal to entrants. If you cannot use PayPal, please contact us immediately.

You may mail a check or money order, but using these payment methods may cause a delay in registration. Please remember that entries cannot be submitted after February 29, 2008.

Checks or money orders should be made payable to:

Architecture for Humanity
(Please note AMD Open Architecture Challenge on the check)
848 Folsom St.
Suite 201
San Francisco, CA 94107 USA

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Submission Requirements
File Upload Instructions

The period for work submission is September 12, 2007 – February 29, 2008.

Competition entrants must be registered users of the Open Architecture Network. Projects must be posted on the Open Architecture Network by February 29, 2008 in order to be juried.

The submission should be original in content.

All entries must be submitted without identifying marks, including logos, text, insignia, or images on the display surface that could be used to identify the submission’s authors.

All digital files must be submitted to the “Files” tab of competition entries on the Open Architecture Network. All file names should include the Challenge Entry ID Number assigned during registration (e.g., [entrant ID number]_[imagename].jpg). Please contact us immediately if you are having trouble uploading your files.

Image format: All Required image files must be 3000 pixels x 2000 pixels (15in x 10in @ 200 DPI) in JPEG, PNG or GIF format.

Units: All dimensions, though not required, should be in meters.

Files

1. Project Description Text (REQUIRED)
   
   All text on the entry must be included in the text field on the entry page and on a text file uploaded to the files tab. Project admins can add or change this text by clicking the edit button in the top left corner of the page. This should be a full description of your proposed design (200 word minimum), including a list of materials used in the construction of your proposed design.
   
   
2. Presentation Board (REQUIRED)
   
   The presentation board should clearly display the entrant's approach. The building design, site planning, approach to sustainability and material use should be included.
   Additionally this board will be presented to the clients and members of the surrounding community and therefore it must be easily understood. If selected, the organizers will use this image as the primary board to display in exhibitions, publications and in community meeting in the field. This board MUST be the first image to appear in the slideshow for jurying purposes.
   
   The file should be named/saved as: [entrant ID number]_mainboard (i.e. XXX_mainboard)
   
   
3. Building Plan(s) (REQUIRED)
   
   This building plan does not have to be to scale but should accurately portray the floor plan(s) of your proposed facility. If you are proposing a multi-story facility please include the respective number of building plan files.
   
   The file should be named/saved as: [entrant ID number]_buildingplan1 (i.e. XXX_buildingplan1; XXX_buildingplan2)
   
   
4. Building Elevation(s) (REQUIRED)
   
   This building elevation does not have to be to scale but should accurately portray the elevation(s) of your proposed facility.
   
   The file should be named/saved as: [entrant ID number]_elevation1 (i.e. XXX_elevation1; XXX_elevation2)
   
   
5. Site plan (REQUIRED)
   
   The site plan does not have to be to scale but should accurately portray the schematic layout of your proposed facility.
   
   The file should be named/saved as: [entrant ID number]_siteplan (i.e. XXX_siteplan)
   
   
6. CAD file (OPTIONAL)
   
   You can do either a 2D or 3D CAD file. If you are creating a two-dimensional drawing please include plans and elevations in the file. Very soon you will be able to view and comment on .DXF files inline using AutoDesk Freewheel on the Open Architecture Challenge
   
   Format: .DWG, .DXF or .SKP
   
   The file should be named/saved as: [entrant ID number]_CAD (i.e. XXX_CAD)
   
   
7. Additional Rendering and Supplemental Images (OPTIONAL)
   
   You may not submit more than three supplemental files. There is no restriction on the style or content of supplemental images. For example, applicants may scan photos of a model, hand-drawn sketches, or ink drawings. 3D computer graphic renderings (Jpeg, PNG or GIF formats) and web animations (Flash or Gif formats) will also be accepted.
   
   The file(s) should be named/saved as: [entrant ID number]_supplementalimage_1 (i.e. XXX_supplementalimage_1; XXX_supplementalimage_2; XXX_supplementalimage_3)

How to submit

Once you have gathered the required text and image files and uploaded them to the Open Architecture Network, you may make Edits and changes until the Submission Deadline.

Starting February 29, 2008 jury members will view submissions. Entrants will NOT be allowed to Edit any project details or files once they have been submitted to the jury. Editing may resume after the competition is complete and a winning design has been selected. If we have any trouble reading or opening your entry, competition organizers will notify you.
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Rules

The purpose of the AMD Open Architecture Challenge is to improve lives by identifying sustainable, low-cost design solutions for building technology centers throughout the world. To that end, we ask that all entrants read and agree to the rules before entering the competition. The rules are intended to make it possible for Architecture for Humanity to share all of designs submitted to the competition with those who could benefit most from them and—ultimately—to build one or more winning designs.

In submitting an entry to the AMD Open Architecture Challenge, all participants agree to comply with the rules and terms of entry below.

Eligibility

The AMD Open Architecture Challege is an open, international competition. Employees and family members of employees of Architecture for Humanity and AMD are precluded from participating in the competition, but there are no other restrictions on who can enter. Architects, design professionals, non-professionals, professionals in other fields and students of all ages are encouraged to participate.

In order to enter the competition, entrants must register for the Open Architecture Network. Particiants may submit an entry for one or more sites and may submit multiple entries for the same site. However, each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee.

For jurying purposes, each design is considered as a separate entry and a separate entry fee must be paid. Multiple designs will not be considered as a single entry.

Period of Submission

Entrants are invited to develop their design throughout the submission period. Once the submission period has ended they will not be permitted to make changes to their entry until the jurying has concluded at which time entrants will regain access to their project and may continue to develop their design. Entries that are late, illegible, incomplete, misdirected or incompletely received will not be eligible.

The period of submission for the 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge is September 12, 2007 to February 29, 2007. The competition organizers reserve the right to delay or extend the period of submission.

Anonymity and Design Credit

All files uploaded must be submitted without any markings that will identify team members in order to facilitate fair jurying of the competition. Building Plans, Building Elevations, Site Plans, Renderings and any other files submitted for consideration should not include title blocks or any other identifying information. Failure to comply with this rule will lead to disqualification.

This does not apply to the Project Details or "Edit Settings" area of each entry, which must be completed in full and must include the names and roles of all team members. Please note: Information entered in the Project Details or Project Settings area will be used to give proper credit to design team members.

Ownership and Copyright

By entering the competition, entrants agree to a) post entry materials to the Open Architecture Network and to the Terms of Use of the Open Architecture Network; b) to license all materials submitted under the Creative Commons Developing Nations license and to adhere to the terms of that license. Learn about the Creative Commons Developing Nations license.

Entrants shall own all design concepts, drawings, images, renderings, sketches, photographs, models, and/or text, documents, information or other materials submitted in association with the competition provided. However, the entrant hereby grants Architecture for Humanity and its designees perpetual, free, unrestricted use of the submission materials in fulfillment of its charitable purposes, including its annual report, its websites and in communications with volunteers, funders and the media and all other purposes specified in these Rules. Such use is expressly not directed toward commercial advantage or private monetary compensation.

Notwithstanding AFH’s rights as a Licensor, competition entrants shall retain full rights to use the documents in other projects for commercial and for-profit purposes.

By entering this competition entrants warrant that all materials submitted by them are their own, that nothing in the submission of these materials will infringe the copyright or any other right of any person and that they have full authority to submit the materials for such purposes.

Exhibition and Publication

The organizers will exhibit selected entries to the Open Architecture Challenge during and after the competition. The results of the competition may be presented online, in galleries or other venues, or in a printed publication and all entries will be available to be viewed on the Open Architecture Network. Selected and Finalist entrants may be asked to build scale models representing their design and provide printed presentation boards for exhibition purposes.

In any exhibition, publication, or website, the organizers will make every effort to properly credit the appropriate competitors. Architecture for Humanity and its designees reserve the right to utilize materials submitted by entrants in any publication or promotional endeavor in perpetuity and free of charge (See "Ownership and Copyright").

Prizes and Awards

One entry will be selected as the winning design for each site. Proceeds of the entry fees to the competition will awarded to each of the winning entries selected for each site. Each award will be of an equal amount and will be made to the individual registered as the competition entrant. It is the responsibility of the entrant to determine how or whether to share the award with other members of his or her design team.

In accepting the award, the entrant agrees to the commitments and obligations of the Finalists. Entrants selected as Finalists will be required to enter into a contract with Architecture for Humanity to further develop and implement their design and to sign a release in order to recieve prize monies. Architecture for Humanity reserves the right to implement the winning design concept with or without the involvement of the entrant, but will make all reasonable efforts to include the entrant in the implementation of the design.

Architecture for Humanity will make every reasonable effort to contact the winning entrant and notify the entrant of the award. In the event the winner chooses not to accept the prize, cannot be contacted for any reason, or fails to respond to repeated notification attempts and/or emails within 14 days, the prize money will be forfeited. In such an event, Architecture for Humanity may, but is not obligated to, award the prize monies to another entry in its sole discretion.

No substitution or transfer of prize monies will be allowed. Architecture for Humanity reserves the right not to award all prize monies in the event competition administrators recieve an insufficient number of eligible entries that meet the minimum criteria as set forth as part of the competition guidelines.

Disputes

The jury has the sole authority and responsibility to recommend winners at the end of the competition. The organizers reserve the right to make a final desicison regarding the winning sheme and any funding that may be made available for the development or implementation of designs entered into the competition. The competition administrators decisions in connection with all matters concerning the competition shall be final and binding.

Limitation of Liability

By entering the competition, all entrants and team members agree to indemnify, defend and hold Architect for Humanity including its chartered units, and its governors, directors, officers, employees, agents, partners, funders, sponsors and volunteers from and against any and all suits, claims, demands, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating in any way to services it provides in connection with this agreement.

If you have any questions about the rules stipulated above, please do not hesitate to contact the competition administrators.

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Commitments and Obligations

The goal of the AMD Open Architecture Challenge is to improve lives. In order to implement the winning designs, we rely on the commitment and support of the entrants. Design teams selected as finalists must be willing to commit time and energy in partnership with Architecture for Humanity to develop--and ultimately build--their design.

We recognize that this may take you away from other work. To support designers on-going involvement, if your design is selected for implementation you will receive a stipend, which is intended to cover out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the project. In exchange, you will gain the experience of work alongside a community partner to realize your design. There is no more meaningful work.

Entrants must be willing to agree to the committments and obligations described below in order to recieve prize monies and be acknowledged as a finalist of the design competition.

• to create a physical model and print presentation boards to be used for exhibition purposes;
• to enter into a commercially reasonable contract with Architecture for Humanity to develop the selected design;
• to engage community members and other beneficiaries of the technology center in the design process;
• to make himself or herself available for a site visits to ensure the integrity of their design and support the construction of the facility;
• to work with a licensed site architect, if necessary;
• to ensure the use of local materials and local labor whenever practicable;
• to promote sustainable and environmental practices.

We hope your design is selected, and we look forward to working with you.

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