According to Tschumi, 'concept, not form, is what distinguishes architecture from mere building' / YouTube

An international student architecture competition is exploring the relationship between architecture, movement and the senses.

In an unorthodox brief, the fifth edition of the annual UIA-HYP Cup is challenging entrants to design a hotel, museum, library, clinic or cemetery which “can foster and encourage new modes of living unknown today.”

The global contest is organised by Tianjin University and Chinese media company Urban Environmental Design, with support from the Union International des Architects.

The theme of the 2016 competition – chosen by this year’s jury chair, French architect Bernard Tschumi – is ‘Architecture in Transformation: Concept and Notation’.

“Architecture almost exclusively uses visual means to outline what it does: plans, sections, elevations, perspectives, axonometrics,” said Tschumi.

“But what about the movement of bodies in space? Are there modes of notation applicable to what has been excluded from architectural discourse? What about the other four senses – touch, sound, smell, and taste?”

Competition hopefuls must provide strong conceptual ideas for their designs; linking their schemes to their chosen location, natural environment and type of user.

“Concept, not form, is what distinguishes architecture from mere building,” said Tschumi. “Architecture is not only what it looks like, but also what it does. A bicycle shed with a concept is architecture; a cathedral without one is not.”

The deadline for submissions is 31 August 2016.

One winner and 11 runners-up will be announced in September 2016. Prize money worth US$40,000 (€35,800, £27,700) will be shared among the winners and some will be given the opportunity to intern at established architectural firms through a competition initiative called ‘Learning Design with Master Architects’.

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