Living Steel's First International Architecture Competition for Sustainable Housing

Eighteen architect firms from around the world submitted their best designs to Living Steel’s first architectural competition to explore concepts for more sustainable housing. Out of these 18 entries, the Jury selected two designs as best representing the competition’s objectives: Kick Start, submitted by Netherlands firm architectenbureau cepezed b.v. for construction in Warsaw, Poland; and SymHouse mk1, UK firm Piercy Conner’s proposal for Kolkata, India. The announcement of the competition winners was made on 20th June 2006 at the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum III in Vancouver, Canada.

The winning firms were: 

Architectenbureau Cepezed b.v. Winning Design for Warsaw. In designing Kick Start, winning entry for Poland, Dutch firm architectenbureau cepezed b.v., understood that the problem of providing housing in growing populations is essentially one of availability. Availability is defined by land (to build on), usability and, naturally, money. Consequently the firm’s design philosophy was to maximise the usability for the available money, creating a building system that can provide a sustainable and modern dwelling space with minimal use of materials.

Piercy Conner Architects. Winning Design for Kolkata. Architects at Piercy Conner, UK firm responsible for Kolkata’s selected design, recognise that contemporary housing rarely deviates from the accepted model of sealed cellular spaces, which often fails to respond to demographic and environmental conditions. So in designing for the Indian location, their self-imposed hallenge was to create an economically viable alternative that would be “expressive, joyful and responsive to the environment.”

Click for more information on Living Steel's 1st Competition

 

Living Steel's Second International Architecture Competition for Sustainable Housing

Living Steel took pleasure in announcing the winners of the 2nd International Architecture Competition for Sustainable Housing, which challenged entrants to design efficient and innovative housing solutions using steel construction to meet the demands of a burgeoning global shortage. The Competition required entrants to submit housing designs for one of three locations: Brazil, China and the United Kingdom

The winning firms were:

Andrade Morettin. Winning Design for Brazil. Andrade Morettin Architects are inspired by modernism and strongly influenced by the social, environmental and technical context of Brazil. Today, the country deals with fast expansion of urbanized areas, often in environmental protection areas, areas with natural resource shortages and social inequality. Andrade Morettin projects seek to valorise the public domain and common spaces. They emphasize human occupation in rural areas while respecting the natural terrain, for example, through a lifted platform. In an urban context improved ground-level public pedestrian access and connections between fragmented urban spaces are sought. The firm believes in sustainable building through industrialization of construction: The use of modular light weight structures of affordable high-quality materials, such as steel. They believe this stimulates the sophistication and innovation of the more traditional Brazilian construction sector, leading to better education and social conditions for construction workers.

Knafo Klimor Architects, Architects And Town Planners, Israel. Winning Design for China. Today as we are facing mega-urbanism and urban migration with mixed cultures and faiths, Knafo Klimor Architects believes that architects should play a historical role in suggesting new forms of living, dwelling, and consuming urban spaces. Materials such as stones, bricks or tiles are, in general, associated to a certain landscape and cultural background. The firm believes that steel represents a neutral material, uncommitted to a certain tradition or landscape and represents modernity and technology in an international context. As practioners in the Middle East, Knafo Klimor Architects upholds the hope of reconciliation, and in a region of constant conflicts, tries to portray this hope through architecture. In building for mixed-culture communities, the firm visualizes architecture as a discipline that should incorporate human values and tolerance, as well as celebrate the presence of nature in the urban environment by embracing natural light, landscape and sky.

Cartwright Pickard Architects, UK. Winning Desighn for UK. Cartwright Pickard has an international reputation for innovation and the use of Modern methods of construction and has pioneered the use of steel modular construction in the UK. The firm's approach to architecture incorporates the fundamental belief that the best and most appropriate design solutions should have a clear inevitability. Critical to this process is a collaborative team approach and the rigorous analysis of a site and brief. Cartwright Pickard's commitment to environmentally friendly design has been recognised by both the government and the construction industry, having developed innovative and affordable design solutions that minimise the impact of buildings on the environment. The firm's architects believe that architecture should create beautiful and enjoyable places for people to carry out their daily lives and strive to create memorable buildings that will stir the senses and impart a feeling of delight, well-being and optimism.

Click for more information on Living Steel's 2nd Competition 

Click Learn About the 3rd Competition for all the exciting details about this years competition.  Click Enter Competition to complete the online Expression of Interest form.