Tips on layout

Competition entries need to be inspirational and well presented proposals, and everything you do in terms of presentation needs to convince the judges that your proposal is better that all the others. You do not have much time in which to do this - the jury will have to make decisions quickly in order to shortlist entries to a manageable number. As Nick Johnson, a UK jury member for Europan 8, advises:

"You have to communicate your ideas clearly and quickly. Judges are grumpy, irritable, hungry, people with high paid posts and not a lot of time. They are your audience. You are not in the room, they have very little time, they need to understand that you've got the best idea since Eddison invented the light bulb and you need to get that across, beautifully, clearly."

Your A1 boards will need to be well organised, communicate effectively and give a clear description of your project. The Europan rules state that the three boards should be laid out vertically. The first board should describe the urban ideas in relation to the wider site, the theme and the city. The second and third boards should present the project as a whole and explain the architectural proposal within its urban situation. Three dimensional representations should be used to explain the project and give a sense of what it would be like to live there.

See the Europan Europe website for the full rules including the requirements for the A3 bound document.

From our experience of judging Europan 8 we have put together some tips on how to present your ideas to the jury so that your proposal can be engaged with and understood. This guidance should not be seen as prescriptive or as a template for how your proposals should look, but provides some basic hints on presentation.

Present your ideas clearly

  • Your ideas need to be presented very clearly so that they can be understood without someone explaining them.
  • Think about how to use the space to tell the story of your project and highlight your conceptual strategy across a range of scales.

Clear example:

  • The boards should show your design in relation to the proposal for the wider site demonstrating your understanding of the site context and showing how your project will contribute to it.
  • Three dimensional drawings and models could be used to illustrate what it would be like to live there. Key sections and elevations could be selected to demonstrate key spatial or conceptual ideas.

Poor example:

The above drawings are not successful because they have:

  • No information on site location
  • Too much detail set out without any specific hierarchy of information
  • Too much detail on single elements

Communicate effectively

  • Remember that the judges will have a limited time to look at each entry, so you need to convey your concepts as quickly and as succinctly as possible.
  • Choose any three dimensional representations of the project carefully; these will need to be clear and explain the project at a glance.

Clear example:

  • Present the concept for the proposal spatially across a range of scales highlighting qualities that communicate your key ideas.
  • Use photographs of physical models and / or 3D computer renderings as these will help you achieve this and are highly recommended.
  • Populate larger scale drawings with figures these offer a sense of scale, and visually explain how spaces can be adopted and occupied.

Poor example:

Computer visuals / freehand sketches should not dominate the presentation or merely act as an interesting background:

  • Line drawings only with no definition of context or background
  • Style over content
  • Software over content

Graphic representation

  • Choose any graphic representations of the project carefully. Use colour, tone and size to set a visual hierarchy within your boards.
  • Remember that graphic information is primarily scanned and thereafter read from top left to bottom right. Use a visual language to present your concept reinforced with textual explanation.

Clear example:

  • A clear site layout should explain the public space and landscape proposals. Use diagrams to explain ideas succinctly and convey design principles.
  • Typical house and apartment layouts should show how the project can accommodate different needs, and must include appropriate keys and scales.
  • Use a range of heavier and lighter line weights consistently. When drawing apartment layouts, you should distinguish between built and movable elements.

Poor example:

The above proposal fails to communicate well because of its:

  • Use of non existent geography
  • Style led content
  • No definition/hierarchy of information

Use of text

  • Boards should not include too much text, if there is text on the board it should be doing something – introducing, explaining, highlighting or guiding.
  • Too much text can confuse and detract from the visual information, too little may leave the reader with unanswered questions.
  • The purpose of any text is to be read, so choose a typeface for its readability not decorative qualities.
  • Choose a simple range of two or three sizes (weights) of type and use these to guide the viewer. Give a title and graphic scales for each depiction.
  • Keep line length comfortable for the reader - nine to thirteen words.

Clear example:

Poor example:

On the above scheme:

  • Text dominates the proposal
  • There is too much text
  • Text is used to decorate rather than to inform