Dezeen promotion: Fentress Architects is inviting entries to its annual Fentress Global Challenge – a competition that tasks students with designing an airport terminal for the year 2100.

First launched in 2011, the annual Fentress Global Challenge (FGC) is open to graduate and undergraduate students across the globe, and aims to advance the pursuit of innovative design in public architecture.

Designers are asked to create a new airport terminal concept, taking into consideration forecasts for the future population, environmental conditions, modes of travel and potential destinations.

"Despite a multitude of technological advances including video conferencing and drones, the proliferation of airports worldwide continues to be spurred on by global commerce and an unrelenting demand for travel," said Fentress Architects.

"While the airport terminal – conceived a century ago – is a relatively new architectural typology, it has since its inception held equal importance with quintessential civic buildings: city halls, courthouses, libraries, museums, and theatres."

"Yet, airports are uniquely complex and they are more than just high volume transportation hubs," added the US practice. "Increasingly, airports are also workplaces, centres of commerce, recreational outlets, and cultural resources."

Over its past 10 editions, the competition has accrued thousands of entries from over 75 countries that have competed for top honours.

Both undergraduate students who are currently pursuing architecture or engineering degrees in an accredited university program and recent graduates who have received a degree in architecture or engineering within the last four years are free to enter.

Current students must provide proof of active enrolment status, which includes a scanned copy of their student ID and current course schedule. Recent graduates must provide a scanned copy of their diploma.

As Fentress Architects explains, all concepts must be contextualised to create an identity for themselves.

"Context is more than an intellectual consideration of the history or physical appearance of a neighbourhood, city, or state, and it's more than the way new will live with old."

"Context draws on the senses, the sights, smells and memories that define a place and make it unique. Context grows from community, and people respond to it."

Entrants are also encouraged to make predictions about the factors that will most influence airport terminal building design in the year 2100, and improve on at least one of these elements.

This includes mobility, urbanisation, globalisation, technology, flexibility, security, project feasibility and passenger experience.

Concepts must be sustainable – boasting environmentally responsible, healthy, equitable and profitable qualities – as well as resilient – being capable of adapting to changing conditions and maintaining functionality through natural and manmade disasters.

The new terminal concept must also be located at one of the world's 20 busiest airports, including Dubai International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and London's Heathrow airport.

Designs are evaluated on their use of clear and concise language to convey ideas, key points and design solutions, and photographs, diagrams, renderings, animations, collages and other visualisations are encouraged to help explain the concept.

A jury of distinguished industry experts will look for innovative and inspiring design approaches, with both the concept and design solution being presented through unique and compelling graphics and other media.

The winner of first place will be awarded $10,000, and will be given the opportunity to accompany FGC founder, Curtis Fentress, to a prestigious architectural event. Airfare, lodging and entrance fees will be paid for by Fentress Architects, with a limit of $5,000.

If designers are entering as a group, the monetary prize and attendance at the architectural event will be distributed equally.

The second place winner will receive $3,000, and the third place winner will receive $2,000, while the two selected winners of the People's Choice Award will each be given $1,000.

Entrants must submit their concepts by midnight 31 July 2020. The shortlist will be announced on 4 September, before the winners announcement on 2 October 2020.

Participants must register and upload competition materials to their profile page on the FGC website.

Concepts must be written in English, and use the American system of measurements.

To find out more about the submission guidelines and Fentress' "eight touchstones of design", visit the company's design philosophy page.

For more information on the competition itself, visit the Fentress Architects website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Fentress Architects as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.