[:es]¿Siguen teniendo sentido los concursos de arquitectura? | Stepienybarno[:gl]¿Seguen tendo sentido os concursos de arquitectura? | Stepienybarno[:en]Do they continue having the contests of architecture felt? | Stepienybarno[:]

We return to encourage to touch one of the most troubled topics: the contests of architecture. But we will not do it from an analytical point of view of the same ones, since already we did it in his day during four articles. Today it has not to enter bases, sworn, possible fixes or period, on it already they have written, excellently, other digital publications as n+1 or CCAD .

So, if it seems to you likely, better we will centre on the consequences of the participation in the same ones and how it affects this fact to the group of architects of a determinant way. If you encourage you can accompany us in this exciting trip.

For every contest of architecture that is summoned they are presenting not less than hundred offers, of which a great part they belong to studies on a large scale average or small. We are going to suppose that by every offer there has been destined an average of one month, with a minimum of three persons, during half a day, being employed at the contest. Let’s remember that the half day of the studies of architecture is not in the habit of being 4 hours, but when less (and there is sure that we remain short) of 5 hours for person. So, 5 x 5 (we are afraid that every Saturday we must count them, but we are going to be generous) they are 25 hours for person and week. So, if we do the account of the month, they go out for us 100 hours for person, therefore, we have a total of 300 hours invested by every office.

If we multiply these hours for each of 100 presented offers, they give us the gewgaw of 30.000 hours dedicated by approximately 300 professionals. At the moment, we forget the indirect expenses (Collegiation, Asemas, Hermandad, rent, light …) that stem from the fact of being an architect. For the topic of reversed material (impressions, planes, panels, sending and other trifles) also we will do the fat sight since it is not a question of loading the inks with smallness. Therefore, we had stayed that were 30.000 hours the reversed ones, which multiplied by a reasonable price, we say of 20 Euros the hour (already you see that we are not throwing the house for the window), we obtain 600.000 Euros invested in every contest of architecture. ¡600.000 Euros! That gives the group of architects to company in order that they could have the best ideas and professionals to carry out the dreamed project whenever someone organizes a contest.

One of the immediate consequences is that, for much that pledges, every study will not be able to do any more than 15/20 contests a year and independently of his quality (to be a good study for anything guarantees that it could gain the contest), 80 % of them will not have gained any contest when they finish twelve months. If to this we add that, with the times that run, it is probable that they do not have another type of income, lamentably they will remain doomed to the imminent closing. That is to say, only twenty of every hundred studies of architecture that devote themselves to compete have possibilities of surviving.

To gain a contest of architecture has never been an easy task and less it it is going to be now. There exist very good studies, which in addition are specialists in the execution and presentation of the same ones. Many architects already have authentic instinct to know what bases they smell to rotted and are machineries perfectly lubricated to come to extract something decent in a little time. In turn, it is necessary to assume that some are given better and to others worse this of competing, without possessing that often a good offer (even well presented) is overlooked by the own incompetence of the juror.

But clear, someone will think «what little these speak of well that they goes to those of them that yes that gain someone of these contests!». So yes, really. It was not an evil plan, even it does a little time. There were some contests that were clean and, even, they were possessing a good juror, where to the winning offer (of ten or fifteen offers that they were presenting, not more) him a few worthy fees were respected. But a today, the reality has changed radically. As it was commenting it does few Iñaki Alday, in an interview¹:

“The contests of architecture there suppose setting to work professionals, whose works can go to the bucket of the garbage if one does not turn out to be winning. It is as if you were setting to work five better cooks of Spain in order that they prepare a hake and once presented, you were taking one and were throwing the rest. It should value first other four hakes and take advantage of them because though they are not the best, they are excellent. The ideas are not free. In the advanced countries, the ideas are the most expensive, most valuable thing.

(…)

There exists a species of liquidation of the fees of the professional works. I understand that this is the most serious mistake, because one would not ask for price of balance the surgeon who him is going to operate or to the attorney who is going to defend him. Nevertheless, the current conjuncture generates to demand the minimal thing from an architect who implies many responsibility and which work places inside an economic operation of great importance, of which our fees are a very small part.”

So, if someone has the immense fortune of winning before these more than 100 offers, he will be with that to do it, beside having a good project that convinces the juror, almost sure that it has had to do a disproportionate descent of them, already of for yes, low fees that the administration offers. To it, we have to add that the period in which the project will be executed, also will have had to be minors of the desirable thing.

Therefore, with similar panorama, what can it make the winner? So at the moment, to be thinking of seeing how with little money it is capable of subcontracting part of the work and to contrive them to deliver in time. In fact, what will touch, almost surely, will be to eat tortilla of potato as the only plate and to pray in order that everything is OK and not to have the bad luck of which you touch construction one that of acceding to the construction of the building has done a descent of 40 % of the budget. If it is like that, with the prayers it will not be sufficient.

This one is the sad reality that we see. To think that someone can survive gaining contests, except honourable exceptions, we see it complicated. Even this way, we remain expectant for knowing if you are felt to continuing competing as the court is.

Stepienybarno_Agnieszka Stepien and Lorenzo Barnó, architects

Estella, july 2011

Volvémonos animar a tocar un dos temas máis conflitivos: os concursos de arquitectura. Pero non o faremos dende un punto de vista analítico destes, pois xa o fixemos no seu día durante catro artigos. Hoxe non toca entrar en bases, xurados, posibles apaños ou prazos, sobre iso xa escribiron, excelentemente, outras publicacións dixitais como n+1 ou CCAD .

Así que, se vos parece ben, mellor centrarémonos nas consecuencias da participación nestes e como afecta este feito ao colectivo de arquitectos de xeito determinante. Se vos animades podedes acompañarnos nesta apaixonante viaxe.

Por cada concurso de arquitectura que se convoca estanse a presentar non menos de cen propostas, das cales unha gran parte pertencen a estudos de escala media ou pequena. Imos supoñer que por cada proposta se destinou unha media dun mes, cun mínimo de tres persoas, durante media xornada, traballando no concurso. Recordemos que a media xornada dos estudos de arquitectura non adoita ser de 4 horas, senón cando menos (e seguro que nos quedamos curtos) de 5 horas por persoa. Así que, 5 x 5 (temémonos que os sábados debésemos contalos, pero imos ser xenerosos) son 25 horas por persoa e semana. Así que, se facemos a conta do mes, nos saen 100 horas por persoa, polo tanto, temos un total de 300 horas investidas por cada oficina.

Se multiplicamos estas horas por cada unha das 100 propostas presentadas, dannos a chilindrada de 30.000 horas dedicadas por uns 300 profesionais. De momento, esquécensenos os gastos indirectos (Colegiación, Asemas, Irmandade, aluguer, luz…) que se derivan do feito de ser arquitecto. Para o tema de material invertido (impresións, planos, paneis, envíos e demais zarandajas) tamén faremos a vista gorda pois non é cuestión de cargar as tintas con menudeces. Polo tanto, quedaramos que eran 30.000 horas as invertidas, que multiplicadas por un prezo módico, digamos de 20 euros a hora (xa vedes que non estamos a tirar a casa pola ventá), obtemos 600.000 euros invertidos en cada concurso de arquitectura. ¡600.000 euros! que regala o colectivo de arquitectos ao sociedade para que poidan dispoñer das mellores ideas e profesionais para levar a cabo o soñado proxecto cada vez que alguén organiza un concurso.

One of the immediate consequences is that, for much that pledges, every study will not be able to do any more than 15/20 contests a year and independently of his quality (to be a good study for anything guarantees that it could gain the contest), 80 % of them will not have gained any contest when they finish twelve months. If to this we add that, with the times that run, it is probable that they do not have another type of income, lamentably they will remain doomed to the imminent closing. That is to say, only twenty of every hundred studies of architecture that devote themselves to compete have possibilities of surviving.

Gañar un concurso de arquitectura nunca foi tarefa doada e menos vaino ser agora. Existen estudos moi bos, que ademais son especialistas na execución e presentación destes. Moitos arquitectos xa teñen auténtico instinto para saber que bases ulen a podre e son maquinarias perfectamente engraxadas para chegar sacar algo decente en moi pouco tempo. Á súa vez, hai que asumir que a uns se lles dá mellor e a outros peor isto de concursar, sen contar con que moitas veces unha boa proposta (mesmo ben presentada) é pasada por alto pola propia incompetencia do xurado.

Pero claro, algún pensará «!que pouco falan estes do ben que lles vai a aqueles deles que si que gañan algún deses concursos! «. Pois si, efectivamente. Non era un mal plan, ata hai pouco tempo. Había algúns concursos que eran limpos e, mesmo, contaban cun bo xurado, onde á proposta gañadora (das dez ou quince propostas que se presentaban, non máis) se lle respectaban uns honorarios dignos. Pero a día de hoxe, a realidade cambiou radicalmente. Como comentaba fai pouco Iñaki Alday, nunha entrevista¹:

“Os concursos de arquitectura supoñen poñer a traballar profesionais, cuxos traballos poden ir ao cubo do lixo se un non resulta vencedor. É coma se puxeses a traballar os cinco mellores cociñeiros de España para que preparen unha pescada e unha vez presentadas, colleses unha e tirases o resto. Deberíase valorar primeiro as outras catro pescadas e aproveitalas porque aínda que non sexan a mellor, son excelentes. As ideas non son gratis. Nos países avanzados, as ideas son o máis caro, o máis valios.

(…)

Existe unha especie de liquidación dos honorarios dos traballos profesionais. Entendo que isto é un erro grave, porque un non pediría prezo de saldo ao cirurxián que o vai operar ou ao avogado que o vai defender. Non obstante, a conxuntura actual xera esixir o mínimo a un arquitecto que implica moita responsabilidade e cuxo traballo se enmarca dentro dunha operación económica de grande envergadura, da cal os nosos honorarios son unha parte moi pequena.”

Así que, se alguén ten a inmensa fortuna de gañar ante esas máis de 100 propostas, se encontrará con que para facelo, ademais de ter un bo proxecto que convenza ao xurado, case seguro que tivo que facer unha baixada desproporcionada dos, xa de por si, baixos honorarios que ofrece a administración. A iso, temos que engadir que os prazos nos que se executará o proxecto, tamén terán tido que ser menores do desexable.

Polo tanto, con semellante panorama, ¿que pode facer o gañador? Pois de momento, ir pensando en ver como con tan pouco diñeiro é capaz de subcontratar parte do traballo e apañarllas para entregar a tempo. De feito, o que tocará, case seguro, será comer tortilla de pataca como prato único e rezar para que todo vaia ben e non ter a mala sorte de que che toque unha construtora que para acceder á construción do edificio fixese unha baixada do 40% do presuposto. Se é así, coas pregarias non será suficiente.

Esta é a triste realidade que nós vemos. Pensar que alguén pode sobrevivir gañando concursos, salvo honrosas excepcións, vémolo complicado. Aínda así, quedamos expectantes por saber se vós encontrades sentido a seguir concursando tal e como está o patio

Stepienybarno_Agnieszka Stepien e Lorenzo Barnó, arquitectos

Estella, xullo 2011