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 2008: closed
Fall 2008: closed
08.01.08 Winter 2008-09: Competing for Space

04.30.08 Call for Entries: In Building Bike Parking Facility Design Competition
The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), in partnership with the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the support of Google Inc. and Transportation Alternatives, is hosting an international design competition for new bicycle parking for NYC. This facility will serve as a place to secure bikes in residential or commercial buildings and need not incorporate a standard rack fixture. The first-place winner will then work with Google to install the facility, if feasible, at its NYC headquarters, and receive a $5,000 prize from DOT.

05.02.08 Call for Applications: AIAS/AIA COTE Summer Research Fellowship
The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) is sponsoring a $1,500 Summer Research Fellowship for one AIAS student member to engage in 40-60 hours of research and project work from June-August 2008. The selected student will conduct research about water using past “Top Ten Measure and Metrics” winning projects. The work will likely include contact with architecture firms, consultants, and building owners. Applicants must be AIAS members in good standing at time of application and should be currently enrolled as students or be a recent graduates (graduated within one year of time of application deadline).

05.05.08 Request for Qualifications (pdf): City of Newark Planning
The City of Newark Division of Planning & Community Development seeks consulting architects and planners for tasks including the Citywide Master Plan, Waterfront Planning, Zoning Ordinance Revisions, Neighborhood Planning, Urban Design, Transportation Planning, Community Engagement, and Project Review for Landmarks and Historic Preservation and Central Planning Board. Factors include experience in the field, knowledge of the city agency and subject matter. Minority-owned, women-owned, and locally-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to submit.

05.10.08 Call for Proposals: Living Room
Artists are invited by the Flux Factory to play with the notion of belonging to a home and claiming a space as one’s own. The project will bring artists into domestic locations in NYC to create site specific works. The locations will range from volunteers’ living rooms to private, historical sites, which openhousenewyork will help facilitate access. Works will be on view during OHNY Weekend on 10.04-05.08.

05.16.08 Call for Entries: One Good Chair
Designers are invited to contribute their vision for a new kind of eco-chair that focuses on form. What kind of shapes can minimize resources while maximizing comfort and enjoyment? How can design integrate ecology and ergonomics? A cash prize of $4,500 will be awarded to one designer or shared among two to five designers, subject to the judges’ discretion. The award is intended to support the fabrication of a prototype.

05.23.08 Call for Entries: Robin Hood Gardens International Ideas Competition
Robin Hood Gardens (RHG), the 1970s housing development in east London designed by Alison and Peter Smithson, is currently being considered for demolition and redevelopment to accommodate increased numbers of homes on the site. Designers are invited to consider all reasonable options for retaining it while allowing for further development. The winner and finalists will be published in a special feature in Building Design magazine.

05.26.08 Call for Entries: Lord & Taylor Rose Contest
Each spring Lord & Taylor unveils a “Rose” which adorns the store’s bags, boxes and gift cards, direct mail, and Fifth Avenue windows. This year, the company invites independent artists to create the Rose for the Spring Rose Campaign of 2009. The top 60 submissions will be posted online for public voting. The Grand Prize winner will be announced online on 07.02.08 and will receive a $10,000 cash prize and national and international press.

05.30.08 Call for Entries: USGBC NY 2008 Tote Bag Competition & 2008 Photo
Competition
The NY Chapter of the US Green Building Council announces two design competitions — a tote bag design and a photography competition. First place winner of the tote bag design competition will receive a Haworth Zody Chair. The photography competition calls for original photos of NYC green buildings or green features to be used on the USGBC NY’s new website, and/or other promotional materials. The Grand Prize winner will receive a cash prize of $500, and two honorable mentions will receive $250.