The Living Steel International Architecture Competitions were launched to stimulate innovative approaches to meet sustainable housing needs. Underpinning each competition is the need to address the economic, environmental and social implications of increasing population density and growth.   As a result of three separate competitions over five years, each with its unique set of criteria for housing, we now have a catalogue of 48 designs for sustainable housing.

Largest Architectural Design Initiative in the World

The combined competitions have a total prize fund of €700,000, making them one of the largest architectural design initiatives in the world, and present architects with the opportunity to bring their vision for effective and affordable housing to life in one of several countries around the world.

First Competition, Design for India and Poland 

The first competition was launched in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 6, 2005, at the XXII World Congress of the International Union of Architects, with a call for expressions of interest to design sustainable multi-family housing in Kolkata, India and Warsaw, Poland. In June 2006, UK firm Piercy Conner Architects and architectenbureau cepezed from the Netherlands won the competition and were awarded contracts to complete and develop their designs for construction in India and Poland, respectively.

Second Competition, Design for Brazil, China and UK 

The second competition was announced on World Architecture Day, October 2, 2006, with a call for expressions of interest to design sustainable multi-family housing in Brazil, China and the United Kingdom. From more than 1,100 expressions of interest, 18 short-listed firms were invited to submit designs for steel-based residential housing. Winners were announced in September 2007:  For Brazil, Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados Ltda, Brazil; for China, Knafo Klimor Architects, Israel; and for the UK, Cartwright Pickard, UK. 

Third Competition, Extreme Housing for Russia 

Our third competition, launched online to a global virtual audience of architects in January 2008, challenging them to create energy efficient, single-family, detached housing that minimises climate change emissions and can withstand temperature extremes, yet is affordable to build and to buy in Cherepovets, Russia.  Again the responses from around the world were strong and 12 short-list teams were chosen from over a thousand expressions of interest.  The teams converged on Helsinki, Finland in June to present their designs to the jury in the presence of all the short-list teams.  The interaction was infectious as cultural and competition barriers dropped and everyone began sharing ideas and energy.  Peter Stutchbury Architects, Australia, was selected as the winner with Honourable Mention given to RVTR, Canada, and Bligh, Voller, Neld, Australia.

To learn more about the competitions, the designs and the architects, select from the menu above.