INTRODUCTION
Encompassing both labor and sex, human trafficking denies basic freedoms and degrades life to mere commodification. Traffickers prey on vulnerable populations, employing a multitude of sophisticated strategies to lure or coerce individuals into lives of forced service. An eradication of trafficking demands stringent and absolute global enforcement of human rights. A s olution f urther e ntails concentrated effort to reform areas where illicit behaviors have become normalized.
In source communities, such as Tenancingo Municipality, Mexico, human trafficking has become industry, sustaining both the wealth of its citizens and international networks of illegal human exchange. Positioning itself in such a context, arch out loud seeks to investigate architecture’s capacity to challenge entrenched exploitation.
arch out loud challenges designers to reimagine the town square of Tenancingo, Mexico in response to the prevalent issues of sex trafficking existing in the area. Designers should explore the catalytic potentials of architectural intervention, inciting positive change through the introduction of a transformative mediascape. The proposed conversion should aim to both educate and empower, reforming entrenched behavior. How might a modified square reshape communal mindset and motivation, reconstituting the image of a town where exploitation has become normalized?
REWARDS
Prizes total to $8,000
OVERALL WINNER – $5,000 + AO feature and certificate
3 Runners up – $1,000 each + AO feature and certificate
10 Honorable Mentions – AO feature and certificate
Directors Choice – AO feature and certificate
JURY
Hilary Sample – Founder, MOS Architects | Columbia University
Tatiana Bilbao – Founder, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
César Guerrero – Partner, S-AR
Ana Cecilia Garza – Partner, S-AR
Anouk Legendre – Founder, XTU Architects
Nicolas Desmazières – Founder, XTU Architects
Ashley Schafer – Founder, Praxis Journal | Harvard GSD, Knowlton School OSU
Kathrin Susanna Gimmel – Partner, Ja-Ja
People’s Architecture Office (PAO)
CALENDAR
Advanced Registration: Feb 20 – Mar 18
Early Registration: Mar 19 – Apr 17
Regular Registration: Apr 18 – May 14
Submission Deadline: May 15
Contact arch out loud at info@archoutloud.com