Featuring a $31,500 CAD prize fund – the international, multidisciplinary and anonymous competition seeks ideas to promote universal ‘invisible’ accessibility which benefits all users of the building ‘in an indistinguishable manner.’ The call for concepts aims to identify a range of solutions to boost three areas of the building which typically offer a poor level of accessibility and inclusivity – the main entrance, the stadium used by the university’s Carabins sports team and the swimming pool. According to the brief: ‘[The] competition promotes the idea of invisible accessibility, an experience of the built environment that is of high quality to all, where the design of accessibility is integrated in an indistinguishable manner, and where universal accessibility is envisaged as a global state of the project experience, rather than a dedicated path made up of identifiable and visible solutions.Advertisement ‘Participants are invited to propose transformative ideas that offer inclusive and equitable experiences for all users. The competition is structured around three typical sports centre experiences that are not currently universally accessible.’ Montréal is the most populous city in Canada’s French-speaking Quebec province. The latest competition comes a year after an open international contest was launched seeking ideas for the reuse of expired roof materials from the Montréal Olympic Stadium. The latest student ideas contest seeks proposals to upgrade the university’s existing sports complex so it can deliver an ‘integral, seamless, and uplifting’ experience for all building users. Participants will be expected look beyond existing technical solutions generally used for universal accessibility, and to develop one or two universal design principles which ‘promote experiential quality, with a view to well-being, comfort and safety.’ Submissions should also offer a new experience accessible to all users which integrates seamlessly into the built environment and to also provide facilities that appeal to all user groups in an undifferentiated way.Advertisement Judges will include Sonia Gagné, architect and senior associate at Provencher_Roy; Christelle Montreuil, inclusive design consultant and president and founder of Idéaux; and Stéphanie Barker, assistant general manager of Cepsum and Carabins at the University of Montréal. Three prizes will be awarded for each category covering the entrance, stadium and pool. In each category, the overall winner – to be announced on 23 October – will receive a $6,000 CAD prize while a second prize of $3,000 CAD and third prize of $1,500 CAD will also be awarded. Competition details Project title Invisible Accessibility Competition Client University of Montréal Contract value Tbc First round deadline 1 July 2025 Restrictions Any student duly enrolled in an academic program (university or school) during at least one of the following semesters: fall 2024, winter 2025 or summer 2025 is eligible to enter the competition. Students can participate alone or as part of a team. Each student participating in the competition, either alone or as part of a team, will be required to submit proof of enrolment in an academic program. In this document, the term ‘participants’ will be used to designate a person or a group of persons participating in the competition More information https://amenagement.umontreal.ca/recherche/invisibleaccessibilitycompetition/