SIA Architectural Design Awards 2021

Our client has expressly forbidden us from sharing or submitting any floor plans with any media, even if it’s not revealed to public and only for jury review… because they are extra sensitive about security, and they think sending or submitting floorplans will compromise their security.

Can we get a formal waiver for this entry, not to have to submit any floor plans? Please also advise how we should best communicate the waiver to the jury (ie. where to add a liner on submission portal to explain)?

Floor plans are essential for the Jury to fully understand the spatial quality and design intent. The submission will be greatly disadvantaged without floor plans.

However, should the architect be able to represent and explain the project without floor plans, they can proceed to make the entry. We will inform the Jury accordingly.

The Jury’s decision will be final.

An office project was completed in Kuala Lumpur – can we confirm this should be submitted under category B6: Overseas Commercial Projects?

a. 8MB
b. 1400px, 300dpi
c. Floor plans to be submitted in jpg

Projects eligible for submission in this cycle must have been completed during the last 7 years and with TOP obtained latest by 1 July 2021.

You may submit the project in the next cycle. 

What is expected of the virtual presentation site visit?

Access to building is extremely limited especially for residential or special facilities.

If we were to conduct a video conferencing site walk with narration (8mins) what is the coverage of the project we need to show?

The video presentation should focus on the salient design features which the architect would like the judges to see. The video conferencing is an option available to the architect. If the architect feels a pre-made video and zoom presentation/interview are sufficient, the video conferencing site walk can be omitted.

Please refer to section 3.4.5

a. In lieu of a physical site visit, the shortlisted firm have has the following options for their presentation:

i. Produce a short video (max duration 3mins) and follow up with a zoom presentation. The total presentation duration will be 8 minutes.

ii. Conduct video conferencing site walk with live narration (max duration 8 minutes)

iii. A combination of (i) and (ii) with the combined duration of 8 minutes.

The masterplan should be completed adequately to show evidence of the design and planning intent.  Photographs of the public spaces being used will be required for this.

Please submit individual images. Presentation Board/images are not required nor preferred this year in our efforts to streamline and simplify the process.

We strongly encourage the entrants to keep within the image limit allocation. You can combine several floor plans into 1 image if you need to. The individual floor plans must be clear and legible. The entrants can introduce new images during the Zoom presentation when shortlisted.

Should not be more than 30 words. Captions should be succinct.

With reference to Section 3.4, item (d)
We will allow a maximum 300 words for the Long Project Description

Will the jury take the initiative to move a project to compete in another category if they feel that it is more suitable than the one it was submitted for? Or will it be disqualified?

Please refer to Section 4.2, item (a)
The Jury may choose to reallocate an entry at its discretion to a different category where deemed necessary. In the case of a project entered separately for different categories, it shall be the Jury’s sole discretion to judge the project under the category which, in their opinion, is the most fitting for the project.

With regards to the following, are there any future winners’ costs involved?

f. All announced winners for the awards are required to participate in media interviews, public exhibitions, SIA held seminars and showcase sessions to present the ideas encapsulated within the design. Failure to participate in these events may be grounds for disqualification

Winners do not incur any cost from participating in media interviews, public exhibitions, SIA seminars and showcase sessions.
Winners have graciously given their time to celebrate and share their win with the architecture fraternity.

The layout and printing of boards are the only foreseeable cost should there be a physical exhibition organised by the SIA.

As it is not a requirement from the start, may we know how much time will be given for shortlisted finalists to produce the video (as per Point 3.4.5)?

This is because, it would take some time to find a videographer and produce the clip.

Please refer to the Section 8, Awards Program
[we advise entrants to have made preparations for a videographer, if you require, and have them on standby once shortlisted projects are notified.]

We would like to enter an overseas project that was occupied from 2013 (similar to TOP), but many significant areas were incomplete, and the project was not ready to be photographed till recently. Would this be an issue?

Projects eligible for submission in this cycle must have been completed during the last 7 years and with TOP obtained latest by 1 July 2021. Projects obtaining TOP before that will not be eligible.

We refer to Item 3.4 Submission Material, we would like to confirm item L Gallery Images are referring to the same as Item 3.4.2 (a), where the 12 Gallery Images / Representative project images can be drawings or photographs with captions.

I have a query for Category E: Special Categories
“E6 aims to encourage innovative use of materials, and to promote creative, elegant architectural construction detailing…Entries can be architectural elements that are integral parts of a building, or construction methods and techniques…”

Under this category, we are allowed to submit part of a building/detail that exemplifies this.

If the details are taken from projects that were previously submitted in the past cycles, are we allowed to extract these details for this round of submission under category E6?

If we submit a project for the following categories –
a.     C1 Educational and Community Buildings
b.     E7 Social and Humanitarian Architecture
c.     F3 Exhibition Design
d.     G Special Awards <$2mil projects;

Would the fee be calculated as such: $481.5 + 3 x $321 = $1444.50

Section 3.9
Entrants need only pay once for each discrete project and that project may be entered into multiple categories that are relevant. 

If it is the same project, the fee will be dependent on the sequence of submission by the firm. 

Either it will be charge $481.50 (if it is the 1st project submitted by the firm); or $321.00 (if it is the 2nd or subsequent project submitted).

If the project is a mix of Institutional, Training Centre, Gallery, Community Lounge, can we submit under the general category of C1 Educational and Community Buildings?