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Ghost Town Refuge – Young Architects Competitions

YAC (Young Architects Competitions) — in cooperation with Craco Ricerche — launches Ghost Town Refuge, a competition which invites architects to design a dispersed system of contemporary refuges among the ruins of the ancient Craco.

This system will enable visitors to live a sublime experience: living among ruins and falling asleep under the uncovered vaults of a ghost town.

A total of 15,000 Euro will be awarded in cash prizes. The first prize is 8,000 Euro, the second prize — 4,000 Euro and the third prize — 2,000 Euro.

The competition brief is available on the official website.

There is an axiom, a mysterious and elusive connection between life that has passed in a place and the fascination such space exerts once it has been abandoned. As if any event occurring in architectures could leave a mark. As if any person living in a place could give a unique value to it.

It is something intangible but real, mysterious but perceptible. It is something that remains over time as the echoes of distant lives that turn abandoned cities into indescribably charming places.

Craco is no exception.

Perched on stone pinnacles and clay ridges, Craco is the archetype of the ghost town.

It is a city burned up by the sun and severe winters. It is an assemblage of houses with unsteady bricks clinging to each other. Their arrangement is so expressive and fascinating that looks artificial. It is a sculpture of houses with torn-off roofs, interrupted vaults and ruined bell towers.

It is a place that does not belong to the present. This space is trapped among the depths of the past. Here, time and abandonment made one of their most indescribable miracles.

Every year, thousands of visitors from all over the world look for such miracle in pursuit of intense emotions. They undertake a journey that is not always easy. They do so by following the irresistible call of the most outstanding ghost town on the planet.

Competitors can be students, graduated, freelance architects, designers or artists: it is not mandatory to be involved in architectural disciplines or enrolled in architectural associations.

Joining the competition is possible either individually or with a team.

Ghost Town Refuge – Registration Fees

  • Early bird registration: 60 Euro – until 22 December 2019
  • Standard registration: 80 Euro – from 23 December 2019 to 19 January 2020
  • Late registration: 100 Euro – from 20 January to 16 February, 2020