Architecture Competition? Bring It On!

By Barron Schimberg, AIA

An interesting approach to a potential project is a competition. Competitions are prevalent in Europe and provide opportunities for design firms to win large-scale projects.

In the United States, competitions are not as common. But when handled properly (procedurally and financially), competitions allow owners to gain ideas and select the best architect for the job while allowing the architect and design team to explore projects in a different, more creative spirit.

If you are interested in having a competition, I recommend the following:

  • Invite reputable architects
  • Pay them for their time
  • Provide a ‘spec book’ to them with parameters and information reflective of the clients’ desires.

Below are some drawings The Schimberg Group submitted to a residential competition that proved successful for both the architects and the owners.

Images created by The Schimberg Group for a residential competition

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