With the current socio-economic conditions, effects of climate change, and the exponential growth of urban centers, the relationship between design and residential spaces has become the centerpiece of architecture today, so much so that The Future of Housing was the theme of this year's SkyCity Challenge.
The competition consisted of designs for modular homes that could be disassembled and adapted to different placement elements. Take a look at the 8 winners:
Official Competition Report:
The SkyCity platform has announced the winners of its SkyCity Challenge, choosing from more than 180 entries from over 50 countries. Established in 2016 in BROAD Town, China, SkyCity aims to address current challenges in housing.
The challenge was to create a proposal for a building system for Broad Group. The task consisted of designing a house that could be dismantled and reassembled by using simple, prefabricated pieces, for example, a house made from pre-made ceramic pieces that together form a disbandable stucture. The pre-fabricated pieces had to be easily transported using traditional containers that could be assembled anywhere on the planet using a small workforce. The panel of judges analyzed the aesthetics, the dismantability, the storage capacity, the housing strategy, environmental friendliness, and the autonomy of each entry as well as each team's presentation of their idea. The panel put value on the entries that explored and experimented with materials first hand, and that focused on structural capacity as well as aesthetics.
First Place
COLLECTIVE GEOMETRIES
Manuel Lopes, Raphaelle Paire, Olga Litwa, Maya Iwdal
Dreem Arkitekter
Sweden
Addressing a future housing shortage requires simple and timely building methods as well as structures that can be adapted to a wide variety of conditions. Instead of trying to imagine and predict how humans will live in the future, Collective Geometries aims to create a system that can address a wide range of potential conditions, from remote and isolated cabins to skyscrapers in dense, crowded urban centers. The separation of simple pieces allows projects to be scaled up or down easily, allowing for the user's ever-changing needs to be addressed and making for a reliable, long-lasting building system.
Second Place
XIBAO FANGZI
Daniel Marin Parra, Juan Martin Arias Cardona
Dinámico LAB
Colombia
Xibao Fangzi's objective is to be a completely self-sufficient residence, able to provide a simple living space in remote, less-habitable places. For the home to function autonomously, solar panels are placed on the roof facing the sun and there is a system for rainwater collection and purification. The collected water is stored en tanks located at the base of the structure, with one tank dedicated for daily use and the other heated using solar energy that maintains the water temperature.
Third Place
GRASSROOTS ECO-HOME
Soraya Somarathne
Hong-Kong
When sustainability is not enough, we need to rebuild and grow once again. A house with a low carbon footprint that consists of a garden allows us to fulfill both of these goals while also breathing life into the possibilities of a new era of rural, remote, and ecological living. The house is composed of standard, modified BCORE pieces. The first piece, made to measure, acts as a lining for the interior while the second piece acts as a semi-transparent surface window. The central pipes can be topped with transparent cylinders or covered with a glass finish to let light into the space.
Fourth Place
ELASTIC HOME
Quynh Nghi Nguyen, Tan Dat Le, Que Ly Tran, Tan Thang Nguyen
Vietnam
Can a BCORE house be a fluid and flexible as water--with no form except the shape of the container that holds it? Can a space go from big to small or open to closed when it is necessary? By combining 4 standard 2 x 3m BCORE panels, we minimize the complexity of construction and maximize flexibility. Every wall can rotate or slide on a 2m rack connected to the roof, freeing up floor space. By rotating or sliding, the structure can grow or shrink, open or close, be triangular or rectangular; always reflecting the personality of the inhabitant.
Fifth Place
NOSTALGIA UTOPIA
Jiawei Liang, Tao Hong
China
The project aims to recuperate the area affected by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China. Many villages were flooded n the wake of the colossal structure's construction and this project hopes to rebuild the public and residential spaces around the new artificial lake. BCORE's flexibility and resistance to corrosion will prove valuable in the creation of the new structures. Every hexagonal module is interconnected, forming a giant floating platform. The entire first floor is a public space, while the upper floors will contain the residential dwellings. The entire floating structure is equipped with a fish farm and air and water purification systems.
Sixth Place
b-home
Miguel Morillas Machetti, Elena Llácer Velert, Raquel Cullen La Rosa
Spain
The "L" and "I" shaped modular units are able to expand in height and surface and adapt to whatever terrain they are placed in. b-home allows for a quick and easy-to-build refuge and is able to cater to the basic needs of a family for short periods of time. The units add to public spaces, whether in urban or suburban settings, and can be used during festivals, expositions, or urban markets.
Seventh Place
LIVING FORMULA
Jie Liu
Canada
Life should be as easy as writing a formula. Finding a place that you love, choosing the space that you need and changing it when you want. Four basic modules make up the project: living room, bedroom, recreational room, and balcony. Every unit can expand with one or more modules to fit the needs or budget of the person using them. The Living Formula mobile app allows users across the globe to find and reserve an available space and make it their temporary or permanent home. The tenants can then customize the home to their wants and needs, thus creating a vibrant, dynamic community.
Eighth Place
SIMCITY 4.0
Elizaveta Khaziakhmetova, Ilnar Akhtiamov, Rezeda Akhtiamova
Russia
The concept of this structure is providing a space for multiple people to form a neighborhood. It combines various living and public spaces to allow for interaction between its residents. The base is made up of a three-level stylobate that contains mixed-use spaces and domestic units of various sizes. There are 5 types of units: S, M, L, XL and XXL. All of them are integrated Tetris-style into the structure.
Honorable Mentions
- The Steel Hut-. Santiago Tamayo, Mexico.
- Cube 9X9. Anna Aleksandrov, Russia
- Tetris City. Hung Nguyen, Uyen Nguyen. Vietnam.
- Yuan. Louise Shin, Enica Deng, Ye Rin Choi, Wesley Fong, Robin Nong. Canada.
- O2 CO.Farm. José Ramón del Rey Ortega, Natalia Carolina Sosa. Spain.
- Newthink. Michał Kacprzyk. Poland.
- Worker’s House. Marcus Barbosa, Gabriel Thomé de Oliveira, Luíza de Santos Souza. Brazil.
- Blockout. Starostina Anastasiia, Iafziov Emil, Liliia Iaryeva. Russia.
.jpg?1574261155 "Firms from Sweden, Colombia, and Hong Kong are Among the Winners of the 2019 SkyCity Challenge")
