Announcement | The 10th UABB(Shenzhen) Huaqiangbei Sub-VenuePre-announcement of International Call for Creative Ideas

1.Project Context

The Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB) is a biennial cultural event collaboratively established by Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It serves as a vital platform for showcasing global cities and represents pioneering practices of urban space rejuvenation and experimental urban interventions. The 10th UABB will feature a sub-venue at Huaqiangbei, set to open in December 2025.

Huaqiangbei, known globally as "China's No. 1 Electronic Street", will host exhibitions themed on "Future City x Technology x Art" during the 10th UABB, exploring how technology can empower urban spaces in the future. For this purpose, we are inviting creative ideas and proposals from individuals and organizations worldwide to energize the spatial innovation of Huaqiangbei.This call for submissions is divided into two main categories: "Creative Renovation Proposals" and "Archival Documents" submissions.

2. "Creative Renovation Proposal" Call for Submissions

2.1 Background and Site Conditions for the Creative Renovation Proposal Collection

The design area encompasses the main street of Huaqiangbei, stretching approximately 1 kilometer from Shennan Avenue in the south to Hongli Road in the north. The research area extends westward to Huafu Road and eastward to Yannan Road. Participants are encouraged to explore transportation, spatial planning, industry, and culture through comprehensive research and select several nodes to proceed with the creative work based on their areas of expertise and interest.

Principles to Follow:

（1）Below the main street is the metro track, and the design proposal should minimize interference with the underground structure's load-bearing capacity. Lightweight and easy-to-construct materials with minimal foundation impact and measures should be used as much as possible.

（2）Non-removable structures on-site: the central metro evacuation stairway; underground utility shafts and ventilation facilities; metro station entrances and exits, as detailed in the basic information.

（3）Facilities that can be renovated: underground commercial entrances and exits, flowerbeds, and other surface structures (which can be demolished or have their functions redefined), as well as surface paving and green belts (where space reorganization is allowed).

2.2 Creative Renovation Proposal Submission Guidelines

This design competition is divided into two stages: the Creative Selection and the Recommended Implementation. The Creative Selection stage focuses on gathering cross-disciplinary creative ideas, encouraging participants to break the boundaries of architecture, technology, art, and more, exploring limitless possibilities through groundbreaking thinking. The Recommended Implementation stage emphasizes practicality, exploring the entire process from concept to prototype, testing, and final display.

Participants may focus their design efforts on the following aspects:

(1) Street landscape enhancement  (including but not limited to metro entrance/exit spaces, flower bed greening, advertising screens, etc.);

(2) Proposals for event planning (including but not limited to exhibitions, forums, operations, etc.);

(3）Artistic installation design；

(4) Flexible exhibition hall.

Participants are encouraged to combine their professional expertise with emerging trends in spatial development, proposing design ideas that are both innovative and feasible.

2.3 Design Principles

(1)Creativity through design innovation: We encourage proposals for futuristic architectural, spatial, or installation designs that challenge conventional renovation models. Innovative experimental representations using non-architectural mediums are also welcomed, provided they are accompanied by practical construction strategies.

(2) Multifunctional spatial integration: Proposals should facilitate transitions between various scenes, such as exhibitions, social gatherings, product promotions, and cultural dissemination.

(3) Public space system: Proposals should aim to optimize and enhance the public space system along the main street of Huaqiangbei.

(4) Sustainability: We encourage the use of cost-effective, movable, and prefabricated construction technologies.

(5)Urban memory: Preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Huaqiangbei with new narratives of the contemporary era, balancing tradition and innovation.

2.4 Creative Renovation Proposal Activity Rules

2.4.1 Creative Selection Stage

(1) The Creative Selection stage adopts a "free choice" creative model, where participants can choose from the following intervention scales based on their professional background and interests. Participants are encouraged to break through traditional space renovation paradigms.

a、Full Street System: Challenge the spatial reconstruction of a 1-kilometer main street, proposing strategies that encompass traffic flow, main street operations, and spatial renovation.

b、Key Nodes: Select strategic nodes for design, spatial strategies, and research. This can be a single node or multiple nodes chosen from the area.

c. Self-selected nodes: Focus on "negative spaces" such as underground entrances and exits, evacuation stairways, underground ventilation shafts, and underground spaces, and achieve the greatest spatial value transformation through small-scale interventions.

d、Vacant space activation: Select unused areas along the main street for research on spatial strategies, usage methods, and event planning.（2）The competition announcement will be published on relevant platforms. Participating organizations are required to submit public creative proposal documents as per the guidelines. The submitted proposal documents will be reviewed by the judging committee, and the top 9 shortlisted proposals will be selected.

（3）All shortlisted proposals that pass the review will be showcased at the biennale.

2.4.2. Second Stage: Recommended Implementation Stage

The jury will select outstanding proposals with high feasibility and implementation potential for the “Jury’s Recommendation Award”. The proposals that receive this award will be further explored for practical implementation. Designers of the recommended implementation projects will have the opportunity to be recommended as exhibitors at this year's Huaqiangbei Biennale. They will work alongside the curatorial team and spatial renovation team to complete the final spatial creative presentation.

3. Schedule

The schedule for this design competition is as follows (all times are in China Standard Time, CST, unless otherwise stated):

Note: The organizing party reserves the right to adjust the schedule.

4. Participant Qualifications

Registration requirements: The competition is open to teams and individuals worldwide in the fields of planning, architecture, landscape architecture, technology，art, and planning, as well as to the general public. We encourage collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams to contribute innovative ideas and solutions for the future of Huaqiangbei.  

5. Participation Method

5.1 Registration for Creative Renovation Proposal Call for Submissions

5.1.1 Access to Technical Documentation

Log in to Baidu Cloud Drive:

https://pan.baidu.com/s/1HvYkBB_DkZTK9-H6MsqnHA?pwd=k56z 提取码: k56z

Log in to Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-A4G7nFP-iFleR070w6C5ToApFE0bCZy?usp=sharing

5.1.2 Site Survey

Participants are responsible for arranging their own site survey.

6. Submission and Evaluation Mechanism for Entries

The submission deadline for entries in the Creative Renovation Proposal should be submitted by email before 6:00 PM, May 15, 2025(Beijing Time)
Design Depth: The conceptual design should emphasize the core idea and concept expression.
Deliverables Requirements: Submit an A3-sized PDF with content limited to 30 pages maximum. The content format is flexible, such as concept sketches, design analysis diagrams, overall layout plans, individual floor plans, elevation and section drawings, and detailed partial diagrams that can effectively express the design intention. The design concept should be clearly articulated. The proposal must demonstrate a certain level of feasibility, and it is recommended to provide explanations on the materials and cost estimation.

Evaluation Mechanism for Creative Renovation Proposal Call:
The review committee for this call will be composed of the spatial renovation lead team, curators, and renowned architects, who will be responsible for professionally evaluating the final submitted proposals. In the subsequent implementation phase, committee members will adopt a mentor+participant model to ensure project progression and quality control.

Innovation (30%):Integration of Breakthrough design thinking and integration of technology；

Feasibility (25%): Technical feasibility and cost controllability；

Cultural Relevance (25%): Contemporary interpretation of the Huaqiangbei spirit；

Public Participation (20%): The openness of the space to the public and its interactive potential，including accessibility and community engagement.

7.Awards and Prizes

7.1 Creative Renovation Proposal Call for Submissions

Shortlisted proposals for the Creative Renovation Proposal Call that are deemed to meet the design requirements of the competition by the judging committee will receive corresponding competition prizes. The total prize pool for the competition is approximately 100,000 RMB (tax included). If a proposal is selected as a recommended implementation plan, additional fees for the subsequent design refinement will be negotiated separately. The specific awards and prize distribution are as follows:

First Prize (1 winner): 20,000 RMB (tax included) + Award Certificate

Second Prize (3 winners): 12,000 RMB (tax included) + Award Certificate

Third Prize (5 winners): 8,000 RMB (tax included) + Award Certificate

Honorable Mentions (multiple awards): Award Certificate

All shortlisted proposals that pass the review and meet the competition criteria will be eligible for content display at the Biennale.

8. Intellectual Property

By submitting entries for the Creative Selection, participants are deemed to accept the following intellectual property terms.

8.1 Participants shall guarantee that the entries they submit are original works created by them, and they hold independent, complete, clear, and undisputed copyright to these works. The submitted entries have not been plagiarized or copied from others' works. The entries have not been publicly published or distributed anywhere, nor have they been authorized for commercial use (whether paid or unpaid) by any organization or individual. Additionally, the entries have not participated in any other competitions or call-for-submission activities, nor have they received any awards.

8.2 Participants shall guarantee that their submitted entries do not and will not infringe upon any third party's intellectual property rights (including but not limited to copyrights, patents), trade secrets or proprietary know-how, either domestically or internationally. If the entry includes or uses any third party's intellectual property, proprietary technology, or trade secrets, participants must have obtained legitimate, effective, and sufficient authorization from the rights holders. All compensation liabilities arising from infringement of others' intellectual property, trade secrets or proprietary know-how shall be borne by the participant. Any related disputes arising from violations of the above guarantees will be the sole responsibility of the participant, and the review committee will not be held liable. In such cases, the review committee has the right to disqualify the participant and demand the return of any prizes or earnings obtained based on the entry, as well as compensation for any losses caused to the review committee.

8.3 Except for the right of attribution, all intellectual property rights of the proposals shall belong to the organizer. By submitting the "The 10th Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Shenzhen) Huaqiangbei Sub-venue Global Creative Call Registration Form" the applying organization is deemed to have agreed to these terms. The organizer has the right to use, adjust, or modify the submitted proposals in the subsequent design and construction phases of the project.

9. Participation Fees

Participants shall bear all costs associated with their participation in this design competition independently.

10. Confidentiality

Participants in this design competition must keep confidential the drawings, relevant materials, and any information related to the committee that they learn during the competition process, as provided by the judging committee.

11. Language

11.1 This announcement is written in both Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the two languages, the Chinese version shall prevail.

11.2 Entries and correspondence between participants and the judging committee related to this design competition must be written in Chinese. Supporting documents and printed materials submitted along with the entries can be in another language, but must be accompanied by a Chinese translation.

12.Other Terms

12.1 This design competition and public call for submissions, including the competition itself and related documents, are governed by the laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China.

12.2 This design competition and public call for submissions are not government procurement projects, nor are they construction tender projects, and do not apply to laws, regulations, rules, or normative documents related to government procurement or construction tenders.

12.3 Participants understand and agree that the ideas and/or concepts used in the entries submitted by other participants may be similar to the ideas and/or concepts in their own submitted entries. Participants shall not claim compensation from the judging committee for any similarity in ideas and/or concepts between their entry and those of other participants.

12.4 All participants in this design competition and public call for submissions are deemed to agree to and accept the relevant provisions and requirements of this announcement.

12.5 The final interpretation of this design competition and the related documents of the public call for submissions belongs to the judging committee.

12.6 For any other matters not covered, you may contact us by phone for consultation.

13. Organizational and Contact Information

Guiding Organization: Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen

Host:The People's Government of Futian District, Shenzhen Municipality

Organizer:Futian Administration, Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen

Contacts: Ms. Liu, Mr. He

TEL：0755-83139129

Email：hqbuabb@163.com