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ASSIGNMENT Elegance 1: a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste 2: a quality of neatness and ingenious simplicity in the solution of a problem

The contemporary architectural practice is challenged with a wide range of economical, environmental and social issues. Ranging from reduction of raw materials and optimizing energy flows, to wide spread computer aided production processes and increasing numbers of experts for each project, the field of architecture becomes more complex and needs to focus more on inventing smart and efficient systems. Combined with an exploding range of materials and techniques to chose from we often see a practice that is either strongly focused on iconic qualities of buildings, or on carefully engineered sets of performances and materials, fully rationalized and mainly functional. This competition seeks to investigate elegance in architecture and concrete. Elegance as in smart and efficient, intelligent and effective. Without a doubt architecture should not lose its eye-catching qualities, formally expressing the architects and clients notions on any specific assignment and its context. However, any solution or proposition that merely addresses formal challenges and ambitions can just be as limited as architecture arising from pure technical rationalization and optimization. Elegance stands for simple and strong proposals, optimizing material properties and construction systems. It stands for driving a formal and spatial language that stands out for its efficiency and intelligence of system, structure and program. One only has to look at Pier Luigi Nervi and Felix Candela, Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer to understand how technical and material developments can lead to innovative structural systems as well as to new and appealing formal expressions. Current examples can be found in the works of Zaha Hadid, UNStudio, SANAA and others. They resort to state-of-the-art concrete mixtures and technologies as Ultra High Performance Concrete, exploiting monolithic and thermal properties of the material and flexible and computer generated formwork techniques. Optimized material properties and techniques cleverly deployed lead to startlingly beautiful and economical an technical sound results. Both of which are needed in our contemporary building practice. The 6th Concrete Design Competition on Elegance asks students of architecture, design and engineering to explore concretes properties and production techniques from the position of elegance as described. To investigate intelligent solutions where aesthetic desires are merged with physical needs, structural and economic constraints, and social demands. This competition seeks seemingly simple proposals expressing clarity in architecture and structure whilst addressing all complex issues any assignment is challenged with nowadays. It challenges to stretch the potential of the material in both monolithic systems as well as in hybrid ones. It wants participants to embrace clever deployment of concrete supporting any kind of architectural performance. To seek collaborative and inclusive solutions. To use concrete at its best, where it is used best. This competition does not prescribe a specific location or program; participants can choose a context of their own that supports their fascinations and ambitions and that fits an acute presentation of their ideas and solutions. The design proposals may range from objects, furniture and architectural details to housing, landscape interventions, complex buildings, infrastructure and structural systems.
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the 6 Concrete Design Competition - Elegance is an initiative of Cement&BetonCentrum - NL, Cement Manufacturers Ireland IR, FEBELCEM BE, InformationsZentrum Beton GmbH DE and TCMA TR contact for Ireland: Cement Manufacturers Ireland Richard Bradley rbradley@irishcement.ie