2019 Theme

The OAA challenges the profession to identify and address an infrastructure issue, either physical or social, where using architectural thinking can advance insight and innovation.

Infrastructure can include anything from transit, water systems, housing, hospitals and electrical grids to planning regulations, definitions of family, immigration laws and the status of First Nations, Inuit and Metis. It encompasses the foundational aspects of society, profoundly structuring and governing our daily lives. Unfortunately, the disconnects between our modern demands and our existing infrastructure systems can create fundamental gaps in experience, accessibility, safety and quality of life.

These disconnects reflect the realities of physical infrastructure and organizational structures/processes (policies, people, ideas and communities). Many of these essential elements have failed to keep pace with transformative technological, economic, demographic and social changes.

The OAA challenges the architecture profession to examine these systems and propose new ways to understand, create or support infrastructure that links our communities in order to address these connective elements. The goal is to show how architectural thinking can promote social equity, reduce isolation or embody social justice.

Submission Requirements

Illustrate the issue and application of architectural thinking with text (maximum 5000 words) and images (maximum of 14 visuals, drawings and/or photos), as required. Submissions may choose the elements best-suited to present their ideas. Physical models, prototypes or installations must be photographed.

A video (maximum length of three minutes) must be uploaded for all submissions. This is your opportunity to concisely explain directly to the jury the infrastructure issue your submission has identified and how your proposal addresses the issue. Your “elevator pitch” to the jury, this video should provide an overview of the submission, the content and the thesis of the issue.

Please note: the video will not be evaluated for its production quality, but is an introduction of the idea directly to the jury members. This is not final video content for public viewing.

Judging Criteria

Social Responsibility
Does the project promote values of social responsibility, human rights and sustainability?

Inspiration
Does the project spark new ideas and capture the public imagination, taking into consideration the quality of its visual materials and public-facing communication?

Inclusivity
Does the project promote a spirit of inclusiveness, situating architects as master collaborators?

Holistic Approach
Does the project represent a programmatic solution that goes beyond the built form, taking into consideration economic, sociological and ecological factors as well?

Deadline for Submission is January 18, 2019.