En Plein Air – an object for outdoor living in times of pandemic

ATELIER MOBILE launches its first design+build competition!

Architects, designers, artists, craftsmen, creatives are called to design and model an object for our going back to outdoor living. The winning projects will be built and exhibited by atelier mobile. Due to the current historical moment and in compliance with the restrictions for the control of the infection from Covid-19, atelier mobile reinvents itself: our first workshop of 2021 is a competition open to all. Our will is to create and share elements of daily use for outdoor life. This summer we’ll do it anyway but safely!

1. INTRO

Over the past few months we have been forced to spend most of our days indoors, often with little or limited range of motion. The desire to spend moments of our day also outside invites us to imagine new objects that can be in support of a new period in which open-air spaces become the setting for multiple work, leisure or meeting activities.

2. WE ARE LOOKING FOR

designers to create an object that can be used for outdoor living in a period divided between social-distancing and the desire to return to live in public spaces. The object must be selfbuildable, easy to assemble, with limited dimensions and cost, recyclable (or composed by elements that can be reused even individually) and transportable. The object must have one or more defined functions and a clear use to respond to concrete needs.

3. GUIDELINES

_object typology

Any object that can be used outdoors, in urban or natural spaces, to simplify activities that normally could only be carried out indoors. The object must be easy to make to allow it to be replicated by people without special craft and construction skills and competences, without the use of professional machinery and industrial production technologies.

_materials

Suggested materials are made through recycling or easily recyclable, as well as those that can be used for a second life if they are abandoned or no longer used.

_dimensions and weight

The object must be easily transportable and stored in a container with a maximum size of 50x30x20cm (approximately a 30-liter backpack) and low weight. It is admitted that it could be disassembled or folded to be transported, if it’s guaranteed an easy reassembling.

_cost

The maximum cost of the materials to make the object must be € 30, considering the standard prices in Italy.

_target

The largest possible pool of users should be favoured

_values to convey

Creativity, curiosity, innovation, ease of use, clear functionality, awareness in the use of available resources.

4. MATERIALS TO SUBMIT

_gallery of 5 images (.pdf, max. 10MB overall size, ratio 4:3)
1. iconic image of the object, its title and short description (max. 280 characters including spaces), designer(s) name(s) and surname(s)
2. list of elements composing the object and their zenith photo
3. prototype (1:1 scale), photo of the disassembled object
4. prototype (1:1 scale) photo of the assembled object
5. photos of the object’s prototype showing its use(s)
_assembly instructions, A3 landscape panel (.pdf, max. 5MB)
object assembly explanation by a sequence of operations
_list of costs, A4 portrait table (.pdf, max 1MB)
_application form
designer(s) data and disclaimers (.pdf, downloadable together with the brief)

5. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Functionality
Innovation
Technical feasibility
Environmental compatibility

6. AWARDS

_prototype construction
The jury will select, build and exhibit from 3 to 5 prototypes, according to the number and quality of the submitted works.
_exhibition
Presentation and exhibition will take place at the natural area of Laghetto dei Camosci in Sant’Ambrogio di Torino (end of July) and at the Intercultural Center 28. Lo Spazio di mezzo in Turin (autumn). Panels and images of the winning projects will be exhibited with stop-motion videos on their construction (edited by our team) and together with a selection of images and panels of other selected projects.
_on-line publication
Winning and selected projects will be published on atelier mobile website and in an ISSUU flipbook.

7. JURY

The jury will be composed by members of the atelier mobile team.

8. LANGUAGE

All texts must be written in Italian or in English.

9. CALENDAR

_brief publication: 3 May 2021
_deadline for sending FAQs: 18 June 2021
_answers to FAQs: every week on www.ateliermobile.org
_deadline for registrations and works submission: 11 July 2021, 11:59 pm CET
_publication of results online: 18 July 2021.

10. REVIEW

Optional, not mandatory on-line reviews with an atelier mobile team member will take place in June, by appointment to be fixed by e-mail by 25 May 2021.

11. TO JOIN THE COMPETITION

The participation to the competition is free, open to creative talents of any nationality, aged 18 or over.
The requested materials must be sent to [email protected] by the submission date. Works presenting materials other than those requested or arriving after the deadline will not be taken into consideration. The intellectual property of the submitted projects belongs to the authors. With the delivery of the projects, the authors consent to the publication of the works, and to their self-construction replica, protected by the Creative Commons license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

12. GENERAL RULES AND PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

Participation in the competition presupposes full acceptance of this brief, the acceptance of the general competition rules, and the consent on personal data processing included in the application form.