Open Call: Emotions, Architecture, Opioids

Due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, Combo Competitions has decided to increase the deadline of Emotions, Architecture, Opioids by 4 weeks to form up for lost time due to the pandemic, and to permit longer for participants to regulate to a replacement workflow. Submission deadline is now Sunday, September 6 (registration deadline August 30).

The goal of Emotions, Architecture, Opioids is to style a building for the administration of methadone to patients, located in Venice, l. a. , at an equivalent time exploring the emotional impact of architecture, its effect on how people feel and behave – and the way it are often of use within the struggle against opioid dependency.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) within the us has within the last decade snowballed into a national health crisis, claiming tens of thousands of lives annually , and costing society billions of dollars additionally to the immense emotional suffering of these affected. a serious reason for the crisis is that the stigma attached to drug addiction: the very fact that drug dependency has long been considered a criminal problem instead of a health concern has over time established that anyone hooked in to drugs should be punished instead of helped to beat the disorder.

Solving the opioid crisis requires efforts from the govt by making addiction treatment (like MAT, methadone assisted treatment, the tactic proposed in Emotions, Architecture, Opioids) available and accessible to those that need it, no matter geographic location or socioeconomic factors – but like many other issues, politicians won’t act until enough members of the general public demand so. And if the overall public sees addiction as an ethical failure and a criminal offense , it’ll still be treated together . Conversely, if enough people started viewing addiction as a ill health – and demanded it’s treated intrinsically , policy, health care and more would soon be reformed to deal with the demand.

This is where architecture comes in. The competition brief asks for ideas on the way to address the stigma surrounding opioid dependency: additionally to administering methadone, the building and its setting should offer an environment that’s appealing regardless if you struggle with OUD or not. Inviting two disparate groups to share the space has the aim of dispelling prejudice and building trust. Whether this is often achieved intentionally , concept, the incorporation of a secondary function – or a mixture of all of the above – is left to the discretion of the participants.

Emotions, Architecture, Opioids presents a singular opportunity to explore how architecture can function and solve problems on multiple levels: concretely (administering methadone), abstractly (combating stigma), and the way a mixture of design and concept can become quite the sum of its parts – a Bilbao effect of sorts, but with social undertones.

To read the full brief and register, visit the website.

Key information
Submission deadline: September 6 (registration deadline August 30)
Registration fee: €70 + VAT for each participant/team
Prize money: €3,000 total

Jury