The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State Province

Procuring designs by way of competitions is a well-established practice of both public and private clients. The territory that now encompasses the Free State Province has seen this method being applied nineteen times in its history; fourteen for buildings or projects, three for monuments of commemor...

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Main Authors: Walter Peters, J. L. (Kobus) du Preez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2016-11-01
Series:Contree
Subjects:
Online Access:https://newcontree.org.za/index.php/nc/article/view/138
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author Walter Peters
J. L. (Kobus) du Preez
author_facet Walter Peters
J. L. (Kobus) du Preez
author_sort Walter Peters
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description Procuring designs by way of competitions is a well-established practice of both public and private clients. The territory that now encompasses the Free State Province has seen this method being applied nineteen times in its history; fourteen for buildings or projects, three for monuments of commemoration; and two for ideas competitions. It is interesting to note that ten of the competitions served to define the noble street of the capital, President Brand Street and its immediate surrounds, and that landscaped solutions for monuments were early on considered an appropriate form of commemoration. Yet, competitions remain an idealism often associated with inconvenience or changes, of which the Free State Province has witnessed its share. They are costly to stage and enter and the quality of the jury is crucial for the outcomes. As entries are anonymous, some competitions were won by distinguished architects who might otherwise never have built in the Free State Province. However, winning designs may not necessarily always result in the best building, but they certainly indicate the paradigm of the era and in that sense can serve as architectural barometers.
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spelling doaj.art-9ba1dfe24f344d05a012a3baecf011c12023-06-14T09:59:30ZengAOSISContree0379-98672016-11-0176010.4102/nc.v76i0.138138The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State ProvinceWalter Peters0J. L. (Kobus) du Preez1Department of Architecture, University of the Free StateDepartment of Architecture, University of the Free StateProcuring designs by way of competitions is a well-established practice of both public and private clients. The territory that now encompasses the Free State Province has seen this method being applied nineteen times in its history; fourteen for buildings or projects, three for monuments of commemoration; and two for ideas competitions. It is interesting to note that ten of the competitions served to define the noble street of the capital, President Brand Street and its immediate surrounds, and that landscaped solutions for monuments were early on considered an appropriate form of commemoration. Yet, competitions remain an idealism often associated with inconvenience or changes, of which the Free State Province has witnessed its share. They are costly to stage and enter and the quality of the jury is crucial for the outcomes. As entries are anonymous, some competitions were won by distinguished architects who might otherwise never have built in the Free State Province. However, winning designs may not necessarily always result in the best building, but they certainly indicate the paradigm of the era and in that sense can serve as architectural barometers.https://newcontree.org.za/index.php/nc/article/view/138architectural competitionsidealismlandscapes of commemorationfree state provincepresident brand streetbloemfontein
spellingShingle Walter Peters
J. L. (Kobus) du Preez
The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State Province
Contree
architectural competitions
idealism
landscapes of commemoration
free state province
president brand street
bloemfontein
title The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State Province
title_full The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State Province
title_fullStr The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State Province
title_full_unstemmed The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State Province
title_short The idealism of architectural competitions: The case of the Free State Province
title_sort idealism of architectural competitions the case of the free state province
topic architectural competitions
idealism
landscapes of commemoration
free state province
president brand street
bloemfontein
url https://newcontree.org.za/index.php/nc/article/view/138
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