Design Competition and Commission Guidelines

Major new buildings, urban design elements and landscape works in the place of the people will be designed largely by open competition. This will offer equity for all Australian design professionals and further the objective to reflect Australian excellence.

Design competitions have the potential to engender public and professional interest in a project, they provide for an open, transparent process and offer good value for money.

A design competition also allows the sponsor a wide degree of choice in purchasing a winning design concept. This is not always the case with other methods of selecting a designer.

The minimum standard for the conduct of competitions will be as outlined in the Architectural Competitions Handbook (Royal Australian Institute of Architects, 1995). This sets out guidelines, responsibilities and procedures for:

• the competition sponsor
• involvement of the professional design institutes
• a Professional Adviser
• the competition method
• the competition conditions
• the competition jury and jury report

The competition process is adaptable to most projects and can generate a wide range of responses. Competition formats can be developed to suit a full range of projects of the type that will be found in the place of the people.

There may be future circumstances where it is appropriate and in the interest of all parties to commission design works by other means. The National Capital Authority will reserve this right.