1^st Competition's Winning Designs

In their winning design called "Kick Start" for Poland, Dutch architecture firm architectenbureau cepezed created an impressive design, highlighting simple floor plans, flexibility, use of double-loaded corridors and having a layout for the full advantage of natural ventilation and daylight. The Kick Start design is so flexible and adaptable that lead architect Michiel Cohen likes to say that you can get a balcony for your birthday. Cepezed is very sensitive on minimum and recyclable material use, maximum usable building area and economical, ecological and functional design. Kick Start is a prefabricated and light weight steel building system having frame members of welded rectangular hollow steel sections. The floor is composed of prefabricated beam elements assembled with 1.5 - 2 mm interconnected steel channels. The hollow steel channels allow electrical, plumbing and other cabling to be easily run through the floor. The floor assembly includes rock wool for fire resistance, ground rubber tire for acoustic insulation and anhydrite screed for floor surface. While closed sandwich panels are used to cover the façade, the system is open for any other light weight cladding options as well. The roof is covered with PVC or rubber-based foil laid over the insulation to prevent any water leakage.

Most of the building elements were chosen from recycled materials. In addition, energy consumption is minimized with a light construction, high quality insulation and air tightness. The design system successfully uses occupant body heat and passive solar energy to warm the dwelling. An additional heating system is used to create warm, ventilated air to support hot water supply. The glazed building facades and well-planned building orientation enhance the ability to supply passive solar energy. Natural ventilation is designed to be used for cooling the units in summer. Kick Start is fully assembled at the factory and transported to the construction site where it is lifted into place by crane. And, when the building is disassembled, all of its building parts can be 100% recycled. (See Kick Start for Warsaw)

For the Kolkata, India, demonstration, UK architectural firm Piercy Conner delivered another impressive design called "SymHouse Mk1," highlighting its simplicity and lightness of scheme in a successful composition. SymHouse Mk1 conceptualizes the symbiotic relationship of a sealed and conditioned living space surrounded by a permeable responsive outer skin where the internal building space can meet with surrounding nature. This successful design approach supplies us a very functional and attractive outer skin made of folding steel trays with varying design laser cuts to create a unique rain, privacy and sun screen. This permeable outer skin is created from a series of steel panels that are placed in accordance with sun path studies, key views and privacy. Roof-top photovoltaics, a unique cooling and water system using captured rain water and well thought-out cross ventilation provide the means for an efficient building that is less intrusive on environmental resources and comfortable for living. This design also aims to standardise the building components and the assembly system for repeatable constructions on multiple sites.

In providing this unique chance to the two winning architects to build their designs as the demonstration buildings, Living Steel's leading role could be better understood as providing the means and support for successful visionaries to realise their dreams for better housing and better cities.

The remaining 16 short-listed firms submitted excellent designs employing very modern, modular and well-insulated prefabricated systems designed to use natural and renewable energy resources for heating and cooling of the buildings. Among them glazed transparent facades with suitable sunshades are preferred for a controlled lighting during the day. In keeping with the competition criteria, nearly all of the home designs include easy production, assembly, disassembly and replication methods which are needed for sustainable mass housing solutions.

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