The Unbelievable Challenge 2017 is here

The Finnish building products manufacturer Ruukki Construction wanted to increase the global awareness of its construction solutions and products among architects and build a long-lasting, constructive dialogue with between the two. For this end, in 2014, Ruukki organised The Unbelievable Challenge architectural ideas competition for architect and design students as well as young professionals in these fields. The Unbelievable Challenge introduced the Finnish Mr. Santa Claus, a fictional character, who needed help in building a logistics center for his Christmas gift operations in the northern city of Oulu.

A New Challenge Awaits

This year sees the return of Mr. Santa Claus in The Unbelievable Challenge 2017. Encouraged by the awesome experience last time around, he once again summons young designers around the world to help him.

Grown tired of all the extra gifts he’s left with each year, Mr. Santa Claus has decided to build an epic Winter Wonderland Outlet where he can store the gifts and share the spirit of the season with everyone.

Jointly with Ruukki, he’s found a perfect place for this, an old shopping mall in Wrocław, Poland. The catch is that the shopping mall is in dire need of renovation. It’s not only that the façade of the building needs freshening up, Mr. Santa wants the Winter Wonderland Outlet to be an eye-catcher, something that really attracts large customer flows as well as reflects the wonderful experiences people are offered inside.

For this, he needs the help of designer and architect students, or young professionals in these fields.

This is The Unbelievable Challenge 2017 open architectural ideas competition and the winner is awarded with an amazing internship at the world-renowned design company Snøhetta.

The competition is organised by Ruukki in co-operation with Echo Polska Properties (Poland), Snøhetta (Norway) and Helsinki Design Week (Finland).

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

The competition is seeking ideas-level solutions, and hence the participants are not limited in strictly formal implementations. However, participants are to utilise the program documents and follow the submittal and general guidelines provided by the competition organiser. Additionally, Ruukki products are to be utilised as a part of the overall design.

The submitted proposal is expected to clearly present the idea (the problem & the solution) for the front of a very large outlet centre, Pasaz Grunwaldzki, and show how the site can be transformed from a post war brutalist area to a setting that provides unforgettable experiences. The evaluation of the competition entries will emphasise the big idea and the general quality of the solution.

The competition is aimed at architect and designer students or young professionals in these fields. A participant can be an individual person or a freely chosen team. However, we advise you to consider the prize (internship for one person) if thinking of teaming up. The applicants enter the competition through uploading their competition entry (pdf & jpeg) on The Unbelievable Challenge 2017 website by 20 November 2017 (12 noon EET). No further registration is required.

Schedule

• Deadline for entries: 12 noon EET, 20 November 2017
• The finalists are announced: 4 December 2017
• The finalists present their proposals to the jury in a video conference: 8 December 2017
• The winner is awarded and the results published: 14 December 2017 (personally, on the campaign website and Facebook)

Further information

Campaign site: http://unbelievablechallenge.com/