Students from South Africa, Belarus, and Germany have been chosen as the winners of the 14th edition MultiComfort House Students Contest, a contest created in 2004 and organized by Saint-Gobain. Entrants were to develop a project based on the principles of the multi-comfort concept, that is, "an optimum indoor environment ensuring the right level of fresh air, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort provided in a sustainable and energy efficient manner," as explained by the organizers.
In close collaboration with the Department of Planning of the Municipality of Dubai and the Dubai Properties Group, Saint-Gobain presented the challenge of designing a cross-cultural community project in the cultural village of Dubai, on the shores of the Al Jaddaf inlet.
Considering Dubai's hot and humid climate, the students had to find a way to reconcile reducing the energy consumption of the refrigeration and ventilation systems without compromising any of the comforts of the inhabitants; while at the same time providing an optimal relationship with the environment.
Regarding the results, Pierre-André de Chalendar, president and CEO of Saint-Gobain, commented that this edition will be remembered for "the high-level quality of the projects submitted by the students. I am always amazed by their innovative spirit to use the Saint-Gobain Multi-Comfort solutions to create better and great living places everywhere."
First Place
Vahin Parmananda + Mthokozisi Sibisi / KwaZulu-Natal University, South Africa
Second Place
Veronika Supruniuk / Brest State University, Belarus
Third Place
Tobias Bretz + Dill Khan / Hochschule Darmstadt, Germany
Additionally, the jury awarded honorable mentions to the team consisting of Alejandra Gómez, Paulino Poveda, and Santiago Rodríguez (Spain), and Joanna Wnuczek (Poland).
"The MultiComfort House Student Contest sheds light on the incredible efforts of a young generation of talented architects who will be key contributors to ensuring that Dubai will enjoy a sustainable environment in line with our leadership vision," said Samira AlRais, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy, Sustainable Development of the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai.
David Basulto, a member of the jury and founder and CEO of ArchDaily, commented that the contest "provides a unique and strong framework for students to develop their skills, by operating on a real site and dealing with the challenges of comfort on extreme conditions."
50 teams of students from 28 participating countries presented their projects in four presentation sessions before an international jury that included representatives from the Municipality of Dubai, as well as architects and experts.
News vía Saint-Gobain
