The competition invites both students and individuals across various professional streams who believe in the mission of creating a self-sustainable off-the-grid dwelling amongst nature. We encourage you to come up with a ground breaking proposal and create your mark in the field of architecture.
Introduction
Home is a domain that is intimate to all. For generations the core concept of a home has stayed the same however has been gradually moving far away from just being a humble shelter. A home is a personalized space that not only protects us from the elements of nature but also keeps us safe from manmade threats. It is a space that evokes emotions of feeling protected, comforted, warmth, pleasure, nurtured, loved, and many more amongst its.
Being central to one’s everyday functions, needs and future desires of an individual this archetype has much iteration across the globe owing to factors like geography, climatic conditions, user group, profession, availability of material and labour. Home typologies range from simpler forms such as cabins, igloos and tents to 21st century experimental habitats such as smart homes, floating homes, inflatable homes and the list just keeps going on.
In this way the association between man to nature and of architecture to landscape tends to evolve from time to time. Currently the architecture we experience in our surrounding landscape is a product of the relationship developed between humans and nature. More than ever there is an awareness created towards landscape being a precious inheritance, one that can be preserved and enhanced by architecture so as to pass it on to future generations.
Opportunity
Lifestyles in our cities have exerted tremendous pressure on one’s mind leading to many lifestyle-based evils like paranoia, anxiety, insomnia, and many more illnesses. Architecture can be seen as one of the mediums through which both places and people can be transformed so as to adapt with the changing societal norms. Recent times have seen countless people venturing outdoors with the notion of self-healing or simply are themselves.
According to studies, even short-term interaction with nature and nature-based designs has a positive effect on one’s psychological wellbeing. Hence architecture when intertwined with nature plays a crucial role in protecting and improving human mental health and wellbeing. This being said we as designers have a self-imposed responsibility that is to create Architecture that is responsive to its surroundings, helping its user interact with the surroundings, experiencing the true potential of a site context with minimal impact to the site or the environment to make it a habitat.
Challenge
Participants are to design a House for 4 people that would provide a comfortable living accommodation that is a unique way of experiencing the surrounding. The design and concept of the house should be innovative, creative sustainable and an off-the-grid solution with minimal impact on the environment. We encourage participants to visualize a completely off-the-grid solution incorporating smart technologies that promoting sustainability and synchronise with the environment.
The House would be a self-sufficient dwelling habitat for 4 individuals and the area of the proposal should not exceed 450 sq. ft. built up. Proposals may consider spatial flexibility as a vital aspect of all the designs fulfilling all the needs of their users. The proposed design may also consider modern technological advancements in architecture to make the house adaptive to its surroundings, making it a comfortable home by eliminating any type of hazards. Participants can decide the nature of the house as per the context it sits in. Source and images Courtesy of Volume Zero.
- Awards
- Prizes of total USD 4000, broken as follows.
- 1st prize USD 2000 + Certificate + Publication
- 2nd prize USD 1200 + Certificate + Publication
- 3rd prize USD 800 + Certificate + Publication
- Student Award: USD 500 + Certificates+ Publication
- This Award is reserved for the best student work for the competition apart from the first 3 winners
- 10 Honourable mentions: Certificates
- Schedule
- Early Bird Registration: 18th April 2022 to 24th June 2022
- Standard Registration: 25th June 2022 to 29th July 2022
- Last Day for Queries: 27th July 2022
- Closing Date for Submission: 5th August 2022
- Announcement of Winners: 6th October 2022
