12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition(TAC)
Theatre of Possibilities
Introduction
This is the 12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition (TAC) organised by Sharjah
Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) and the OISTAT Architecture Commission with support
from Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) and Sharjah Architecture Triennale.
This document provides a design brief, which is to be read in conjunction with the Terms
and Conditions below and associated site drawings and photographs.
The Theatre Architecture Competition is an international ideas competition aimed atstudents and emerging architecture practitioners. The winning entry is unlikely to be built,
but cash prizes will be awarded, and the best entries will be exhibited at World Stage
Design located at Bait Al Obaid Shamsi, in Sharjah, in October 2025.
We are interested in seeing innovative ideas for a performance space that could be built toprovide the best use and highest value for an area of cultural activity.
Performance is more than the visual, there are many ways to tell a story and at the very
beginning of this process is the space it happens within. What is the audience interactionand experience from the beginning of their visit to the time they leave? They are part of thatexperience, not merely an observer. A theatre space should envelop the audience, feel safefor the artists and have a plethora of opportunities and ﬂexibility.
Timeline
3rd June 2024: Brief issued
11th November 2024: deadline for questions
2nd December 2024: answers to questions
19th December 2024: Submissions open
14th April 2025: All submissions must be received(Please note: Any submissions after this date will not be accepted)
May 2025: The jury meet to ﬁnalise entries
9th June 2025: Entrants are informed whether they have been chosen to exhibit their work.
Drawings, photographs and information on the site are provided and can be downloadedwith the brief from the World Stage Design website.
Design Brief1

12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition(TAC)
The site for the competition is the courtyard of Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, situated in the Heartof Sharjah
Google Maps

Site History
Built around 1845 for merchant Obaid Bin Hamad Al Shamsi, the site surrounding thecourtyard is situated over two ﬂoors. The main building material is coral.
Bait Al Shamsi reflects authentic Arabic Islamic Architecture. Built on two levels, there are
16 rooms, three upstairs and importantly, the distinctive top ventilation-structures windtowers known as 'Barjeel'. After renovation in 1997, 13 studios are maintained around the
traditional courtyard, titled the ‘Hall of Arts”, as they host professional artists.
How is the site currently used?
The site is currently managed by Sharjah Art Foundation. The courtyard is used throughout
the year for various cultural activities such as the Focal Point Art Book Fair, performances,
concerts, workshops and community programming. When theres no programmed activity,
the courtyard is a popular thoroughfare. The rooms surrounding the courtyard are host to
artist studios, artists in residence, exhibition spaces and oaice spaces. There is an air oftranquil creativity across the property during the day, while in the evenings the area
becomes a hive of activity.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for ideas for the most innovative use of the site that would provide ﬂexible
and multiple options to both SAF and SPAA. We do not want to place undue limitations on
ideas that may be developed in this design competition, and accordingly, we only ask thatcreativity and ﬂexibility be embraced.
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12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition(TAC)
HOW CAN WE CREATE A FLEXIBLE TEMPORARY PERFORMANCE STUDIO FOR 6
MONTHS OF THE YEAR WITHOUT LOSING THE LOCALE OF THE HOUSE?
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Embrace the heritage of the site and the region.
Create a temporary outdoor performance venue for multiple live performance genres,
including but not limited to contemporary and traditional music, solo artists and small
groups, drama, new writing, and spoken word between the months of October andApril.
Consider a maximum build and deconstruct time of no more than 3 days and eaicientstorage capabilities.
Employ sustainable methods in its construction and encourage and support
sustainable ways of working in its daily activity.
Include accessible design for disabled artists and patrons to have equal
opportunities to experience and engage with the performance.
Provide audience capacity of a maximum of 100 patrons in a variety of conﬁgurations.
Facilities and artist support, such as dressing rooms (both single and ensemble),greenroom and company oaice, bathrooms, kitchens and foyer space, will be provided
in the existing buildings within Bait Al Shamsi.
Costings are not required, but the jury will favour submissions which are practical andrealizable.

Climate Considerations
The venue is intended to be used for 6 months of the year between October and April
inclusive, where temperatures range from 19 – 30 degrees celsius. Rainfall during thistime averages between 2 – 18 mm per month, although we have recently seen more
rainfall than previously experienced. Performances will primarily take place in the evening
when it will be the coolest.
Environmental Considerations
There are several environmental considerations that should be taken into account toensure sustainable practices and preservation of the site's cultural and ecological integrity.
Here are some key items:
Sustainable practices such as using locally sourced materials, incorporating traditionalarchitectural elements for natural ventilation and passive cooling, and implementing
energy-eaicient systems are essential. Preservation of biodiversity, along with water
conservation measures, aligns with the Emirate’s commitment to environmental
stewardship.
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12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition(TAC)
The design should respect the historical signiﬁcance of the site and its surroundings. All
designs should be done in a way that preserves the original architecture and cultural
heritage.
Noise Considerations
Noise emanating from the site may be one of the easiest environmental concerns to miss.
The surrounding environment is home to many diaerent people who either work, create inor visit the area. Also, how can we enhance the site so that it supports the acoustics of thevarious types of performances?
Physical Considerations
The size and immediate environment of the Courtyard will inform an intimate performance
space, and this should be acknowledged and reﬂected in the design. The relationshipbetween the performer and the audience in this context is crucial, and entries that remove
any barriers are sought.
Site Access
There are three access points: Corniche Street at the creek side, from the street in front of
Sharjah Art Museum, and through a narrow passageway from Arts Square, as highlighted
by the red arrows below. Consideration should also be paid to services and their access.
Does the primary access point for all deliveries aaect the positioning? How can services
be supported in the design of the building?

More information about the site can be found in the Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Package
available from the World Stage Design 2025 website.
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12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition(TAC)
More information about Sharjah Performing Arts Academy and Sharjah Arts Foundation
can be found at https://spaa.ae and https://www.sharjahart.org
If you have any questions regarding the competition, please contact
infowsd2025@spaa.ae
All questions should be received by the 11th November 2024.

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12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition
(TAC)

1.

Terms & Conditions

a. Sharjah Performing Arts Academy, Sharjah Art Founda?on, Sharjah Architecture Triennale and The
Architecture Commission of OISTAT (Interna?onal Organisa?on of Scenographers, Theatre Technicians andTheatre Architects) is promo?ng an interna?onal ideas compe??on in a single stage, open to architects andstudents of schools of architecture.
b. Collabora?ons between architects and other theatre prac??oners, such as directors, designers, writers,
technicians, actors, dancers, musicians, or students in those ﬁelds, will be welcomed, although it is not anessen?al requirement.
c. Architects or students associated with members of the jury are not permiLed to enter.
d. The fee for the compe??on is AED 200 per entry and must be paid at the ?me of submission by Credit Cardand prize money will be awarded to winning entries in accordance with clause 4.1 below.
Entrants from the 22 Arab speaking countries are eligible for a 100% subsidy on their entry fee.
e. Timeline

Timeline
3rd June 2024: Brief issued
11th November 2024: deadline for questions
2nd December 2024: answers to questions
19th December 2024: Submissions open
14th April 2025: All submissions must be received(Please note: Any submissions aVer this date will not be accepted)
May 2025: The jury meet to ﬁnalise entries
9th June 2025: Entrants are informed whether they have been chosen to exhibit their work.
Drawings, photographs and informa?on on the site are provided and can be downloaded with the brief fromthe World Stage Design website.

2.
Entry Requirementsa.
You can enter the Theatre Architecture Compe??on digitally via the World Stage Design Awards
plaZorm from Award Force. The World Stage Design 2025 Award Force page can be found here or accessedfrom the World Stage Design, TAC page here.
b.
The plaZorm will allow you to save and review your work before comple?ng your applica?on.
2.1 Drawing Requirementsa.
Plans: Floorplans of each level, at least two sec?ons, one situa?on and important eleva?ons to ascale of not less than 1/200, one site plan to a scale of 1/1000, with measurements all in pdf format at 300
dpi resolu?on.
b.
A single panel at AO size (841 x1189 mm) in ver?cal (portrait) format, submiLed as a pdf ﬁle at 300
dpi resolu?on presen?ng three-dimensional images of the building and the theatre space and auditorium
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studies showing it in use for a range of conﬁgura?ons and types of performance including your short wriLen
descrip?on as detailed in 2.1 c.
c.
A short wriLen descrip?on of the project, the performance(s) to be staged and an explana?on of thedesign concept (maximum 200 words). The text should be incorporated into your panel but will also be
submiLed separately on the entry form.
d.
A short video ﬁle illustra?ng the proposal. The ﬁle will be iden?ﬁed by the same six-ﬁgure code usedon the drawing (e.g. 123456/video.mov), with a maximum length of 3 minutes.
e.
Drawings and text documents must not carry any means of iden?fying the entrant(s) apart from thecode number referred to in para 2.2 (a) below.
2.2
Compe??on Exhibits
Both the drawing and text documents are to be iden?ﬁed by a code of six numbers to be chosen at random
by the compe?tor(s), appearing in the top right-hand corner of each document. No name or other iden?fying
mark can appear on any document except the entry form, as the entries must be judged anonymously.
Every exhibit shall compromise on the following:a.
A single panel at AO size (841 x1189 mm) in ver?cal (portrait) format, submiLed in pdf format at 300
dpi resolu?on. The document will be iden?ﬁed by the six-ﬁgure code (e.g. 123456.pdf)b.
A short video ﬁle illustra?ng the proposal. The ﬁle will be iden?ﬁed using the same six-ﬁgure codeused on the drawing(e.g. 123456/video.mov) maximum length of 3 minutes.
c.
Models cannot be accepted, although photographs of models can be included.
d.
All text is to be in Eng lish or Arabic.
2.4

This is an ideas compe??on and there is no inten?on that the winning entry will be built.

2.5

Entries will not be returned. Compe?tors should retain copies of their work.

3.

CompeEEon Schedule

3.1
The compe??on documents and condi?ons will be available from 3rd of June 2024 on the World
Stage Design 2025 website.
3.2
WriLen ques?ons can be sent by email to infowsd2025@spaa.ae Ques?ons must be received nolater than November 11th 2024.
3.3
Compe??on entries are to be uploaded electronically to the World Stage Design 2025 Awards
website. Entries can be submiLed between 19th December 2024 and April 14th 2025. Entries submiLed aVer
this date will not be considered by the jury.
3.4
The fee for the compe??on is 200 AED per entry. Compe?tors will pay via credit card on the website
at the ?me of submission.
3.5

All entries will be managed by a third party, and the jury will not know the origin of the entries.

4.
Prizes
4.1. The following cash prizes will be awarded:7

12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition(TAC)
1st AED 15,000
2nd AED 8,000
3rd AED 5,000
Joint Prizes 3 x AED 1500
In addi?on to these prizes, there will be honourable men?ons. The jury reserves the right to modify the
distribu?on of prize money within the same total amount and number of prizes.
The 6 winning entrants will also receive free event passes to aLend WSD 2025 but will need to pay for theirown travel, accommoda?on and living expenses in Sharjah.
4.2 The results of the compe??on will be announced on the World Stage Design 2025 website on 9th June
2025. Prizes will be presented at the World Stage Design event in Sharjah between 18th – 25th October 2025
and paid electronically to those unable to aLend aVer the prize-giving.
5.

ExhibiEon

5.1 The prize-winning entries and other high-scoring entries, up to a maximum of thirty projects, will be
exhibited at the World Stage Design event in Sharjah between 18 - 25th October 2025, and those included in
the exhibit will be invited to aLend at their own expense.
5.2 The top entries will poten?ally be 3D printed. If your entry is selected for this, informa?on will be sentwith the speciﬁc ﬁle requirements needed.
6.

PublicaEon

6.1
The compe??on entries will become the property of World Stage Design 2025 and may be publishedand exhibited in any country at the discre?on of WSD 2025.
6.2

WSD 2025 will respect and acknowledge the copyright of all par?cipants.

6.3
A digital catalogue illustra?ng selected entries with the jury report will be published and will beavailable to download from the WSD 2025 website.
6.4
WSD 2025 and OISTAT will oﬀer the results of the compe??on to the interna?onal press (publica?ons
covering theatre design and architecture).
7.

Acceptance of CondiEons

7.1
By submihng an entry, par?cipants or par?cipa?ng teams will:a.
Agree to the rules and regula?ons as set out in this document.
b.
Declare that the proposed design is their own work.
c.
Agree to accept the decisions of the jury as ﬁnal.
d.
Agree not to disclose their iden??es or publicise their entry in any way before the results areannounced. Any breach of this rule will render the entry invalid.
8.

Jury
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12th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition(TAC)
8.1 The interna?onal jury will consist of 4 theatre architects and one experienced theatre prac??oner. The
chair of the OISTAT Architecture Commission will be a jury member.
8.2. In case of the absence of a juror, OISTAT will assign another qualiﬁed person as a member of the jury.
8.3 The jury will produce a report explaining the reasons for its decisions and commen?ng on the prizewinning and honourably men?oned entries.
8.4. The report of the jury will be published on the World Stage Design Sharjah website website and includedin the digital catalogue.
8.5 The jury will select up to 30 entries for the Theatre Architecture Compe??on exhibi?on at the World Stage
Design event in Sharjah between the 18th and 25th of October 2025.

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