Inaugural Cleveland Design Competition

Last chance to participate in the design of Irishtown Bend and compete in the 2007 Cleveland Design Competition.

Deadlines for the first annual international design competition in Cleveland are rapidly approaching. The Cleveland Design Competition registration deadline is next Monday, April 16th and the submission deadline is Tuesday, May 1st.

This year's underutilized urban site is located between West 25th Street in the Ohio City historic neighborhood and the Cuyahoga River's edge in the industrial Flats. Complicated for several reasons, physically (soils shifting, topography change, and un-reinforced shoreline) and politically (shared by two neighborhood groups, contains an archaeological site, has been targeted for potential port traffic, and has been suggested for the placement of a multi-purpose trail), "Irishtown Bend" is located between Downtown, Cleveland's historic neighborhoods, and active industry.

Taken from the competition overview: "From the site's vantage along the edge of Cleveland's Industrial Flats, photographer Margaret Bourke-White captured the dominance of industry over a rapidly rising American city. Today, the same perspective reveals a complex urban history of unparalleled industrial growth, rapid abandonment, evolving patterns of immigration, wealth, poverty, and the rise of a rich rust-belt city follow by decades of decline and urban decay."

Cleveland Design Competition is looking for creative ideas for the pivotal Irishtown Bend site. Solutions may include architectural design, engineering, landscape design, planning, or artistic interventions. Check out the competition objectives or the competition brief document for more details. The competition requires pre-registration, but is open to everybody.

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is the lead sponsor for the competition awards. First Prize is $2000, Second Prize is $1000, and Third Prize is $500.

Project 2007's partners and sponsors include: Cleveland Public Art, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, Cleveland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Ohio Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Ohio City Near West, Flats Oxbow Association, Forum Architects, and Process Creative Studio.

Read the article "Cleveland Competition to Focus on Neglected Sites" published in the March issue of ARCHITECT Magazine.