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Coated Glass Facades and Vertical Battens Define a Sustainable Home in California

Coated Glass Facades and Vertical Battens Define a Sustainable Home in California
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Featuring a façade of coated glass and strategic vertical battens, this California residence emphasizes energy efficiency through thoughtful material selection and layout while providing a comfortable living environment.
5 key facts about this project
01
Coated glass façades enhance natural light and visual connection to the landscape.
02
Vertical battens provide solar shading while adding architectural interest.
03
Reinforced concrete structural elements ensure durability and longevity.
04
Grey water recycling system minimizes water footprint and promotes sustainability.
05
Open floor plan fosters flexible living spaces for contemporary lifestyles.

**Project Overview**

Located in a contextually rich area, this residence integrates modern aesthetics with sustainable practices and innovative design. The architectural firm emphasizes practicality alongside environmental considerations, resulting in a structure that serves as both a home and a sustainable investment. The design focuses on maximizing natural light and optimizing air circulation while ensuring a habitat conducive to comfortable living. By strategically arranging the building mass along an east-west axis and orienting expansive glass façades to the north, the dwelling effectively captures sunlight while minimizing heat gain, thereby addressing the climatic conditions of the locale and maintaining energy efficiency.

**Spatial Configuration**

The residence is organized across two primary levels—the ground floor and the first floor—allowing for a purposeful distribution of functions. The ground floor features interconnected social spaces, including a spacious living room and an open kitchen that flows into dining areas. These spaces are distinctly zoned through careful furniture arrangements and variations in ceiling heights. In contrast, the first floor accommodates private quarters, comprising several bedrooms equipped with en-suite bathrooms, thereby promoting privacy while offering considerable views of the surrounding landscape through generously sized windows.

**Sustainability Features**

Sustainability is a key component of the design, incorporating various technologies that enhance energy performance. Solar panels are deployed to harness renewable energy, generating electricity for the household. Atmospheric water generators provide a sustainable water supply sourced from humidity, while a grey water recycling system efficiently reuses water for irrigation and other non-potable uses. The commitment to sustainable construction and reduced carbon footprint is further illustrated through a life cycle analysis, which evaluates both the environmental impact and the economic viability of the residence, reinforcing its status as a conscientious architectural endeavor.

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MICROHOME 2026
MICROHOME 2026
100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #11
The Next House: USA
The Next House: USA
20,000 USD Prize
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2026
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2026
100,000€ Prize / 2026
The Home of 
Shadows
The Home of Shadows
The light studies. Edition #4
The Architect’s 
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The Architect’s Stair
Take a step and make a statement! Edition #3
The Architect's 
Chair
The Architect's Chair
Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #5

The Next House: USA — A Global Call to Reimagine the American Suburb

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Competition organisers

Buildner is launching The Next House: USA, a global architecture competition that challenges architects, designers, and thinkers to reimagine the American suburban home for the 21st century. For decades, the suburban house has symbolized comfort and stability, but today it often reflects excess, isolation, and environmental strain. This competition asks: how can the American home evolve to address climate urgency, economic pressures, and shifting social values?

Participants are tasked with designing a prototype home of no more than 1,500 sq ft (≈140 m²) for a household of two adults and one child. The design should be compact yet generous, adaptable, sustainable, affordable, and replicable across diverse U.S. contexts. More than a design exercise, the competition aims to spark a conversation about how homes can support healthier, smarter, and more connected communities.

The total prize fund is $20,000 USD. The final registration deadline is May 20, 2026, and winners will be announced on September 22, 2026. The Next House: USA invites architects, students, and visionaries worldwide to redefine what the American home means today—and what it should mean tomorrow.

The Next House: USA

Design the next suburban home for the USA

20,000 USD Prize ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 18 February 2026

Open architecture competitions

  • Closest deadline first
  • Project competitions first
    Selected winning projects have the potential to be constructed
  • Ideas competitions
    Experimental competitions with the focus on pushing the boundaries of creativity
The Next House: USA

Design the next suburban home for the USA

20,000 USD Prize ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 18 February 2026
Rome 
Rain Rooms

Design a rain room for Rome

ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 12 March 2026
Iceland 
Slow Sauna

Design slow sauna in Iceland

project COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 8 April 2026
Pavilion Atlas 2026

Design a story of your country

ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 13 May 2026

Recurring architecture competitions

Re:Form - 
New Life 
for Old Spaces

Choose a site—used, abandoned, or forgotten—anywhere in the world, and give it a new purpose

Edition #2 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 4 February 2026
new
MICROHOME 2026

Design a new concept of small-scale home and share a prize fund of 100,000€

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #11 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 €
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 11 February 2026
new
Museum of 
Emotions

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Edition #8 ideas COMPETITION SILENT CONTEST For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 25 February 2026
new
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2026

Celebrating your unbuilt architecture visions with a €100,000 prize

100,000€ Prize / 2026 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 €
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 26 February 2026
The Home of 
Shadows

Design a home with no artificial lighting

The light studies. Edition #4 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 2 March 2026
The Architect’s 
Stair

Take a step and make a statement!

Take a step and make a statement! Edition #3 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 5 March 2026
The Architect's 
Chair

Take a seat and make a statement!

Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #5 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 2 April 2026

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