International competitions have become a mainstay of the contemporary architectural scene. In Europe, they have launched the careers of a myriad of budding talents. Whatever the motive, the results often fail to measure up to expectations.
Many competitions fail to produce even one innovative design and the best design often loses anyway.
In part, the answer is ignorance. More often than not, selection committees are made up of a combination of institutional bureaucrats with little experience in evaluating architecture and board members who are there only because of the size of their wallets. But to an equal degree, it is because what many label a competition is often no such thing. The design is a model of mediocrity. In the beginning, there was reason for hope.