The 72 Hour Urban Action — a rapid, real-time architecture competition first organized last year in Bat-Yam, Israel — is coming to Melbourne on 25-30 July 2011. And applications are now being accepted!



This event is being organized by the Melbourne-based design office OUTR (Office of Urban Transformations).

100 international/national architects, designers, craftspeople and artists will race the clock to design and construct exciting new public space projects in just 72 hours in a real-time design challenge aimed at transforming Melbourne’s Docklands.

Applications for the competition are now open for individuals and groups, who will work in cross-disciplinary teams of 10 over three days and three nights to construct 10 exciting urban sites throughout the Docklands area from Monday, 25 July. Landscape Urbanism 72 Hour Urban Action Melbourne teams design, build, work and sleep on site, enriching the city with a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary experience. The competition offers an innovative platform that encourages rapid change through human initiative and creativity.

There's a two-tiered registration deadline. For the early bird, send your application by 2 May 2011. Everyone else has until 31 May 2011 to file theirs.

First prize is worth $20,000.00AUD.

Meanwhile, original event co-organizer Kerem Halbrecht is on a lecture tour of the United States this month presenting his organization's innovative platform for rapid urban change. He'll be speaking tonight at the Rebar Group in San Francisco, and tomorrow at Materials & Applications in Los Angeles.

Also, if you're still interested in which direction we think this event should go in the future, check out our idea for 72 Hour Urban Action in Venice. But you could just substitute Venice with any city with an architecture biennale (or without).