Lintel
In 2020, the KÉK – Contemporary Architecture Centre launched its ideas competition to reopen public spaces, with the aim of supporting community and creative initiatives in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic-altered use of public spaces. The pandemic fundamentally changed how we use urban spaces, parks, or even our built environment – this competition responded to such circumstances.
Anyone could enter the competition, which focused on urbanism and the arts, by proposing forward-thinking, attention-grabbing, and cost-effective solutions that offered ways to safely reinterpret community spaces. The aim was to highlight ideas that could be implemented quickly and easily, creatively addressing social distancing, queueing problems, or the repurposing of community spaces (e.g., terraces, front gardens).
A variety of forms and content appeared among the submitted entries:
art installations
space-defining or shading solutions
light installations and community furniture
new space-usage concepts
performances and community program proposals
The selected initiatives were implemented or showcased at KÉK events, as well as presented on our online and physical platforms. In the second phase of the competition, the winning applicants participated in professional consultations with the KÉK team to further develop their ideas toward implementation.
The competition is now closed and currently inactive.
However, the project serves as an inspiring example of how creative urban thinkers can offer quick and sensitive responses to extraordinary social situations, and how urban spaces can be reimagined with new functions and community meanings.