Recommendations

for Architectural
Design Contests
(ADC)

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Introduction

The Architecture Design Competition (ADC)

is a quality based and solution orientated
selection procedure.

‘ADC’ means those procedures, mainly in the fields of architecture

and engineering, urban landscape planning, which enable the
contracting authority to acquire a plan or design selected by a
jury after being put out to competition with or without the award
of prizes.

ADCs provide the opportunity for a client to have the possibility to

get a wide range of solutions of an project to choose between and
with the help of a competent jury make a selection of a design that
meets the criteria of client; as function, cost, durability and beauty.
They are consequently the perfect source for innovative, economic
and sustainable solutions, for everyday planning tasks as well as
for particularly complex projects.

Due to the anonymity of participants, the design competition offers

an ideal way of awarding service contracts in a retraceable manner,
based solely on quality criteria published in advance. It provides
an unique possibility to benefit from competition by exploiting the
large quantity of know-how in the market.

During the assessment of an independent and qualified jury, the

best design concepts can be selected in a concentrated and
transparent procedure which provides a basis for further decisions
by the organiser. Thus, the design competition provides a means
to meet the economic, social and aesthetical aims of the builder/
the awarding entity and simultaneously boost quality of the built
environment.

ADCs provide the opportunity for architects to compare their own

creative power with that of other architects in a fair and targeted
procedure. In view of the great intellectual efforts and economic
investment by all parties involved, the design competition must
be carefully prepared. Its results must serve to solve set tasks
and must lead to the realisation of the winning project.

The competitive concept of the design contest is applicable

whenever planning solutions are needed, regardless of nationality,
political or administrative context or tradition.

The Architects’ Council of Europe consequently promotes the

design competition as a procedure perfectly tailored for the
awarding of architects’ services. To help exploit the full potential
of the design competition and facilitate its application as a
procedure, it is proposed to use the following 9 rules.

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Introduction

La Borda - Logement Coopératif, Spain

Architects: Lacol

Two types of competitions: Competition Procedures

The project competition and Open Competition

the ideas competition: Any architect can participate

Project competition Approaches

Realisation competitions should show, based on a detailed
programme and certain performance requirements, the 1 stage
conceptual options for the intended realisation of a project. In a one stage competition the jury and the
In the case of a two-stage competition the jury has to be competitors must have a clear compeition brief
the same in both stages and the procedure is anonymous in order to have enough information both to
until the jury’s final decision. The project competition aims being able to make adequate proposals and to
at awarding the winning architect or team a comission to make an fair assessment. The winners should
realise the project. be awarded prizes and in addition to that the
first prize winner should be awarded both a
Ideas competition prizesum and the following commission.
Ideas competitions aim to gather numerous solutions
without any further commission. An ideas competitions may 2 stages
in particular serve for the preparation of later planning steps In the first stage, participants submit small
or for the preparation of a project competition. It may also scale concepts or preliminary design proposals,
serve for finding participants for a restricted competition. If preferably on one sheet. The jury selects
the client wishes to use any of the results, such use must an adequate number for the 2nd stage.
be compensated in accordance with copyright law (see also The participants of the second stage are
Rule 7) and the rules of the competition. The prize money for remunerated adequately.
ideas competitions must be adequate and commensurate
with the resources required. It must be considerably higher
than the prize money of project competitions.

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 Wadden Sea Centre, Vester Vedsted, Denmark
Architects: Dorte Mandrup A/S

Participants Recommendations

There are two different types The following set of recommended rules and
of competition procedures: recommendations - the “toolbox” for holding
a successful design contest - is divided into
Open competition / two parts:
Restricted competition
Participants are selected after an open call A. The 9 rules, which are essential to respect in every
using pre-selection criteria (pre-selection). design contest (colloquially: procedures referred to
as “architects’ competitions”).
Invited competition
Participants are directly invited by the client. B. Legal Framework
Note, invited competitions are only possible DIRECTIVE 2014/24/EU OF THE EUROPEAN
below the EU threshold. PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and
repealing Directive 2004/18/EC

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A. The 9 Rules

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Rule 1. Equality of opportunity for all participants

Rule 2. Transparency of the procedure

Rule 3. Independence of the jury

Rule 4. The brief

Rule 5. Anonymity

Rule 6. Prize money and remuneration

Rule 7. Copyright and author’s rights

Rule 8. Dispute resolution

Rule 9. Participation of citizens

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Equality of
opportunity for
all participants
This is called equal treatment.

The same level of information must be provided to all

participants at the same time.

There must be no individual exchange of information between

participants and jury members; questions about the brief are
answered to all participants simultaneously.

Persons excluded from participation: the representatives,

partners or employees of the promoter or of any jury member,
or any person who has been involved in the preparations of
the conditions of the competition, will not be eligible to
compete or to assist competitors.

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Transparency of
the procedure
The summary of the jury’s discussion and the decision-making
process has to be drawn up in a report.

A jury report shall be published or distributed to the

participants and the public.

There shall be an exhibition of all entries and/or digital

publication.minimum required for a qualified decision of
the jury. Any extra material shall be deleted or covered.

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Independence
of the jury
The jury shall be autonomous in its decisions or opinions.

The jury designates a winner and awards the prizes.

Where a particular professional qualification is required

from participants, according to the Directive at least one
third of the members of the jury shall hold the same standard
of qualification as the participants and must be independent
from the client.

The jury shall examine the proposals submitted by the

candidates anonymously and solely on the basis of the
criteria indicated in the Design Contest brief.

It shall record its ranking in a report, signed by its members.

This report shall contain the merits of the projects and a
clear recommendation on how to proceed with the result
of the competition.

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The Brief
The Design Contest brief must be clear and unambiguous.
Design Contest requirements must be clearly specified. There
must be a clear distinction between mandatory requirements
and non-binding guidelines.

Mandatory requirements shall be restricted to the minimum

necessary. Only proposals meeting these requirements are
taken into consideration (cf. Vienna Declaration).

The jury must be named.

The evaluation criteria must be stated in the brief.

There must be a declaration from the client concerning

the intention to commission the winning design.

The brief has to be accepted by the jury before launching

the competition.

The material requested from entrants shall be limited to the

minimum required for a qualified decision of the jury. Any
extra material shall be deleted or covered.

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Anonymity
Anonymity must be observed until the jury has reached its
opinion or decision.The material requested from entrants shall
be limited to the minimum required for a qualified decision of
the jury. Any extra material shall be deleted or covered.

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Prize money &

remuneration
The prizes, the prize money or remuneration has to be fixed
and announced in the competition brief. For the calculation
of the prize money or the remuneration, there must be an
adequate relationship between the required performance
of the participants and the honoraria normally calculated for
that task.

In the second stage of a competition, a remuneration, which

is a part of the total prize money, is paid to each participant
in that stage.

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Copyright &
author’s rights
The copyright of the competition entry remains the property
of the author.

The promoter is entitled only to make use of the winning entries

under the conditions that are laid down in the brief or as agreed
between the parties. (See also item 2).

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Dispute resolution
It is recommended that any disputes concerning competition
procedures are examined by the relevant national professional
organisation before any recourse to legal procedures.

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Participation
of citizens
The public may be involved in the preparation of Design
Contests, especially in the field of town planning and urban
development (giving input regarding the needs, discussing
alternatives, collaborating in the (general) definition of the
programme).

The public opinion may be considered by the jury during its

decision-making process. However, the final decision remains
with the jury.

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B. Legal Framework

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Legal framework (most relevant provisions)

Article 2 (Definitions), Whereas (21)

Article 32 (Use of the negotiated procedure without prior

publication), Paragraph 4

Article 78 (Scope)

Article 80 (Rules on organisation of design contests

and selection of participants)

Article 65 (Reduction of the number of otherwise qualified

candidates to be invited to participate)

Article 81 (Composition of the jury)

Article 82 (Decisions of the jury)

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Legal framework Article 2 (Definitions), Whereas (21):

(most relevant “‘design contests’ means those procedures which

enable the contracting authority to acquire, mainly
provisions) in the fields of town and country planning, architecture
and engineering or data processing, a plan or design
selected by a jury after being put out to competition
with or without the award of prizes;”

Article 32 (Use of the negotiated procedure

without prior publication),

Paragraph 4:
“The negotiated procedure without prior publication
may be used for public service contracts, where the
contract concerned follows a design contest organised
in accordance with this Directive and is to be awarded,
under the rules provided for in the design contest, to
the winner or one of the winners of the design contest;
in the latter case, all winners must be invited to
participate in the negotiations.”

Article 78 (Scope):

This Chapter shall apply to:

– design contests organised as part of

a procedure leading to the award of a
public service contract;

– design contests with prizes

or payments to participants.”

Article 80 (Rules on organisation of design

contests and selection of participants):

1. “When organising design contests, contracting authorities

shall apply procedures which
are adapted to the provisions
of Title I and this Chapter.

2. The admission of participants to design contests shall

not be limited: by reference to the territory or part of the
territory of a Member State; on the grounds that, under
the law of the Member State in which the contest is
organised, they would be required to be either natural or
legal persons.

Where design contests are restricted to a limited number

of participants, the contracting authorities shall lay down
clear and non-discriminatory selection criteria. In any event,
the number of candidates invited to participate shall be
sufficient to ensure genuine competition.”
Scuola Enrico Fermi, Turin, Italy
Architects: BDR bureau

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Primary school, Novak Ubović, Montenegro
Architects: Biro “81000”, Ivan Jovićević, Dusan Durovic

Article 65 (Reduction of the number of Article 82 ( Decisions of the jury):

otherwise qualified candidates to be
invited to participate): 3. “The jury shall be autonomous in its decisions
or opinions.
In the restricted procedure the minimum
number of candidates shall be five. In the 4. The jury shall examine the plans and projects
competitive procedure with negotiation, in submitted by the candidates anonymously
the competitive dialogue procedure and in the and solely on the basis of the criteria
innovation partnership the minimum number indicated in the contest notice.
of candidates shall be three. In any event the
5. The jury shall record its ranking of projects
number of candidates invited shall be sufficient
in a report, signed by its members, made
to ensure genuine competition.
according to the merits of each project,
together with its remarks and any points
Article 81 (Composition of the jury): that may need clarification.

“The jury shall be composed exclusively 6. Anonymity shall be observed until the jury
of natural persons who are independent has reached its opinion or decision.
of participants in the contest. Where a
7. Candidates may be invited, if need be, to
particular professional qualification is
answer questions that the jury has recorded
required from participants in a contest,
in the minutes to clarify any aspect of the
at least a third of the members of the jury
projects.
shall have that qualification or an equivalent
qualification.” 8. Complete minutes shall be drawn up of
the dialogue between jury members and
candidates.”

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Recommendations
for Architectural
Design Contests
(ADC)

The Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) is the representative

organisation for the architectural profession at European level :
it aspires to speak with a single voice on its behalf in order
to achieve its aims.

Its growing membership currently consists of 51 Member

Organisations, which are the regulatory and professional
representative bodies in all European Union (EU) Member States,
Accession Countries, the UK, Switzerland and Norway, and
5 Observers Members - Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Montenegro,
RH of Macedonia). Through them, the ACE represents the
interests of over half a million architects from 35 countries
in Europe.

Disclaimer: The European Commission support for

the production of this publication does not constitute
an endorsement of the contents which reflects the
Design: views only of the authors and the Commission cannot
Red&Grey be held responsible for any use which may be made
redandgrey.ie of the information contained therein.
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