Preface: Design competitions promote sustainable Building

Sustainability requirements for built environments increase the complexity of design and highlight the close teamwork needed between design and execution in both newbuild and renovation projects. Current procurement practices often prioritise price over quality, which leads to a conflict: less is invested in design services, yet extreme precision and flexible solutions are expected on the worksites.

Digitalisation and artificial intelligence support routines, but cannot replace expertise, scrutiny, and the management of the whole. Design competitions are the best way to find a high-standard and effective solution for demanding projects, offering the opportunity to review quality based on concrete proposals instead of relying on just price or promises.

When the goal is a sustainable and functional built environment offering long-term economy, a design competition is not a luxury but a rational and justified method for procurement.

Asko Takala, Chairman, Finnish Association of Architects SAFA, Architect SAFA, Kirsti Sivén & Asko Takala Arkkitehdit Oy