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JISC Design Competition 2020 Book

Jinkai Initiative Shelter Competition Report and Proposals This is a campaign enlisting and unleashing the creative talents of Nigerian Architecture students to empower, up skill and rehouse internally displaced person (IDPs). Published by Jinkai Initiative

Jinkai Initiative Shelter Competition Report and Proposals

This is a campaign enlisting and unleashing the creative talents of Nigerian Architecture students to empower, up skill and rehouse internally displaced person (IDPs).

Published by Jinkai Initiative

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Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

The competition attracted a plethora of compelling, creative and professionally executed design solutions

from students in Nigeria’s Architecture schools. In reviewing submissions, it was clear to the jury that students

had listened to the call, and in response had rallied skills, understanding, innovation and inspiration to develop

their solutions. An overarching feature of the submissions was a desire to connect people and place -- to honour

tradition, to relate to the land, to bring comfort, to use local materials, to celebrate culture, to investigate the

future, and to create ‘home’ above shelter. The task of judging the many submissions proved daunting, in part

due to the high quality of the work and in part due to the passion, heart and soul clearly embedded in the

solutions. In the end the jury identified three winners and several honourable mentions. All competition entries

were intriguing, captivating and meritorious. Those identified by the jury as top in the pool were distinguished

through the strength of their designs, through the balance & harmony of their planning, through the ingenuity

of their architecture, and through their ability to meet the formidable competition demands around the pursuits

of affordability, sustainability and liveability.

While our initial plans were to hold a festive award ceremony in Abuja where we could personally meet

and congratulate the future architects who designed these great projects with such imagination, dedication,

enthusiasm and talent, our well laid plans were turned upside down by a global pandemic. Instead of convening

in a conference hall in Nigeria we gathered digitally in a Zoom room, honoured with the presence of many

dignitaries and graced with the company of the winning student teams. While the ceremony was not what was

originally envisioned during Ema and Brian’s early coffee talks, it nonetheless served to duly honour the talented

students and generously showcase the amazing design work of the Jinkai Shelter Competition.

To conclude I return to where I started -- that is, the difficult times in which we live. The world is in

many ways unfair, unjust, inequitable, and increasingly uninhabitable. Our futures can feel bleak, our journeys

can feel hard, and our hearts can feel heavy. However, while there are dark clouds over our heads, the sun shines

brightly above them. The excitement, ability, dedication and drive of the Nigerian Architecture students presents

real cause for optimism and hope. The Jinkai Shelter Competition, through the vision of Dr. Emmanuel Gye and

the wherewithal of his team of international Architects, served as a wonderful vehicle to let talent shine and to

reveal to all of us the achievements that can be realized when clever young people are provided opportunities to

‘show their stuff ’. Kudos!

Dr. Brian R. Sinclair, PhD DrHC FRAIC AIA (Intl)

Professor of Architecture & Former Dean, School of Architecture, Planning + Landscape

University of Calgary, Canada

President - sinclairstudio inc.

brian.sinclair@ucalgary.ca | brian.sinclair@sinclairstudio.ca

https://ucalgary.academia.edu/DrBrianRSinclair

JINKAI Initiative Shelter Competition

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