Vector Architects Wins 3rd ArchMarathon

ArchMarathon bills itself as "the platform for dialogue between different players working in the architecture and construction markets [with the goal] to promote the international exchange of ideas, know-how and relationships." The event's hook comes from the invitation of 42 design studios from around the world to Milan for a three-day competition for the prestigious ArchMarathon Prize. Notable firms from the list of 42 included 5+1AA, Alvaro Siza + Carlos Castanheira, AWP, Heatherwick Studio, Hopkins Architects, Park Associati, Perkins+Will, and Vo Trong Nghia Architects.

Ten awards were given out in the same number of typological categories, while one award was given to the "crowd favorite" (via internet voting) and one Overall Winner was awarded. The six-person jury, which consisted of Lucy Bullivant, Elie Haddad, Zhang Li, William Menking, Luca Molinari, and Wassim Naghi, selected Vector Architects' Seashore Library as the top winner. In its selection, the jury described the library as "a poetic balance between architecture and nature. A human refuge from the complexity of urban life."

Visit the ArchMarathon website for information on the Seashore Library and the eleven other winning architects/projects.