Oculus 2008 Editorial Calendar
If you are an architect by training or see yourself as an astute observer of New York’s architectural and planning scene, note that OCULUS editors are looking for writers for the Fall and Winter issues. The themes:

Fall OCULUS: Practice. Focus of this year’s Practice issue is on the architectural office — the culture and decision-making structure of NY-based practices, how the office’s design reflects the culture, along with the views key players in the firm.

Winter OCULUS: Competing for Space. Explore the growing competition between expansionist institutions on limited sites and the interests of adjacent communities, many in residential areas with moderate-income families.

If you’re interested, please contact OCULUS editor-in-chief Kristen Richards. with a brief outline and full contact information.

Spring 2008: closed
Summer: Design Awards — AIANY Design Awards; AIANY/BSA Building Type Design Awards (03.01.08 registration deadline)
06.01.08 Fall 2008: Practice
08.01.08 Winter 2008-09: Competing for Space

02.29.08 Call for Entries: Land and Sea Competition
Architects and designers of interiors, product, fashion, and graphics are invited to submit a project — either conceptual or realized — that addresses the need to minimize man’s contribution to climate change, pertaining to the land or the sea. Winners will be celebrated at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in May.

03.15.08 Call for Entries: Fifth European Prize for Urban Public Space
This biennial competition awards newly created or remodeled urban spaces in Europe that are public property or offer free access to the public. Awards are presented to both the authors of the projects and the promoter institutions as an incentive to improve the quality of urban life. Awards will be presented in Barcelona in July 2008.

03.26.08 Call for Entries: VM+SD Retail Renovation Competition
The editors of VM+SD invite all design firms, construction companies, retailers, and suppliers to submit store renovation projects in any retail sector (grocery, department store, big box, etc.) completed between 01.01.07 and 01.06.08. Entries must include “before,” “in progress,” and “after” photography of completed projects. Winning entries will be featured in the September 2008 issue of VM+SD, and may be invited to give a presentation at the 2008 VM+SD International Retail Design Conference.

03.28.08 Call for Proposals: James Stirling Memorial Lectures on the City Competition
Conceived in homage to architect James Stirling, this competition is a forum for the advancement of new critical perspectives on the role of urban design and urban architecture in the development of cities worldwide. The intent of this bi-annual lecture competition is to promote innovative approaches to urban phenomena, and to re-position architecture at the center of debates on the 21st century city. The Canadian Center for Architecture is seeking proposals for research projects that provoke critical as well as theoretical debate and simultaneously advance practical knowledge.

03.31.08 Call for Entries: Sustainable Cities Award
This award recognizes outstanding and innovative programs that advance the application of sustainability principles to land use and promote their incorporation in cities and the general real estate industry. Winning programs will have global relevance, add strategic value to companies and communities, and will enhance the environment. Submitted projects must be implemented and showing results or provoke significant new ideas and perspectives.

03.31.08 Call for Ideas: International Bauhaus Awards 2008
The Fifth International Bauhaus competition looks at modern standards in the field of housing and examines them in light of the housing shortage. Creative designs or concepts and models or scenarios for housing policy are sought for the social strata, which live on the subsistence minimum and are therefore unable to establish themselves in the housing market. Individuals or groups may enter projects developed in the last five years — design outlines, plans, research projects, films, concepts, etc. Participants may include designers, artists, and academics are under 40 years of age by the project completion date.