The competition calls on architects and designers to define and apply new spatial approaches in order to create a community that will serve as a model for sustainable living elsewhere on the continent and beyond. At the core of the competition are universally relevant questions: in a globalizing world, how can new spaces come into being that simultaneously acknowledge the creativity of its inhabitants, the abundance and fragility of its natural settings, and the dynamics of urban growth?

The Southbank is an open, two-stage competition that aims to produce visualisations of a new community for 2000-3000 people, in which residential accommodation merges with internationally significant facilities for arts production and performance, in a setting defined by ecological conservation.

In the first stage, called "image/bank", the objectives are to:
Field focussed visions of the potential of the Southbank from a wide range of entrants with knowledge from the fields of architecture, urban design, landscape design, visual and performing arts; and Elicit contributions that:show the ability to synthesise technical thinking and design approaches across a range of scales; suggest an appropriate design language for all elements; resolve the broad elements of urban and landscape design, including the location of public elements, controls, built envelopes and circulatory elements; and present a convincing spatial strategy for the design of the Africa Centre for the arts.

In the second stage, called "south/centre", the objectives are to:
Field five or more well resolved submissions from teams of professionals that are qualified to lead the project towards implementation; and Elicit contributions that: show sufficient detail development of the Africa Centre design to be able to proceed with costing and fund raising; contain clear proposals for the siting and rapid construction of the Art Shed;resolve typical and public elements of the hotel and residential fabric in sufficient detail to allow for financial modelling and arketing to potential investors; and.communicate frameworks for the design and management of public space, ecology, service frastructures and the phasing of the project.

Procedure
The competition is organised as an open, international, two-stage project competition run online in the first stage. The procedure is anonymous, with an unlimited number of entrants in the first stage, image/bank. A minimum of five and a maximum of seven finalists will be selected in the first stage, image/bank, and be eligible to enter the second stage, south/centre. One of the conditions of the second stage is that if a finalist is not South African, they enter into a collaboration, of their choice, with an appropriate South African registered architecture practice.

Online registration is necessary to receive the full briefing and background documents for the competition. Registration for the competition is free.

The administrators are Dr Daniel Irurah and Hannah le Roux, advised by Mr. Herbert Prins and [phase eins]., who are also responsible for the development and technical administration of the Website and data processing in the first stage. The Southbank competition is endorsed by the South African Institute of Architects.

Requirements
The requirement for image/bank is the online submission of the following drawings and documents:

Plans and illustrations:
A total of 10 images must be submitted as either jpeg, tif, bmp or png files in landscape format, with a maximum size of 3 Megapixels (2.160x1.440) for each image. The images will be viewed in the assessment process at a maximum of A4 size in printed summaries and as large scale digital projections during jury discussions. Texts should be kept to a minimum on the images and should be legible at both small and large scales. The explanatory texts which are to be entered in separate boxes can relate to the image numbers.
Image 1 (site plan): This image is to be scaled so as to print out at 1:2500 on an A1 landscape sheet and should include representation of the overall concept, landscape uses, a plan view of built volumes, with an indication of uses and height and pedestrian and vehicular movement systems.
Image 2 (detail plan): This image is to be scaled so as to print out at 1:200 on an A1 landscape sheet and should include representation of the major elements of the Africa Centre and their context, including adjacent residential fabric and landscapes.
Image 3 (perspective or isometric of the Africa Centre) should show the volumetric and material qualities of the Africa Centre in relation to the residential fabric and landscapes.
Images 4-10 (total of six additional images) should show details of inter alia, the landscape elements, ecological principles, architectural languages, public space, spaces for art and performance areas, and the temporal development framework.

Explanatory reports:
A total of six texts can be entered in the online forum and must focus on the subjects listed below.
Text 1: Maximum of 94 lines (approximately 940 words) giving a brief outline of the design concept of the Southbank as related to the objectives of the first stage, image/bank, and outlined in the brief.
Text 2: Maximum of 12 lines (approximately 120 words) giving an outline of the environmental systems and construction approaches proposed for the development of the Southbank.
Text 3: Maximum of 12 lines (approximately 120 words) describing the integration of the Africa Centre, landscape elements and residential fabric.
Text 4: Maximum of 12 lines (approximately 120 words) describing the approach taken to the display and viewing of art.
Text 5: Maximum of 12 lines (approximately 120 words) describing circulation of people and vehicles in the Southbank site. Text 6: Maximum of 12 lines (approximately 120 words) describing any other aspect(s) of the submissions.
An accommodation schedule must be completed as part of the online submission process. This schedule is to list the areas, in square metres, of the key spaces in the project.

Jury
Adrian Enthoven or Tanner Methvin, Spier Holdings, South Africa.
Ikem Stanley Okoye, architect and academic, Nigeria/USA.
Luyanda Mphalwa, architect, South Africa.
Michael Keniger, architect and academic, Australia.
Mike Rainbow, engineer, UK.
Salah Hassan, curator, and art historian, Sudan/USA.
Anne Lacaton, architect, France.
 
Prizes
Each finalist will receive two economy class airfare and three nights accommodation to visit the site and/or, in the case of finalists who do not meet the requirements of professional registration in South Africa, to meet with collaborators for the second stage.

All of the finalists who submit the required work to the second stage, south/centre, will be awarded expenses of $ 25.000. The winning scheme from south/centre will receive $ 75.000, and will be appointed as architects for the project. Honourable mentions may be made to another one or two schemes

Eligibility
Entry to the first stage, "image/bank", is open to all, irrespective of professional qualifications, disciplinary background, or nationality.

To be eligible for submission in the second stage, “south/centre”, the author(s) of the schemes that are selected as finalists from the first stage must include one or more physical persons registered as an architect in their home country. In addition, where the home country is other than South Africa, author(s) of the selected submissions will be required to enter into collaboration with a registered architect in South Africa in order to satisfy SACAP (South African Council for the Architectural Professions) rules for execution of architectural work in South Africa.

Dates First stage "image/bank":
Deadline for registration: 16 July 2006
Upload period: 17 July - 07 August 2006
Deadline for submission of entries (online): 07 August 2006

Second stage "south/centre":
Selection of finalists: 15 September 2006
Dispatch deadline for submissions: 20 December 2006
Announcement of winner and commencement of realisation process: 20 January 2007

The announcement of the winner will be made online in real time.