UNIT-III ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITIONS

Architectural competitions

Architectural Competitions have a long history, and have produced many extremely successful
buildings. They attract great public interest, and have led to the discovery of new talent and new
ideas, that could only be found by throwing an architectural project wide open to competition. The
Council of Architecture Competition Guidelines provide a new up to date code that safeguards the
interests of promoters and of architects, and bring the system into line with present-day conditions.
To many clients - the choice of an architect presents no difficulty, but to many others the choice is
not easy. The client's desire to see the sketch designs of several architects before he commissions
him is understandable, but to ask an architect to submit a sketch design is to ask him to do the
essential creative work for which he should be properly paid. If more than one or two architects are
commissioned payment to each would be expensive. Architects, however, are allowed to compete
against each other without charging a fee in an open architectural competition held under Council
of Architecture Guidelines.

The architectural competition is a balance of advantages. Architects who would not have been
considered in the normal way for an important commission, perhaps for a building of national
importance have an opportunity to prove their talent and ability.

Many architects regard competitions as a valuable opportunity for research, perhaps for the study
of a new building type, or for exploring the possibilities of new technical ideas and for gaining new
experience. On the other hand, the profession's willingness to allow its members to compete
without fee is a remarkable concession to the promoter without parallel in any other profession.
For the promoter also, there is balance of advantages. A competition will cost him a little more than
if he had commissioned an architect privately and it will take a little more time. But this must be
balanced against the chance to draw upon the talents of all those who respond to the architectural
challenge, and the possibility than an outstanding design will emerge. He is making a public
demonstration that he cares about architecture, and can take legitimate pride in his determination
to find the best architect and the best design he can get. He will be rewarded with a greater public
interest than is generally shown in new buildings.

Competition Guidelines as laid by the Council of Architecture protects and safeguards the interest of
both the promoter and the competitors. While ensuring the promoter a design of high standard, it
also ensures that each competitor competes on like conditions and within the same limitations.
The purpose of these Guidelines is to explain the architectural competitions system, and to help the
client who is thinking of promoting a competition to make up his mind whether a competition is the
right answer to his architectural problem, and, if so, which kind of competition would be suitable. It
also tells, a would be promoter how competitions are organised, and what are the responsibilities of
promoter.

Type of Competitions

1. PROJECT AND IDEAS COMPETITIONS

Competitions may be either "Projects" or "Ideas" competitions or in certain circumstances a
combination of both. The aim of a Project competition is to find the best solution for an actual
building project and to appoint its author to carry out the commission. Competitions of Ideas are set
as an exercise to elucidate certain aspects of architectural and town planning problems. The winner
of such a competition may not be commissioned to carry out the project, and hence students of
architecture may participate at the discretion of the promoter.
2. CLASSIFICATION OF COMPETITIONS
(I) OPEN COMPETITIONS
Competitions in which all Architects are invited to participate through an announcement by
advertisements in suitable media and through circulars which may be issued by the promoters.
Open competitions for projects estimated at less than Rs. 10,00,000/-may be restricted to Architects
who have their main or branch office in the State of the project site.
(II) LIMITED COMPETITIONS FOR COMPETITIONS BY INVITATION
Competitions in which limited amount of Architects (approx. 5 to 8) selected by the promoter on the
advice of the Senior Architect Assessor or Board of Assessors, are invited to participate. Each
participant who submits his designs shall receive an honorarium.
(III) SPECIAL COMPETITIONS
Besides competitions described in (i) and (ii) above a competition may also combine town planning
as well as design problem, and may involve the use of industrial components or participation of
developers. In such competitions participation may be required to be limited to professionals or
group of professionals with certain definite expertise.
In such cases the competition announcement shall clearly define the field of expertise.

3. COMPETITION ORGANISATION
Competitions may be organized in one or two stages.

(I) SINGLE STAGE COMPETITION

In single stage competition the competition entries shall be fairly complete drawings i.e. plans,
section, elevations, etc. to a suitable scale
and sufficient to explain the scheme as set out in the competition conditions.
The designs so submitted shall be assessed by the Assessors for the award of the prizes and the
appointment of the architect.
Such competitions are recommended for small and simple project.
(II) TWO STAGE COMPETITIONS
In two stage competition, the first stage is for soliciting ideas and therefore the competition entries
at this stage would be limited to planning on broad basis and drawings to a suitable scale sufficient
to indicate the intentions of the competitor.
Designs submitted in the first stage shall be assessed by the Assessors for selecting a small number
of competitors (between 5 and 10). The author of these selected designs will be invited to take part
in the second stage of the competition, and each architect so invited would be paid a specified sum.
In order to maintain anonymity, each competitor will be informed individually whether he has been
or has not been invited to participate in the second stage. Correspondence in this respect will be the
responsibility of the Promoter or Professional Adviser, if appointed. It will also be his responsibility
to ensure that the names of those invited and those rejected are not revealed either to the assessor
or to any person.
To ensure this anonymity the envelopes containing the names of the competitors shall be opened by
the Promoter or Professional Adviser if appointed. After the intimation has been sent to each
competitor they shall be resealed until the final award.
After the end of the first stage, the Board of Assessors, may, if found necessary and with the
approval of the Promoter, clarify or amplify points in the competition conditions for the benefit of
the second stage competitors. Such clarification or amplification shall not in any way disclose
directly or indirectly or even inadvertently any of the designs submitted in the first stage to those
invited for the second stage.
The period between the Assessors award for the first stage and submission of designs for the second
stage shall not exceed six months. Only under exceptional circumstances period may be extended.
The second stage of the competition may be limited to only a part of the subject dealt with in the
first stage.
Members of the Board of Assessors shall be the same for first stage and second stage of the
competition.
The designs submitted for both the first stage and the second stage shall be exhibited and/or
published only after the final award of the second stage competition.
If any design selected for the second stage is published or exhibited before the final award of the
second stage has been declared, it will be disqualified.
Two stage competitions are recommended for town planning and for large scale or complex project.
III. REGIONAL SPECIAL CATEGORY COMPETITIONS
This type of competition is intended for small projects of charitable organizations in which four to six
local firms will compete for the appointment as the Architect.
No premiums are given and the winner shall be appointed to carry out the project.

Guidelines
The purpose of these Guidelines is to indicate the principles upon which competitions will be
conducted and the rules which must be observed by a promoter for conducting competitions.
These guidelines have been drawn up in the interest of both the promoter and the competitor and
to ensure that the architectural competitions are properly conducted and that selection of the
design will be on merit alone and will satisfy the promoter's requirements.
The Code of Professional Conduct of the Council of Architecture does not allow Architects to give
unpaid services in competition with each other and competitive designs shall only be submitted
through competition organised within the framework of these guidelines.
GUIDELINES :
ARTICLE 1 : ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE:
Participation in any and all competitions shall be open to:
Architects i.e those who are registered with the Council of Architecture under the Architects Act,
1972 on the date of announcement of the competition and thereafter.
Firms in which all the partners shall be registered with the Council of Architecture under the
Architects Act, 1972 on the date of announcement of the competition and thereafter.1
Students of a Teaching Institution, the qualifying examination of which is recognised by the Council
of Architecture provided that no member of the staff of the said institution is the sole Assessor or in
a jury of three or more Assessors, only one Assessor is from the staff of the said institution.
Neither the Promoter of the competition, Assessor/s engaged for the competition nor any of their
associate, partner or employee shall compete, assist a competitor or act as an architect or joint
architect for the competition project.
Competitor may be requested to submit a proof of qualification, copy of his valid Registration
certificate issued by the Council of Architecture, and in case of a student, a certificate from the head
of his institution which is qualified as per 3 above.
ARTICLE 2 :Competition
The word 'Competition' shall apply to any competition described in Schedule 1 and participation
shall be open only to those qualified as per Article 1.
The draft competition conditions including time table, registration fees, prize monies/honoraria,
board of assessors, the programme etc. of competitions shall have been finalised within the
framework of the guidelines prescribed by the Council of Architecture before any announcement is
made by the promoter of the competition.
The conditions of the competitions shall clearly give:
Conditions based upon guidelines prescribed by the Council of Architecture.
Type of Competition.
Purpose of the competition and intentions of the promoter.
Nature of the problem to be solved.
All practical and mandatory requirements to be met by the competitors.
Number, nature, scale and dimensions of the documents, plan and/or models.
Estimates if required in standard form issued with the conditions.
Nature of prizes.
Names of Assessors.
Necessary information required for conducting the competition.
The competition shall be conducted in English.
All competition designs shall be submitted anonymously.
ARTICLE 3 :BOARD OF ASSESSORS:
The Board of Assessors shall at all times include Architects who are registered with the Council of
Architecture and shall be in a majority of atleast one.
ARTICLE 4 : Prizes, Honoraria & Mentions :
No competition shall be conducted without adequate premium/honoraria and the competition
conditions and the media announcements must state the amounts and number of prizes for the
open competition and the amount of premium or honorarium to each competitor in a limited
competition and in the second stage of a two stage competition.
ARTICLE 5 : Copyright & Right of ownership :
Each competitor shall retain Copyright in his own competition design.
Each competitor shall retain the right of reproduction of his own competition design.
ARTICLE 6 :
All competition designs including those disqualified by the Board of Assessors shall be exhibited for
atleast one week, together with a copy of the signed report of the Board of Assessors. The
exhibition shall be open to public free of charge.
Assessors
While ensuring the promoter a design of high standard and adjudged as such by prominent
Architects acting as Assessors, it also ensures that each competitor competes on like conditions and
within the same limitations.

Both the promoter and the competitor are assured by these guidelines that the entries will be
judged only by those who are qualified to interpret the competitors' presentations and to judge if
the design selected meets with the promoter's requirements.

The guidelines therefore lay considerable emphasis on the mandatory requirement of Assessors and
the qualifications.

The appointment of the Assessors should therefore be the immediate and first step the moment the
promoter decides to go in for a competition. The President of the Council of Architecture, if so
requested by the promoter, may suggest a panel of names experienced in this type of project
proposed, for appointment as Assessors. Their responsibilities commence with the approval of the
brief of the competition project. The Assessor may even help to prepare the brief.

For practical reasons, this responsibility is often taken by the Senior Assessor who would then be
available to advise the promoter on all matters connected with the competition from the
promoter's decision to hold the competition till the final award.

Briefly the Assessors (or the Senior Assessor) will:

Assist in the preparation and approval of the brief.
Study and understand the requirements of the Local Authorities
Visit and examine the project site, if necessary.
Advise on the appointment of the Technical Advisers, if necessary.
Finalise the competition conditions.
Prepare the final report/award.
The project brief is the most important document. The success of the competition will depend upon
the clarity and the completeness of the brief. This can be achieved by a very close cooperation
between the Promoters and the Assessors (or the Senior Assessor) in the preparation and
finalisation of the brief
Further the participation of the Assessors in the preparation of the brief will enable them to
understand fully the intent of the promoter. Also as qualified Architects they would be capable of
visualizing the development with reference to the promoter's requirements, site conditions etc. and
in interpreting the competition entries in these terms.
For complicated projects such as Hospitals, Airports etc. which are under constant development or
projects encompassing highly technical elements, a Technical Adviser would be considered
necessary in the initial stage to help the Promoter and the Assessors to draw up the brief and
subsequently to advise the Assessors on the technical aspect of the competition entries.
Once the promoter's requirements, the site conditions, the requirements of the local authorities
etc. have been formulated into the competition brief, the Assessors (or the Senior Assessor) can
advise the promoter on the type of competition that should be promoted.
Schedule 1 of the Competition Guidelines describes in detail the types of competitions, which could
be adopted and successfully conducted.
The conditions for Architectural competition given in Schedule 3 specifies the procedure to be
followed by the promoter for conducting competitions and these conditions have been drawn up to
ensure that each competitor competes on similar conditions, that the selection is based entirely on
merit, that in appreciation of the effort that would be put in by each competitor suitable and
adequate prize monies and honoraria are assured, that anonymity of the competitor is maintained
during the competition and that each competitor enjoys Copyright and Right of Ownership.
Response from well established Architects as well as large number of young Architects to an open
competition can best be assured by wide publicity. This is all the more essential for projects which
are of public interest.
Publicity could begin with the invitation of Architects to participate through widely read media. This
could be followed by press conferences and finally by the publication of the Assessor's report and
public exhibition of all the entries.

Instructions to participants
It is extremely important for competitors who may be asked to pay substantial registration fees to
know exactly when they are registered and under what conditions the registration fee will be
refunded. It is also important for intending competitors to receive sufficient information when they
are invited to apply for the competition conditions to enable them to judge whether the
competition falls within the guidelines for architectural competition of the Council of Architecture
and whether they are capable of tackling the problem set by the competition.
The Council of Architecture recommends 3 parts Procedure:
PART I
A descriptive leaflet and / or an advertisement in general and professional media. These should
include the following information:
Name of the Promoter
Purpose and nature of the competition. This should be carefully worded to give a clear idea of the
scope of the project whether it is a project or an ideas competition, single or 2 stage competition
and the type of material that a competitor would be asked to submit.
The prizes (or honoraria)
Names of Assessors
Persons eligible to compete
An approximate time table
The procedure for registration, the last date for registration and the date by which the competition
conditions would be made available by the promoter.
Copies of this leaflet with a registration form attached (see model form) should be available from
the promoter.
PART II
An intending competitor makes an application the bodies listed in the advertisement/leaflet for the
registration form, completes the registration form as per the instructions given on the form and
sends it by registered post to the promoter together with the registration fee (if any).
The registration form should be sent by the intending competitor within the time stipulated. It will
establish his eligibility to compete. The registration is only complete when the promoter accepts the
competitor's eligibility by placing his name on the competition register and informs him in writing
accordingly.
PART III
The competition condition will be sent to the intending competitor by the promoter only when his
eligibility is established and his name is entered in the competition register.

REGISTRATION FORM
(All entries in block letters)
Registration No.
...............................................................................
OR Name of Educational Institution:
........................................................................................
.....
........................................................................................
.....
Year of Study.........................................................

Competitor (s)/ Name (s) (1) Mr. /

Ms.......................................................................
(Surname) (1st Name) (2nd
Name)
(2) Mr. / Ms.
REGISTRATION FORM
(All entries in block letters)
Registration No. ...............................................................................
OR Name of Educational Institution:
.............................................................................................
.............................................................................................
Year of Study.........................................................

Competitor (s)/ Name (s) (1) Mr. / Ms.......................................................................

(Surname) (1st Name) (2nd Name)
(2) Mr. / Ms. ......................................................................
( Surname) ( 1st Name) ( 2nd Name)
(3) Mr. / Ms .......................................................................
( Surname) ( 1st Name) ( 2nd Name)

Address: (In case of entry by a team, give the address of the first mentioned person
who will be registered by the promoter as a leader.)
.................................................................................................
.................................................................................................
.................................................................................................

Registration fee (By Demand Draft Demand Draft for Rs. ...................................................(enter amount)
in favour of
......................................................) no .......................................... dated .................................................
(indicate name of promoter) drawn on ......................................................(enter name of the Bank)
payable at
.........................................
(enter name of the city)
Declaration : (To be signed by Competitor i.e. an individual Architect or one of the partners of a firm
of Architects or leader of a team of Architects)1
I declare that at the time of application to register for the competition, I was registered with the
Council of Architecture incorporated under the Architects Act 1972 and that the Registration with
the Council of Architecture will be maintained, till the award of the Board of Assessors and
thereafter till the completion of the project if I am declared and appointed as the Architect for the
project.
OR
I declare that at the time of application to register I was studying Architecture in the____________
(indicate year of study) year of Architecture at the __________________________(Indicate name of
educational institution) (Optional clause if students are admitted).
Signature....................................................
Date...........................................................

Notes:
Registration is not transferable.
Ideas competitions: Students may register either individually or in team with other students.
Two Stage and Single Stage competitions: Students are not permitted to register and may therefore
only participate in association with an accredited architect.
Title of Competition (Enter name of project and location)
Conditions for conducting architectural competitions
Careful preparation of the competition conditions including schedule of requirement shall be of
primary importance for the success of the competition and as such adequate time shall be allowed
for this phase of the competition.
1. CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION
i. The publication of competition shall constitute an offer of a contract by the promoter, and, by
submission of design for the competition, the competitor accepts this contract.
ii. The competition condition together with any replay to the competitor's questions constitute a
legal basis for this contract which is legally binding on both the promoter and competitors.

2. GENERAL CONDITIONS
i. The competition project brief and the conditions of the competition may be prepared by the
promoter in consultation with the Senior Architect Assessor. They shall however be approved by the
Senior Architect Assessor and the Board of Assessors before publication and issue to the
competitors.
ii. The conditions including the programme of requirement of the competition shall be identical for
all competitors. A copy of complete competition conditions shall be filed with the Council of
Architecture. Answers to the competitor's questions shall also be sent to the Council of Architecture
for their record.
iii. The conditions shall clearly indicate which of the requirements are mandatory and which could
be freely interpreted by the competitor.
The freedom in case of the latter shall be as wide as possible.
iv. The information supplied to the competitors shall be specific and shall not be open to
misinterpretation. Supplementary information if any issued by the Board of Assessors shall be sent
to all the competitors simultaneously.
v. Draft of the conditions of competitions approved as per (i) above shall be submitted to the
Council of Architecture for information before publication and issue to the competitors.
vi. The conditions of the competition shall indicate the promoter's priorities with reference to the
solution of the problem (e.g. functional aspects, economy of construction or in use, solution to
technical or circulation problems etc).
vii. The condition of the competition shall state the exact use to which the promoter will put the
winning design. Designs shall not be put to any other use or altered in any way except by agreement
with the author.
viii. Where a fixed amount is required to be remitted to with the promoters by the applicants for the
'Conditions of the Competition', it shall be refunded in full to the applicant if he decides not to
compete and return the "Conditions of the Competition" in full within four weeks prior to the date
of submission of the design.
Submission of design in Competition shall imply acceptance, by the competitor, of the conditions of
competition.
ix. Each design shall be accompanied by a declaration on the prescribed form signed by the
competitor in a properly sealed envelope that the design is his bonafide work and that the drawings
have been prepared under his supervision and that he undertakes to accept the award of the
Assessors as final and binding.
x. In case two or more architects form an association for the purpose of the competition then there
shall exist a partnership deed for the purpose of carrying out the project in the event the said
association wins the competition. Reference to this partnership must be made in the form of
declaration.
xi. The Board of Assessors must make awards which shall be final and binding and shall be made
public by a date stated in the conditions.
xii. The Board of Assessors when making an award may at its discretion adopt "promoters' choice".
In this procedure the Board of Assessors shall select not more than three designs which in their
opinion are of equal merit and the selection of the winning design from the designs so selected by
the Assessors could be made by the promoter.
The promoter may for making the final selection discuss with the authors of the selected designs
their respective entries.
3. PRIZE MONEY & HONORARIA
i. The condition for any competition must state the number of prizes and the amount of each prize
money. This must be related to the size of the project, the amount of work involved for the
competitors and the expenses he would incur for the preparation for the competition.
ii. In Ideas competition and in competitions such as those for Town planning, where subsequently
the work is generally carried out by official bodies, it is particularly important to allot adequate prize
money to recompensate the competitors for the ideas and the work they have done.
iii. The promoter shall undertake to accept the decision of the Board of Assessors and to pay the
prize monies within one month of the announcement of the competition results.
iv. Each participant in a limited competition (or competition by invitation) shall receive an
honorarium.
v. In a two stage competition a reasonable honorarium shall be paid to each of the competitors
selected to take part in second stage. This sum which is intended to be reimbursed to them for the
additional work carried out in the second stage shall be stated in the conditions for the competition.

4. ANONYMITY
The anonymity of the competitors shall be maintained until the final award of the Board of
Assessors and in the interest of the competition, rigorous measures shall be taken to ensure that
this principle is adhered to. No competitor shall terminate his anonymity in any way whatsoever till
the final award. The anonymity of each competitor shall be guaranteed by adopting suitable
measures.

5. COPYRIGHT & RIGHT OF OWNERSHIP

i. Each competitor shall retain copyright in his own competition design.
ii. The competition design awarded the first prize only shall be used by the promoter upon
commissioning by him the author of the said design to render professional services to carry out the
project.
iii. No other design whether premiated or not shall be used wholly or in part by the promoter.
iv. The promoter's right on the design awarded the first prize or the designs selected covers one
execution only. The competition conditions however may provide for repetitive work and shall
specify the terms thereof.
v. Each competitor shall retain the right of reproduction of his design.

6. INSURANCE
The promoter shall insure for damage or loss by fire, floods, or by any other reason Competitor's
design drawings submitted in competition when he assumes responsibility for them and for the
duration of his responsibility and also for loss during transit when the design drawings are being
returned to the competitor. The amount of such insurance shall be stated in the competition
conditions.

7. COMPETITION TIME TABLE

i. The notice of competition shall clearly indicate the last date for application for the competition
conditions and the last date for submission of the design drawings.
ii. The conditions of the competition shall clearly indicate:
The last date for submission of questions.
Approximate date when the answers to the questions will be sent to the competitors.
The final date for the despatch of entries by the competitors and for the receipt of the same by the
promoter.
Sufficient time shall be allowed for transport, more particularly for open competitions where the
competitors will be from all over the country.
The interval between the date of despatch and the date of delivery of the entries to the promoter
should be between five and ten days.
In case of late delivery of the entry despatched before the last date for despatch, it will be the
responsibility of the Board of Assessors to decide whether the entry was despatched in accordance
with the competition time table and if circumstances can permit its admission for judging.
iii. The competition time table shall under no circumstances be shortened.
iv. The Board of Assessors shall decide upon the judging dates at the early stage of the competition
and the date of announcement of the awards shall also be included in the conditions of the
competition.
In case of two stage competitions however the conditions of competition shall indicate dates limited
to the first stage only.
All the dates in respect of the second stage shall form part of the conditions with reference to the
second stage.
v. In case of unavoidable delay in judging, a new date shall be fixed by the Board of Assessors which
shall be confirmed by all its members and publicly announced.

8. COST ESTIMATES
The competitors may be required to submit cost estimate of their design on areas or volume basis.
The cost estimate shall however not be a determining factor in the Assessors' decision except where
cost limits have to be rigidly imposed and is so stated in the competition conditions.

9. TERMINATION OF THE COMPETITION

The promoter may terminate the competition if in the opinion of the Board of Assessors none of the
competition designs could be declared as a winning entry. In this event the promoter under the
advice of the Board of Assessors shall award second, third and additional prizes as declared and
none of the competitors will be considered for appointment as the architect for the project and the
promoter will not be liable to make any further payments to any of the competitors.
10. APPOINTMENT OF ARCHITECT
i. The award of the first prize to the competition design places the promoter under an obligation to
appoint its author as the architect for the commissioning of the project.
ii. If the Board of Assessors shall be satisfied that there is a valid objection to the appointment of the
author of the winning design as the architect he may be required to associate with a senior architect
or a firm of architects of his choice whose qualifications shall be approved by the Board of
Assessors. Failing this the design placed next on merit shall be selected for commissioning and its
author shall be appointed as the architect subject to similar conditions.
The award of the Board of Assessors shall not be varied for any reasons.
iii. If no instructions are given to the author of the design selected by the Assessor to proceed within
twelve months from the date of the award, then he shall receive payment for his services in
connection with the preparation of the Competition drawings of a sum equal to 1.00 percent on the
amount of the estimated cost. The first premium shall be deducted from the sum so paid. If the
work is subsequently proceeded with, this sum shall from part of his ultimate fee.

If within twelve months of the award, the promoters shall decide to proceed with part of the work
only, the author of the selected design shall be paid including the premium and in addition to the
scale of fees on the work, which is being carried out a sum equal to 1.00 percent on the difference
between the cost of the work carried out and his estimate of cost of the total project which sum
shall also merge into the commission when the remainder of the work is subsequently executed.
iv. The selected Architect having been appointed to carry out the work shall be paid in accordance
with the Schedule of Charges determined and published by the Council of Architecture in
consultation with the Promoters, and the premium already paid shall be deemed to be a payment
on account.
11. EXHIBITION OF ENTRIES
i. All competition designs including those disqualified by the Board of Assessors shall be exhibited
for atleast one week together with a copy of the signed report of the Board of Assessors. The
exhibition shall be open to public free of charge.
ii. The promoter shall notify all the competitors and shall also announce in suitable media the days
and place of the public exhibition of the competition.
iii. The promoters shall submit to the Council of Architecture a copy of the signed report of the jury
and if requested photographs of the premiated designs for possible publication.

12. RETURN OF DESIGN DRAWINGS

All drawings, plans, models etc. submitted by the competitor except those of the winning design
shall be returned by the promoter at the end of the public exhibition at his own cost. The drawings,
plans, models of the winning design shall be returned to its author on being appointed as the
Architect for the Project or after six months from the date of announcement of the award by the
Board of Assessors whichever is early.