All those participating in this selection must abide by the conditions and procedures contained in these regulations.
Failure to comply will result in exclusion from the selection.


1. Object and theme of the exhibition
2. Publishing the regulations
3. Requirements for admission
4. Enrolment
5. Enrolment Fee
6. Personal details
7. Selection
8. Jury
9. Exclusions
10. Materials to be sent for selection
11. Calendar
12. Electronic Register
13. Catalogue
14. Materials to be sent for the exhibition
15. Leone di Pietra
16. Selection Office
17. Certification and guarantees
18. Waiver
19. Suspension, postponement, cancellation


1. Object and theme of the exhibition

The Venice Biennale Foundation extends an open invitation to participate in the selection for the Cities of Stone Exhibition, organized as part of the 10. International Architecture Exhibition, involving a group of design proposals for the South of Italy, specially prepared for the Venice Biennale - Sensi Contemporanei, aimed at the restoration of the coastal landscape of four Southern Italian cities.
Each project requires the demolition of unsightly buildings present on the selected sites, and each represents a specific theme of the present selection: 

- Bari, Punta Perotti
- Crotone, The port sea front
- Siracusa , Latomie dei Cappuccini
- Pantelleria, The tourist port

In developing the theme, the structural use of stone is suggested according to the logic of renewal, both technical and stylistic, within the tradition of masonry construction.
In order to be able to compare the creative efforts of all those submitting projects the following points should be taken into account:
•  architectonic scale is to have priority, down to details;
•  architectural solutions are to be conceived and designed in load bearing masonry: load bearing and closing walls, openings and continuous wall solutions, floors (intermediate and final), vaulted systems (arches, vaults and domes) and systems of vertical connection (steps and ramps);
•  construction techniques are to be based mainly on the principles of dry stone walling, hypothesizing the use of post-stressed reinforcement systems (reinforced stone);
•  construction and structural systems of architectonic types suited to the Mediterranean area are to be employed;
•  particular attention is to be given to the ornate in the construction expression of the wall system as a whole (e.g. modelling of exposed load bearing stone surfaces, etc.);
•  particular attention is to be given to the quality of the stone to be used, according to the specific characteristics of static/aesthetic function;
•  regarding the technological plants, structural cavities can be realized within the mass of the architectonic organism (supporting walls, thick walls, raised floors etc.).

2. Publishing the regulations
These regulations will be published exclusively on the web: the website address will be distributed through the mailing lists of Italian and international Architecture Faculties as well as the Italian and foreign Institutes of Architects.

3. Requirements for admission
Participation in the selection process is open to every professional skilled in the practice of the profession of architect, according to the current regulations of one's country, independently of their academic and professional qualifications.
Participation can be as individuals or in groups.
In the case of participation in groups, the group leader must be indicated.
Structural engineers, architecture students and consultants may be members of a group.
All participants, whether as individuals or in groups, may submit more than one proposal but no individual may belong to more than one group.

4. Enrolment
Enrolment for selection will be exclusively on-line at the site www.labienale.archinauti.it with payment by credit card.
Confirmation will be sent by e mail in the form of a receipt.
Applicants will also receive:
-a personal enrolment code;
-a password for access to reserved area of the site for the download of project material.

5. Enrolment Fee
The enrolment fee is € 85 for each project proposal submitted, and is the same for participation on the part of individuals or groups.
Enrolment fees cannot be reimbursed and must be paid on enrolment by credit card using the BancaSella procedure.
The payment of the enrolment fee will enable participants to download the materials necessary for participation.

6. Personal details
Each participant, whether individuals or groups, must include their personal details at the time of enrolment.
In addition, both individual participants and group leaders should indicate their address for the purposes of the competition as well as their telephone number and e-mail address.
On completing enrolment participants will receive a personal enrolment code.

7. Selection
The jury (see successive point 8) will carry out a first selection from among the projects received that conform to the present regulations in order to choose those to be published in the catalogue (up to a maximum of 200);
The same jury will make a further selection to choose up to a maximum of 50 projects to be displayed in the exhibition.

8. Jury
The selection of projects as described above in point 7 will be made by an international jury of five members selected and chaired by the Director of the Cities of Stone Exhibit.
The decisions of the jury will be made by majority vote.
The final report containing the list of those selected with the relative reasons described above in point 7 will be published on the website of the exhibition.
The jury should give its verdict within fifteen days of the date of submission of the projects and all its decisions will be final and binding.

9. Exclusions
The following are excluded from participation in the selection process:
-those involved in the preparation of the Cities of Stone exhibition;
-those involved in drawing up the regulations;
-members of the jury;
-the close relatives of the categories above;
-employees and colleagues of the members of the jury;
-employees and colleagues of the Foundation;
-those employed by the Foundation at the date of publication and working on themes related to the selection.

10. Materials to be sent for selection
a) A dossier of 5 pages consisting of:
-four A3 pages of graphical presentation;
-two accompanying A4 pages (in Italian and in English) consisting of a brief description of the project and a self presentation of the author or authors of the project.
b) A CD containing the complete presentation (both graphical and written);
c) A page in electronic format for the electronic register of the projects received (see point 12).
All materials submitted must include:
-the enrolment number received on acceptance of participation in the selection process;
-the full name of the participant or group leader, complete with contact address;
-the title 10.International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, Cities of Stone - Project South Exhibition.
All materials submitted as part of a project will not be returned and will be conserved in the Historic Contemporary Arts Archive of the Venice Biennale.
The Venice Biennale in the form of its Historic Archive has the right to publish the material in any form and at any time, exhibit, photograph, and permit its publication in the press, journals and media as well as to dispose of material it considers redundant and/or that have deteriorated over time.
All materials listed in points a) and b) must be addressed to the Selection Office (see point 16): Ca' Giustinian 1364 San Marco, 30100 Venice - ITALY.
Material should be sent in a sealed envelope and using registered mail, courier or in person to arrive at the above address by 12.00 a.m. on the 20 May 2006.
Materials arriving after that time will not be accepted.
Envelopes must be sealed and signed across the sealed flap of the envelope.

11. Calendar
- 24 February: opening date for enrolment in the selection procedure.
- 15 April: closing date for enrolment in the selection procedure.
- 20 May: deadline for receipt of project proposals.
- 3 June: conclusion of the work of the jury.
- 15 June: publication on the exhibition website of the decision of the jury.
- 31 July: deadline for receipt of original materials for projects selected for participation in the exhibition as described in point 14 below.
- 10 September: opening to the public.

12. Electronic Register
An on-line edition of the register of all the projects received will be produced.
For this reason, the format of pages of the on-line catalogue that each participant (individuals or groups) should complete will be available on the exhibition website.

13. Catalogue
The Biennale will publish in the exhibition catalogue the projects selected as described in point 7, together with the material documenting all the project themes/sites.
In the light of this it should be noted that no reimbursement or rights will be recognised by the Biennale on publication of the catalogue.

14. Materials to be sent for the exhibition
The authors of all projects (max 50), as described in point 7 above, selected for exhibition will be invited to produce original materials put on display in the exhibition.
Participants are free to adopt whatever techniques they see fit, also non graphic, in elaborating the requirements of individual themes.
The Biennale will exhibit the projects selected and will provide insurance for the duration of the exhibition.
All materials submitted as part of a project must have a label attached indicating the site of the competition as well as the full name and address of the participant.
A digital reproduction of the submitted material must be provided by every participant for conservation and documentation in the Historic Archive of the Biennale and said copy will be property of the Biennale.
The original materials submitted will not be returned after the exhibition except for special cases agreed by the Foundation and the participant.

15. Leone di Pietra
In relation to each of the four indicated themes, a further selection will be made among the architectonic projects on display in the exhibition so as to award a special prize, to be announced during the 10.International Architecture Exhibition Cities of Stone , consisting of the Leone di Pietra , first awarded by Aldo Rossi as part of the 3.International Architecture Exhibition.
The Commission that will carry out the judging for the award of the Leone di Pietra will be the same as that described in point 8.

16. Selection Office
A special office has been set up to deal with participants, receive material and provide information.

Selection Office PROJECT SOUTH
Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia
Cà Giustinian
1364 San Marco
30124 Venezia
tel. +39 041.5218.711 (local exchange); +39 041.5218.802 (direct);
fax +39 041.5218.704
e-mail: cittadipietra@labiennale.org
Office hours:
Monday-Friday 9.00am - 1.30pm and 2.30pm - 5.30pm.
Information and communication regarding selection can also be found on the website: www.labiennale.archinauti.it

17. Certification and guarantees
Each architect participating in this selection process certifies and guarantees that all the material submitted is original work, that they have not won other prizes with it, that it has never been published and that it does not impinge on the rights of any third party.

18. Waiver
Each participant in the selection process waives all rights to undertake legal proceedings against the Biennale and its representatives for any eventual loss of submitted materials or damage to the same.

19. Suspension, postponement, cancellation
The Venice Biennale reserves the right, for whatever reason, to suspend, postpone or cancel the whole initiative, giving due notice to all interested parties.
Any eventual contestation regarding the meaning of individual regulations will refer to the original text of the Italian version of the regulations.