ACO 4X4 Design by Push Creative 01952 2501

Line of siteArchitecturalCompetitionCase Study2009

Line of Site is now recognised as the world’s largestarchitectural competition both in terms of numbersparticipating and geographic spread.

Statistics from the 2007 competition:

75 participating countries

Viewed by 120 countries

2900 practices registered

Over 5000 registrations

Average 10,000 unique visits per day

7,000,000 + hits for the duration of competition

330 competition entries

Line of Site looks to break away from the mundane andoffers three unique design briefs, which ran through theperiod July 2008 to October 2009.

The second Line of Site competition, sponsored by ACOand Google included two exciting new Geo based briefswhere competitors are able to select their owngeographical locations to design their buildings - thoughthe buildings are not intended be built.

We were looking for the ‘quick’ initial ideas that capturethe essence of creativity and mark the point when thoseideas take shape. Submissions can be either electronicallygenerated or drawn by hand - sketch designs, not fullydeveloped designs.

The competition was lucky enough to engage high profile sponsors

More text needed here... of Site competition, sponsored by ACO and Google included twoexciting new Geo based briefs where competitors are able to select their own geographicallocations to design their buildings - buildings that are not intended to actually be built.

More text needed here... for the ‘quick’ initial ideas that capture the essence of creativity andmark the point when those ideas take shape. Submissions can be either electronically generatedor drawn by hand - sketch designs, not fully developed designs.

LOS CompetitionIntroduction, statistics and sponsors

Source: Google Analytics

The new website offered boasted a lot of newfeatures and functionality. The website followed theprogress of the competition every step of the way

One of the main advantages of the website wasthe ability for a participant to upload their entryand description to the gallery section automatically.

Competition Websitehomepage and gallery

Gallery

Extra facilities were added to the website topromote more of a community feel to thecompetition.

• A score could be given by a viewer, which wasshown as an overall average. This was purely forfun and had no influence on the judges decision

• Competitors were allowed to communicate witheach other, through private email

• An entry could be reviewed

• A blog could be written in association with anentry or just for fun

• The location of the entry could be plotted withthe aid of Google maps

Blog Directory

A blog directory was added to the site allowingany user of LOS to point us towards any blog theysubmit. The blogs can be shown in any languagefrom any country and could be searched usingvarious criteria.

Competition Websitefeatures and functionality

CLOSING DATE:

26/05/08

THEE NORTHERNN LIGHTSS OBSERVATORY

ACTIVE BRIEF:

BRIEFING DOCUMENT

CLOSING DATE:12/09/08

CITYY TRANSPORTATIONN INTERCHANGE

ACTIVE BRIEF:

BRIEFING DOCUMENT

CLOSING DATE:

00/00/08

MEETINGG POINT

ACTIVE BRIEF: BRIEFING DOCUM

ENT

The 3 brief documents could be downloaded fromthe website once the brief was live.

Brief documentsThree competition briefs

BD online had a section had pages of theirwebsite designated to LOS. They were continuallyupdated as the competition progressed throughthe briefs to the final judging.

These pages gave the sponsors an opportunity toadvertising with digital banners.

BD WebsiteDedicated LOS pages

MPU animated banners were used to promotethe launch of the competition, and also throughthe duration to advertise the current stage.

Right

BD magazine ensured that Line of Site washigh profile by featuring editorials and advertsthroughout the competition.

Digital BannersMPU adverts and link buttons

ESTABLISHED ON THE WORLD STAGE, THISUNIQUE DESIGN COMPETITION WILL ONCE AGAIN CHALLENGE YOU TO GO BEYOND THE CONVENTIONAL... Three inspirational briefs will take you on an architectural adventure unlike any other, givingyou the opportunity to put your vision before a truly global audience.

The Line of Site community now embraces talented designers of all ages and from everydiscipline in over 100 countries. Through new features on Line of Site you will now be able toengage more closely with peers around the world, sharing your views on issues that drive,

inspire and motivate.

“Line of Site was a greatcompetition to be involved in. Itwas a chance to freely pusharound ideas and test them outagainst architects and designersfrom around the world.”

Alastair Parvin, winner Line of Site 2007

“The simplicity of the Line of Siteproposition is its success. Thescope of imaginative designs thecompetition attracted was trulyinspiring and a pleasure to judge.”

Matthew Wells, Techniker,judge Line of Site 2007

“This year we have broadened thescope of the Line of Site challenge.We want to take the competition toa new level where creative thinkingis placed firmly in a contemporarycontext.”

Peter Ridgway, ACO Technologies,creator of Line of Site

Line of Site 2007

Brief One Northern Lights Observatory 6th June to 4th July

2008 Registration

You will be able to register on the Line of Site website when the first brief goeslive on 6th June 2008. If you visit the website today you will be able to reviewthe live final of last year’s competition.

In advance of the first brief, if you have any queries regarding any aspect of thecompetition email us at: support@lineofsite.info

Registrations and first brief available 6th June 2008 www.lineofsite.info

2008

Brief Two City Transportation Interchange 1st Aug to 29th Aug

Brief Three The Meeting Place 26th Sept to 24th Oct

Full page advertBD publication

Line of Site CompetitionThere is no city in the world that does not suffer fromroad congestion and pollution. One solution to whatis a growing problem is to encourage the use ofsustainable modes of transport such as the bicycle.

Many view the bicycle as incompatible with thecommercial needs of a city, but with the correctinfrastructure this can change. This is the driverbehind our second Line of Site brief.

Can you design a transportation concept that canalter the perception of sustainable transport? We arechallenging you to conceptualise a City CycleInterchange where people/commuters entering yourchosen city – be it by car, rail, bus – can efficientlyaccess a bicycle to complete their onwardjourney…..Full brief at: www.lineofsite.info

CITY TRANSPORTATION INTERCHANGEDOWNLOAD SECOND BRIEF

REGISTER NOW : WWW.LINEOFSITE.INFO CLOSING DATE (2ND BRIEF): 29TH AUGUST 2008

MAP YOUR SITE LOCATION

GLOBAL AUDIENCE - OVER 60 COUNTRIES

LIVE NOW

Line of Site Competition

Witnessing the Northern Lights is an awe-inspiring experience. Thesweeping green and red displays that fill the night sky leave those whosee them deeply moved. To capture this experience is the challenge setby the first Line of Site brief. One of the best places to see the northern

lights is an island off the north of Norway. Far into the Arctic Circle, thelocation selected is remote and inhospitable. Here we would like you toenvisage a unique observatory where visitors will be able to view the fullmajesty of this natural phenomenon....Full brief at: www.lineofsite.info

REGISTER NOW : WWW.LINEOFSITE.INFO CLOSING DATE FIRST DATE: 4TH JULY 2008

NORTHERN LIGHTS OBSERVATORY

DOWNLOAD FIRST BRIEF

LIVE NOW

There can be no more important building serving acommunity than its ‘meeting point’. It is the place that definesthe people that use it, where they come together to socialise,integrate, exchange ideas, discuss issues and, above all,relax in the company of others. This third and final Line of Sitebrief takes us in a new direction: we want you to decide

where your Meeting Point is to be constructed. We would likeyou to propose a new building that will lie at the heart of yourcommunity, a new building that will draw people to it, befamiliar - in the way that it reflects the values of thecommunity and the directions in which it is developing – andimpart sense of belonging.

BRIEF THREE: THE FINAL BRIEF FROM LINE OF SITE 2008

REGISTER NOW: WWW.LINEOFSITE.INFO CLOSING DATE (3RD BRIEF): 24TH OCTOBER 2008

MAP YOUR SITE LOCATION

GLOBAL AUDIENCE - OVER 60 COUNTRIES

LIVE NOW

MEETING POINT

Half page advertsBD publication

Shortlist: Debashree Karnik - USA Martin Angelov - Bulgaria Michael Suriano - USA Victor Eduardo Martinez Cabrera -Chile Abre Etteh - Scotland Studio 5 - UK Terrence Seah - USA Suleiman Alhadidi - Jordan Francisco Garrido - ArgentinaSebastian Lee - Malaysia Alex Kaiser - UK Mohamed Nouh - Egypt Infitar Erfin - China Lisa Sauve - USA Kousik Kar - UK

Edward Jones (Dixon Jones) was joined by Mike Tonkin (Tonkin Liu) at the BuildingDesign HQ in London on Tuesday 11th November where together they judged all thesubmissions for Line of Site Brief 3.

The Meeting Point Brief invited contestants to submit entries designed for specificlocations of their own choice. It was particularly impressive to see how many participantschose to maximise the effectiveness of their work by posting their entries on Google Earthand it is definitely worth spending time to take a look at the Google Earth submissions.

Line of Site entrants for Brief 3 could have expected no easy ride with Edward Jones (aprevious member of both the RIBA Gold Medal and RIBA Stirling Prize juries) accompaniedby Mike Tonkin of Tonkin Liu (a practice that has won a number of international awards).As was expected, judging was tough, but two entries eventually stood out as winners.Congratulations to David Adar of Israel for The Temple Bar and Richard Jones of the UKfor Selva Oscura . The three runners up were Paul Bower (UK) , Mr Vincent (USA)and Luhki Heranisvari (Indonesia) .

Winners David and Richard will now participate in the Line of Site Grand Final 2009, to beheld in London in February. The final will include 7 winners from the 3 briefs from 5 differentcountries. It promises to be a fascinating contest.

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The full shortlisted galleries areviewable, together with furtherpictures and comments from judgesEdward Jones and Mike Tonkin canbe found at: www.lineofsite.info

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JUDGING SESSION

MEETING POINT AND MEETING OF MINDS

COMPETITION

NOW CLOSED

All entries submitted via the website:www.lineofsite.info

Left: Edward JonesRight: Mike Tonkin

REGISTER NOW : WWW.LINEOFSITE.INFO

Shortlist: Debashree Karnik - USA Nikolay Vyatkin - Russia Ruwab Fernando - New Zealand Jian Zhu - Germany MathieuCollos - France Richard Andrews - England Hector Allier - Mexico Bhavana Gulaty - India Abre Etteh - Scotland AndersLendager - Denmark Diego Villar - Argentina Sean Lemuel Su - Phillipines Brendan Whelan - Ireland Agalakov Natalia -Canada Enrique Ramirez - Greece Audrey Kuleshov - Bulgaria Frisly Colop - Guatamala Vu Le - Vietnam Paul Emmerson -England Ian Pieterse - Scotland Daniel Stewart - UK Mark Foxworth - USA Guillermo Vezzosi - Argentina Nadia Melennaya -Russia Kevin Abraham - England Matias Franco - Argentina Richard Campbell - Scotland Michael Spooner - UK MargotKrasojevic - UK Jose Marco Anaciano - USA Luke Andritsos - Canada Robert Eyles - UK Stuart Baxter - Scotland IgnacioIriarte - Argentina Mariano Tellechea - Argentina Lam Nguyen - UK Jordan Kessler - USA Matt Davis - Australia Hatch - UKGreg Bowler - UK Kai Lu - USA Sanjit Roy - USA

The Judging of the first Line of Site brief - the Northern Lights Observatory, took place in London last Friday. Nevan Sidor (Grimshaw) and Dirk Krolikowski (Rodgers StirkHarbour + Partners) worked through submissions from more than 60 countries to selectthe two category winners - Ian Pieterse (Scotland) for his work 'Artic Sanctuary' andlast year's overall winner Alastair Parvin (England) for his submission 'Inverted Sky' .

The two 'Runners up' were Timothy Unsworth (England) and Scott Crawford (USA) .

Both Judges were impressed by this year's submissions and made specific mention ofMatt Davis (Australia) who 'produced a particularly evocative perspective sketch whichcommunicated so much, but on this occasion, despite the intriguing architectural idea, itwas not quite as strong as others'.

Peter Ridgway from main sponsor ACO said 'we are delighted by the quality of response tothe Northern Lights Observatory and are now very keen to see how the entrants for Briefs2 and 3 deal with what might be termed the less conventional brief. It is the winners ofthese two stages that will compete with Ian and Alastair for the title 'Line of Site Champion2008/9' in February'.

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The full shortlisted galleries areviewable, together with furtherpictures and comments from judgesNevan Sidor and Dirk Krolikowsk canbe found at: www.lineofsite.info1

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JUDGING SESSION

NORTHERN LIGHTS OBSERVATORY

BRIEF TWO

LIVE NOW

All entries submitted via the website:www.lineofsite.info

Left: Dirk KrolikowskiRight: Nevan Sidor

REGISTER NOW : WWW.LINEOFSITE.INFO

Half page advertsBD publication

02/02/09lineofsite.info

The Line of SiteFinal 2009

The 7 finalists represented a breadth ofcountries and cultures – India, Israel, Bulgaria,England, Canada, Scotland and USA.

Judges and contestants had arrived by Plane,train, car and foot – City TransportationInterchanges did not play a part as the snowhad paralysed London, however it did not detera single contestant.

One of the judges had walked 4 miles to bethere while another had sat on a tube train buriedin snow for 3 hours – the commitment to theLine of Site competition has been extraordinary.

The Line of Site Final was an occasion which had an exciting backdrop of 75 participating countries, 330 entries, 5 top judges and a view ofthe Thames, St Pauls and a snow bound London.

Who made it through?1. George Dimov (ACO Bulgaria)

2. Animish Kudalkar (Finalist)

3. Neven Sidor (Grimshaw, Judge)

4. Edward Jones (Dixon Jones, Chair/Judge)

5. Amanda Baillieu (Building Design)

6. Ian Pieterse (Finalist)

7. Anna Grancharova (ACO Bulgaria)

8. Dirk Krolikowski9. Wolf Mangelsdorf (Buro Happold, Judge)

10. Matthew Wells (Techniker, Judge)

11. Martin Angelov (Finalist)

12. David Adar (Finalist)

13. Richard James (Finalist)

14. Stewart Kearney (Finalist)

15. Alastair Parvin (Finalist)

16. Peter Ridgway (ACO UK, Sponsor)

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The winnersThe final

Alastair ParvinWinner, brief one: Northern Lights Observatory

Martin AngelovWinner, brief two: City Transportation Interchange

Richard JamesWinner, brief three: The Meeting Place

Winner: OverallSelva oscura‘under the shadow of thedarkling forest’

Richard receives the Line of Site Trophy from Peter Ridgway of ACO Technologies

Brief 1 Winner: Alastair Parvin presented by Edward Jones of Dixon Jones

Inverted Sky LineOfBike

Brief 2 Winner: Martin Angelov presented by Edward Jones of Dixon Jones

“The quality of the entries tothis year’s Line of Site hasbeen very impressive. ACOis proud to be involved.”

Richard HillManaging Director, ACO UK

(Rogers Stirk Harbour +Partners, Judge)

aco.co.uk

Adverts summarising the grand final, giving ageneral feel for the day and displaying the winnersand their work.

Full page advertBD publication

Review2008/2009

www.lineofsite.info

The competition was followed up by a reviewdocument, which gives details of each brief, thejudges and the finalists.

It includes the judges’ statements about thefinalists’ work and photos of the final, held at theBD offices in London.

Summary publication8pp document