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Gabion Walls Integrate with Historical Stigas to Enhance Community Interaction

Authors:
Jerome w Haferd, K brandt Knapp, Keren Dillard, Anete Luste
Gabion Walls Integrate with Historical Stigas to Enhance Community Interaction

Project in-detail

Constructed with gabion walls and aligned with historical stigas, the tower serves as a communal hub, facilitating interaction between humans and horses in a vibrant agricultural landscape.
5 key facts about this project
01
Constructed with gabion walls, utilizing field stones to enhance durability and local character.
02
Strategically aligned with historic stigas, integrating cultural landscape elements into the design.
03
Features a series of floating platforms, providing varied perspectives on the surrounding environment.
04
Includes a semi-enclosed base that serves as a multifunctional gathering space for community interaction.
05
Designed to promote engagement between humans and horses within an agricultural context.

"Stacked Stigas" is a notable design that incorporates a multifunctional tower within a vibrant agricultural landscape. The structure connects people and horses, creating shared spaces that enhance community interaction and engagement with the surrounding environment. The concept is rooted in the area’s historical significance, merging traditional elements with a modern approach to architecture.

Architectural Organization

The design takes a unique approach to tower construction by focusing on the base. The ground level is designed as a gathering space that accommodates various activities throughout the year. This semi-enclosed area serves as a welcoming entrance to the tower, inviting people to experience its offerings. Accessibility and interaction are central themes, ensuring that the space is useful and inviting.

Integration of Historical Context

The design reflects the historical and ecological background of the site. Inspiration is drawn from the stigas, old grid-like clearings that are part of the region’s agricultural landscape. These historical elements are woven into the architecture, providing a narrative that connects past and present. The central core of the tower aligns with the stigas, which underscores the importance of nature and history in this design.

Vertical Experience

The tower features a series of platforms arranged vertically. These floating spaces allow visitors to engage with the landscape at different heights. Each platform is carefully positioned for unique views and experiences. For example, one platform offers a wide perspective of the area, while another frames the historic stigas, encouraging reflection on the site’s significance. This vertical arrangement caters to various activities, whether observing horse events or enjoying the nearby forest.

Materials and Construction

Material choices are essential to the overall design and function of the structure. The design prominently uses gabion walls made of a mesh system filled with field stones. This choice enhances durability and connects the building to local stone construction traditions. The stones vary in size, with larger ones at the bottom and smaller ones at the top, creating an interesting texture and ensuring stability.

The design culminates in a series of platforms that invite exploration. Each space presents different views and interactions, enriching the overall experience of the landscape.

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MICROHOME 10: Celebrating Small-Scale Living with €100,000 Prize Fund and Kingspan’s Innovation

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Competition organisers

The MICROHOME 10 competition invites participants to submit visionary designs for off-grid, modular microhomes that push the limits of sustainable, small-scale living. Organised by Buildner in partnership with Kingspan and Hapi Homes, this tenth edition sets the challenge of designing a dwelling for two people within a maximum floor area of 25 m², encouraging bold solutions adaptable to any urban or rural location. The competition continues Buildner’s mission to foster innovative approaches to compact, energy-efficient housing that can address pressing global challenges.

This year’s edition offers a generous total prize fund of €100,000, including the Kingspan Award for designs that integrate high-performance Kingspan products and the Hapi Homes Award for a project selected for real-world construction. In addition to cash prizes, the winners gain international exposure through Buildner’s media partnerships, publications, and a dedicated MICROHOME magazine, further amplifying their ideas to the wider architectural community.

Key dates for MICROHOME 10 include the closing date for registration on 25 September 2025, the submission deadline on 29 October 2025 (11:59 p.m. London time), and the announcement of winners on 9 December 2025. These milestones ensure participants have clear timelines to develop and present their concepts, with early registration discounts available to support students and emerging designers worldwide.

MICROHOME

Design a new small-scale home concept in the 10th edition of MICROHOME — 100,000 € prize + construction

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 € + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 25 September 2025

Enter an open architecture
competition now

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