{"id":181,"date":"2024-05-16T19:17:56","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T19:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev2-perkinseastmanthenarrative.dreamhosters.com\/summer2024\/?page_id=38"},"modified":"2024-06-12T16:42:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T16:42:32","slug":"the-rd-dividend","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/perkinseastmanthenarrative.com\/summer2024\/the-rd-dividend\/","title":{"rendered":"The R&D Dividend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

R&D<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dividend<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Win or lose, design competitions are fertile ground for testing bold ideas and sharpening essential skills.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By Nick Leahy<\/strong>
Perkins Eastman Co-CEO and Executive Director<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis is going to make some noise,\u201d remarked French President Georges Pompidou on seeing the competition-winning drawings for a new arts and culture center in the historic Les Halles neighborhood of Paris. While highly controversial in 1971, the design looked to the future and set a mark in the chronicle of architecture. It also launched the careers of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, who went on to become giants of the architectural world. More than 50 years on, the Centre Pompidou is a beloved landmark of modern architecture. It reimagined what a museum could be and prompted a new approach to the materiality and expression of structure in architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The design competition has long played a key role in the tradition and practice of architecture, and it is an essential ingredient in a thriving design-led culture. Competition-winning designs such as the Pompidou can change the course of architecture or reimagine city skylines, and there are many other influential examples: Filippo Brunelleschi\u2019s Duomo (1436), Joseph Paxton\u2019s Crystal Palace (1851), the Gustave Eiffel-led team\u2019s Eiffel Tower (1889), J\u00f8rn Utzon\u2019s Sydney Opera House (1973), and Zaha Hadid\u2019s The Peak (1982\u201383) among them. Besting the competition in a highly publicized contest can also be a springboard to international recognition and new commissions. Much like Piano and Rogers, Utzon and Hadid were unknown on the global stage up and until they, too, won notable competitions.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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An international contest for Paris\u2019s Centre Pompidou put high-tech architecture on the map. Sketch by Nick Leahy | \u00a9 Perkins Eastman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The \u201cArchipelago of Learning\u201d won the competition for the pre-K-12 Canadian International School in Thailand, though another firm received the commission. Local conditions inspired an \u201ceco-canopy\u201d that connects learning \u201cislets\u201d and shelters open spaces. Rendering \u00a9 Perkins Eastman<\/figcaption>\n\n\n\n
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Perkins Eastman, one of the finalists selected by the organizers of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, developed master plan concepts for the riverfront site. Site Plan \u00a9 Perkins Eastman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While such examples are both instructive and inspiring, competitions offer something even more valuable: important opportunities to develop design ideas and skills. Design is a process of continual learning and refinement. It\u2019s honed by practicing our craft and taking on challenges that expand our creativity\u2014competitions among them. At Perkins Eastman, we aspire to \u201cmake some noise\u201d of our own. Yes, we must balance design aspiration and commercial pragmatism, but design competitions are important opportunities to experiment and test boundaries. They teach critical thinking, decision-making, and problem solving, and they sharpen presentation and storytelling skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The competition-winning \u201cMoonrise\u201d scheme for Wuxi Symphony Hall will be a hub of creative energy for Wuxi, China. Rendering Courtesy Perkins Eastman<\/figcaption>\n\n\n\n
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