Having turned an 80,000-seat football stadium into massive bowl of garbage, Pontiac Silverdome owner Andreas Apostolopoulos ("Apop") faces mounting pressure to do something, anything to show he's redeveloping the 127-acre property. In response, Apop has shrewdly launched a classic stalling technique: The Silverdome International Design Competition!
The website lays out the contest in an introduction that's borderline incoherent. It ranges from statements that make no sense ("The Silverdome was one of the world's most prestigious buildings of its time") to rants that sound like the work of an urban planning-themed spambot:
We seek outstanding ideas that will redefine the site design through the implementation of novel technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution.Other than submission deadlines and a note on formatting, the contest is literally free of constraints. You don't have to be an architect or a designer. You don't even have to incorporate the Silverdome. Have a glass of wine, draw some renderings, and submit by April 12. Sometime in "May-June," an intriguing group of architects (do they know they're doing this?) will determine the winner of the $3,000 prize. For Apop, that's a small price to pay for several more months of doing absolutely nothing.
· The Silverdome: 54 Photos Inside the Ruined NFL Stadium [Curbed]
· Contest site [Official]
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