IN COMMON: SITES OF ENCOUNTER 

CALL FOR PROJECT SUBMISSIONS

This year, the BSA will reinaugurate BSA Space, welcoming members and the public alike through our new "front door" on the second floor of 290 Congress Street. 

To help us celebrate and warm our house, we are reigniting our exhibitions program with In Common: Sites of Encounter, and we invite members--both individuals and firms--to submit your work to be considered for inclusion in the exhibition.

In Common: Sites of Encounter will celebrate a diverse array of architectural spaces where people come together. Where do we linger, celebrate, or mourn? What makes a space feel welcoming? From intentional settings like town halls, mosques, stoops, and dorms, to unexpected spots such as stairwells, laundry rooms, entryways, and playgrounds, In Common will highlight how architecture fosters human connection. The BSA aims to include a range of spaces--some designed to convene communities, others shaped by necessity or chance--in order reveal how these environments influence our interactions, relationships, and sense of belonging. 

The BSA welcomes project submissions of all scales and types, built, unbuilt, or conceptual. Projects selected for inclusion will represent a range of strategies, typologies, styles, and technologies. We encourage you, our members, to think expansively about how "gathering" shows up in your projects or your design concepts and to submit up to 3 projects that you think fit the theme. 

In Common: Sites of Encounter will open at BSA Space on June 1, 2025, and the BSA will host a public open house and exhibition reception on the evening of Friday, June 6. The exhibition reception is timed to coincide with the AIA25 Conference on Architecture & Design, which is taking place in Boston June 4-7 and is expected to bring more than 15,000 architects and related professionals to the City. The exhibition will remain on view through the end of the year. 

Deadline for all submissions: FRIDAY, March 21, 2025, 11:59 PM  NEW DEADLINE is MARCH 26, 2025 at 11:59 PM

To submit, create a new account here! Begin your submission here! 

Questions? Join us for a virtual In Common Q+A session on TUESDAY, March 11 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM. Questions may also be directed to pjohnston@architects.org.

Entrant Eligibility

One person at the firm must be a member of the Boston Society for Architecture. Eligible member categories include:

• BSA / AIA Member
• BSA Firm Member
• Associate AIA Member
• BSA Allied Members
• BSA Student Members

Entries not submitted by a Licensed Architect must credit the Architect of Record where applicable, unless the submission is for an unbuilt or conceptual project. 

During the submission process, entrants will be required to confirm that all necessary permissions from the project’s design lead and (where applicable) owners/client have been obtained as well.

Projects Eligibility

• Projects can be located anywhere in the world.
• Projects can be speculative work or design research.
• Projects can be unbuilt competition entries.

Requirements
All submissions must include the following:

1. One (1) image per Submission, formatted to fit a selected size and orientation:

• Size Selection (Please note that your size selection determines the size your image will be shown on the gallery wall. BSA will determine the precise dimensions for each category based on the final number of selected projects and the exhibition design)
  • Small
  • Medium
  • Large
  • Physical Model
• Orientation
  • Horizontal
  • Vertical
• For those submitting a model, your submission should include a photograph of the model. We are able to consider models that fit within the following dimensions:
  • Height: 48” max, Length: 37.5” max, Width: 28” max
  • Height: 36” max, Length: 18” max, Width: 18” max
  • Height: 40” max, Length: 28” max, Width: 19” max

*Your submitted image must:

• Be high resolution images of 300 dpi and saved as .jpg, .png, or .tiff files. 
• Consist of only 1 individual photograph, drawing, or rendering with no overlaid/additional text, watermarks, or formatting

2. Image Release Form

• Each project submission must include a completed copy of the image release form, specific to the image submitted.

3. Project Credits 

• Title of project
• Year of completion, projected year of completion, or indication that it is a speculative or unbuilt design
• Location
• Project team

*BSA will establish a standard format for displaying credit information. If you choose to enter more than one submission, each submission needs its own set of project credits. 

4. Submission Fee

• Small: $125
• Medium: $225
• Large: $325
• Physical Model: $425

*Fees are per-submission. Firms may submit up to 3 separate projects. 
*Fees are non-refundable. 

Want to learn more about the exhibition? Find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here, or contact the BSA at pjohnston@architects.org.

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