The OAA is excited to announce the theme of the SHIFT2025 Challenge: “Reshaping Communities.”

Our buildings, homes, and public spaces making up our communities should be built to last, but how does enduring design account for everything else being in constant change? To really stand the test of time, adaptability is needed. We reshape our built environment; thereafter, it reshapes us.

Altered climate patterns have increased the intensity and frequency of extreme weather in Canada and beyond. Political instability outside our borders, technological advancements, and social change have brought uncertainty, but also opportunity and new ways to think about how we can ensure people’s needs are met in times of urgency. 

The SHIFT2025 Challenge asks the profession to explore how we can develop sustainable solutions that address the challenges posed by climate change and social shifts. From urban revitalization and reconceptualization to adaptations responding to climate change and other emergencies, SHIFT2025 seeks your conceptual—but possible!—architectural ideas for our communities that enable all people to find stability, a sense of belonging, and hope. In this biennial competition, open to teams led by someone with OAA status, submissions are reviewed by a jury of experts to determine which proposals to spotlight.

For example, the  SHIFT2023 Jury chose the five 2023 selections, which were celebrated at the OAA Conference in Sudbury in June 2023. You can learn more about them in the special SHIFT digital book. 

The Call for submissions is now open for entries. You can watch the video below to check out the virtual presentation of the selections from the SHIFT2023 Challenge: “Human Health.”