Questions and Answers

general information

1. Must the "lead architect or landscape architect" be a licensed professional? Or can the team leader be a recent graduate of architectural school that is currently pursuing licensure?

The lead must have received a professional degree in architecture or landscape architecture (M.Arch or equivalent) prior to September 2006.

2. Is this competition open to international students?

US residency is not required, however you must have successfully completed your professional degree in architecture (Masters in Architecture or equivalent) before September 2006 in order to be eligible for the Burnham Prize.

3. Is it possible to get information regarding the competition in Spanish, and can the fee be waived for a student in Spain?

The competition documents have not been translated into other languages, and there is no provision for waiving fees for international students.

4. Is the definition of professional degree a masters degree? I have a five year B Arch which is a professional degree. Am I eligible for the prize or not?

A professional degree is typically an M.Arch or a 5-yr B.Arch. If your degree or equivalent professional experience, without any additional education, is recognized by NCARB for the licensing exam, then it is a professional degree.

5. Does every team member have to be under 40, or can only the lead designer be under 40?

To be eligible for the Burnham Prize Competition, the entry must be submitted by a lead designer who is under 40 at the time of submission. There are no age requirements for the other team members.

6. I am planning on participating in the 2006 Burnham Prize Competition, and was very distressed to find that I had missed the roundtable discussion. I hope that information from this panel discussion is posted to your website quickly, as the deadline for the competition is already a tight one, and information from that discussion is obviously valuable for participants at this early stage of design.

We apologize for the miscommunication regarding the round table discussion. The date for the discussion was not posted in a timely fashion. However, for reference we have posted a transcript from the discussion on the website in the Materials and Downloads section. We also hope to sponsor an additional site event in January. Please stay tuned. Also, to receive notification of website updates, please join our mailing/announcement list (see below).

project (general)

1. Under the entry requirements please clarify scale requirements for the plans.

(b) is 1"=200'. (c) & (d) are 1"=20'. (e) is correct at 1/8"=1-0". If another scale is desired, please use (f).

2. How are these boards intended to be displayed?

TBD. As indicated in the Phase 1 Board Layout download (a pdf available on the "Program" page under "Requirements") they will be arranged in order 1-4, and may be hung flat or accordion hinged along the vertical edges.

3. Each sheet shows XXXX in the corner. Is there a required title that should be on each sheet?

The XXXX is the placeholder for the 4-digit randomly-assigned number you will receive upon registration.

4. If the scale you are requiring for certain drawings (mainly e. and c/d) would not be appropriate given an individual project, can we use different scales for those drawings?

The intent of setting a consistent scale is to make the proposals easier to compare, especially for non-architects from the neighborhood. By providing two entire pages where we have not set the scale, you have the flexibility to show your project as you wish. However, in some cases the required scale may not be appropriate to the proposal. Please use your judgement. If your proposal clearly justifies the use of different scales for required plan and site drawings, then you may elect to use a different scale.

5. Regarding item (a) on the diagram for the competition boards, is the title supposed to be "Learning from North Lawndale: Defining the Urban Neighborhood in the 21st Century"? Or should it be more project-specific?

Place your own project-specific title in this location.

more specific questions and their answers:

1. Are proposals to show a typical solution on a single vacant lot? If so, will a specific site with survey info be provided, or are you looking for more conceptual solutions that may apply to vacant lots in general?

The competition is seeking ideas that may address one or all of the possible sites. Please consult the Materials & Downloads section on the web site for available site maps.

Please send all questions related to the Burnham Prize 2006 Competition to:

burnhamprize2006@chicagoarchitecturalclub.org

Questions will be answered on this page on a weekly basis as they are received.

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mailing/announcement list