Call for Ideas: Tiny Library 2021 Architecture competition

With the world constantly evolving, there is a ton of information being formulated out there. Human civilisation is expected to keep up with this change and evolve with this developing world to open up multiple possibilities for a better future. Despite all the information available around us, the only way to best access it is through reading and self-learning. As a major tool for the 21st century, self-learning is an important skill that is to be refined for future generations as they journey through education and beyond.

Despite its importance, education is largely inaccessible to various disadvantaged communities in both urban and rural areas around the world. The pandemic raging currently has come with its own set of challenges when it comes to learning or working distantly. While we face a future that we cannot foresee, the ability to adapt and learn is key. It is important to power the growth of like-minded networks. Hence self-learning through reading is the only way to equip ourselves and our community with the mobility we need to combat this unknown future.

Opportunities:

Books as vehicles of knowledge have helped humankind evolve through the ages and the world along with it. In order to make information more accessible, books have been transformed into digital, audio, and visual formats.

Despite all these efforts, books continue to be inaccessible to various communities across the globe. It is important that we focus on how to bridge the gap between education and all such isolated communities.

A library as an educational incubator is a space that not only sheds light on conventional means of knowledge but also encourages its users to interact, share ideas and grow together. Rather than accepting urban migration as a given, a library can be designed with an aim to restore dignity and induce development.

Can we envision a 21st-century library that encourages exploration, creation and collaboration between communities? It’s time we ignite the new age movement of learning.

Challenge:

Participants are to design a Tiny Library optimised for 100 users engaging multifunctional spaces for all ages with a renewed spatial experience. The Tiny Library is to be equipped with traditional reading material including modern formats like e-books, audiobooks, audiovisual books, etc.

The space designed should function as a centralised think tank for the local communities with an aim to boost public interactions and community development.

Participants are to consider affordability and optimum usage of space while designing. The designed space should be augmented to hold a maximum number of books in a limited space. The structure should not exceed 400 square-metres of built-up area and should also be easy to maintain by its users.

With libraries being a landmark to their surroundings, the design proposal should be iconic, inviting, and should create a statement of its own on the chosen site. Energy-saving components and sustainability are to be taken into account as well. The proposed design should be able to strike a balance between humans and their natural surroundings.

We encourage the participants to develop their programs. The space designed need not be limited to the standard activities viz. reading and self-learning space, sanitation space, administration, reception, or information desk.

As an instrument of social change, the design should promote innovative activities that’ll help stimulate and accelerate learning.

Site selection:

While we face a future that we cannot foresee, the ability to adapt and learn is important. The competition aims at promoting self-learning as a key skill by giving humans scattered across the globe a platform to connect and evolve as a community.

Participants are to choose a site in an urban or rural context for their design proposal. The site selected should be in dire need of change that can be well achieved through education and self-learning. The design most importantly should be well integrated into the context. The site selected must strongly justify the participants design proposal.

Awards:

Prizes of total USD $4000, broken down as follows:

1st Prize: USD $2000 + Certificate + Publication

2nd Prize: USD $1200 + Certificate + Publication

3rd Prize: USD $800 + Certificate + Publication

10 Honourable mentions: Certificates

Winners and Honourable Mentions will be published on Volume Zero website and several international architecture and design magazines.

To show our appreciation, all the participants would receive participation certificate.

SCHEDULE:

Early Bird Registration: 4th January 2021 to 12th March 2021

Standard Registration: 13th March 2021 to 22nd April 2021

Last Day for Queries: 15th April 2021

Closing Date for Submission: 30th April 2021

Announcement of Winners: 30th June 2021

Eligibility:

Tiny Library 2021 – Architecture Competition is open to all. We invite architects, students, engineers, product designers, thinkers, companies, organisations and everyone interested in the mission of the competition to submit their ideas. No professional qualifications are necessary.

Fees:

Early Bird Registrations:

Participants from India – $1800+18% GST = INR $2124 (per team)

Participants from Other Countries – $70 + 18% GST = USD $82.6 (per team)

Standard Registrations:

Participants from India – $2400 + 18% GST = INR $2832 (per team)

Participants from Other Countries – $85 + 18% GST = USD $100.3 (per team)