AMD and Architecture for Humanity establish the Open Architecture Prize
$250,000 prize to develop technology center in developing world.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Architecture for Humanity has
announced the first ever Open Architecture Prize. $250,000 will be
awarded to the winning design of an open competition to develop
technology centers in the developing world. The competition is set to
launch later this year.
The first great challenge for the prize will be the design of a
sustainable technology facility and community center which
incorporates a centralized building equipped with internet
connectivity solutions designed to enable an entire community to
access the transformative power of the Internet. The competition will
be developed with a local community partner for a specific site and
community. Once a design is selected, the prize money will be used to
implement the winning scheme. Designs will also be made available
through the Open Architecture Network.
"The Open Architecture Prize delivers on Architecture for Humanity's
vision of encouraging collaboration and challenging designers to
reach beyond the traditional bounds of architecture to develop
innovative solutions that improve global living conditions," said Dan
Shine, director of the 50x15 Initiative, AMD. "The creative designs
developed in this competition will contribute to the 50x15
Initiative's ambitious goal of connecting 50 percent of the world's
population to the Internet by 2015."
http://50x15.amd.com/
The network was unveiled at TED 2007 by Architecture for Humanity and
a number of its technology partners, including AMD, Creative Commons,
Hot Studio, and Sun Microsystems, Inc.
"For far too long many great award-winning designs have gone
undeveloped," said Cameron Sinclair, executive director and
co-founder, Architecture for Humanity. "Through the Open Architecture
Network we unveiled yesterday and the Open Architecture Prize we are
announcing today, we are not only challenging the creative world to
design innovative structures, we are going one step further and
implementing the winning solution to positively affect thousands of
lives."
In addition to technology expertise and a diverse portfolio of
innovative connectivity solutions, the Initiative brings significant
experience in assessing regional technology problems and deploying
relevant solutions to the winning project. This expertise is
essential in developing the competition criteria, as well as
determining which design will empower a community to the greatest
extent possible.
Most importantly you HAVE to be an Open Architecture Network member
to participate. So, SIGN UP and you will be the first to receive
information on the competition and brief.
http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/user/register
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