WAM open 2012 – Architects’ World Championship in Ski and Snowboard

WAM open 2012 – Break the ice & ACF* Conference ‘Architecture Corporate Foresight’ The second international Architects’ World Championship in Ski and Snowboard (WAM open) will be held from 2nd -5th of February 2012. The World Cup will take place in the exciting destination of Ischgl in Tyrol, Austria. Sport-loving architects and interior designers from around the world will be able to test themselves in the disciplines of giant slalom and parallel slalom. As a preview to the championship, the conference "ACF - Architecture Corporate Foresight" will be held 2,624 m high above the clouds in Ischgl, and will focus on the architecture industry's perspectives for technological development. Initiator and organizer for the WAM open is the ap35 GmbH - Agency for Architecture Management & Relationship Marketing, which is headquartered in Ulm (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). Since 2004, the “GAM open” (German Architects Masters) and “WAM open” (World Architects Masters) have established themselves in the architecture scene as platforms for national and international athletic and socially oriented architects and interior designers. These winter sport events are enjoying growth and rising popularity. More than 2,000 participants from 13 nations were already able to share their enthusiasm for the event. The venue of the WAM open 2012 is Ischgl, located in southern Austria in the province of Tyrol. Ischgl lies 1,377 meters above sea level in the Paznaun valley between the Silveretta and Verwall Alpen ranges. Whether it a design or theme hotel, guest house, or holiday apartment – with over 11,000 guest beds, everyone will find an ambiance to his or her taste in Ischgl. The ski-region "Silvretta Arena" makes any skier's heart beat faster, and this is how the small town first became known. The season opening and season finale in Ischgl are regularly celebrated with big pop concerts. Stars like Elton John, Rihanna, and Alicia Keys have already graced Ischgl's stages. The ACFx – Conference ‘Architecture Corporate Foresight’ takes place in the Pardorama. This new building is located on the 2,620 meter high Ischgler Pardatschgrat. The WAM open will begin with a welcoming Alpine evening, followed by a get together. The ACFx Conference will be held the next day. The title comprises themes, which will give answers and generate discussions about the future of architecture. Presentations and panels by and with famous speakers on mega-cities, trend research on communication, design, working environments and buildings, creatively innovation-conscious startups, and the future of travel and residential behavior, will provide information about the paradigm shift in the architecture industry which is becoming inevitable, given the innovative networking technologies. The following speakers are already confirmed: Assaf Biderman – SENSEable City Laboratory MIT Cambridge, Boston | Astrid Piber - UNstudio, Ams-terdam | Jürgen Mayer H.- Jürgen Mayer H. Architekten, Berlin | Dr. Alexander Rieck - Fraunhofer Institute, Stuttgart | Steve Rogers - Google Inc., London | Tobias Mayer - Airbus, Hamburg | Chris Bosse – LAVA Architects, Sydney as well as Florian Gschwandtner - Runtastic GmbH, Linz and Robert Miles Kemp – Variate Labs, Los Angeles. Among the requested speakers are Bjarke Ingels - BIG, Copenhagen and Chris Bangle - Designer. After the conference the participants of the WAM open 2012 will be greeted with a Welcome Party and the championships will be officially opened on the mountain above Ischgl by, among others, the President of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects, Mr. Lutz Heese. Afterwards, anyone who is in a clubbing mood, can share his exhilaration with DJs at the "Racer's Night". On Friday, the exciting competition for the title of the world champion in giant slalom begins. In the evening the winners in the respective disciplines and categories will be awarded. On the following day the racers compete for the titles in parallel slalom. The day will finish off with the championship party and award ceremony. Dinners with a live band, a WAM championship party, and club nights are also part of the program. On Sunday, everyone can have a relaxed breakfast, before beginning the trip home. This distinctive event, enhanced by stunning alpine scenery, infectious enthusiasm for sports, and profes-sional inspiration, offers the ideal setting to make new contacts or deepen existing ones. At the WAM open 2012 experience, spontaneity as well as the international community matter. Further information: Preparation for the WAM open is in full swing. Information and visual material can be requested by telephone at +49 (0) 731 140 225 0 or by email at [email protected]. Up to date information is already available on the Internet at: www.wam-open.com