The UIA-HYP Cup is the sole UIA sponsored international student competition held annually on mainland China. The competition is reflecting on the issues existing in the process of urban-rural and architectural evolution, and responding to the era we live in.
The competition theme for 2024 is: Spatial Restructuring: Reestablishing Urban Density.
Three main prizes consisting of 250,000 RMB (almost $35,000) and certificates will be awarded to the best works.
Architects need to reimagine a design approach that combines the dual standards and depth of urban planning and architectural design.
More details about the theme for 2024 are available on the official website:
China’s urban development has entered an important period of comprehensive urban renewal, and urban construction has shifted from large-scale incremental construction to equal emphasis on improvement of existing buildings and structural adjustment of the newly built ones. This decision of the government clearly indicates the end of the urban development stage of large-scale demolition and construction, and is also a timely correction.
The development model of Chinese cities in the past thirty years is a typical suburban expansion model in Europe and America. On one hand, this rough model contains serious social problems that may erupt in the future, and on the other hand, it causes destructive damage to traditional urban texture, density, and culture accumulated over thousands of years in various parts of China. Therefore, it is necessary to make the decision-makers in cities across the country realize that urban and rural renewal is not a development strategy that cities and towns have to adopt due to limited lands for construction, but a necessary path to rebuild China’s own urban culture and promote true urban cultural revival. The premise of this understanding is a sense of crisis towards the collapse of Chinese urban culture.
Participants are invited to choose a 500m by 500m block in a high-density old urban area in your city, and try to redesign it based on the premise that the texture and density of the urban road network cannot be changed. Communicate fully with local residents, carefully consider what shall be “retained, renovated, or demolished,” and try to reconstruct an open, eco-friendly block that combines residential functions and service industries for a given population of 5,000 people. At the beginning of your design, consider what shall be appropriate implementation strategies and ways of construction.
The complete list of awards for 2024 includes:
- 1st Prize (1 team) : Certificate and 100,000 RMB (around 13,700USD, before tax)
- 2nd Prize (3 teams) : Certificate and 30,000 RMB (around 4,100USD, before tax)
- 3rd Prize (6 teams) : Certificate and 10,000 RMB (around 1,370USD, before tax)
- Honorable Mentions (several teams): Certificate
- Advisors of prize-winning projects: Certificate
The UIA-HYP Cup 2024 is a fair competition open to all architecture and relevant major students around the globe.
For complete regulations and to apply, please check the official website.
No Entry Fee!
It's free to enter.
