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Modern Courtyard Living with Stacked Modules and Communal Spaces

Authors:
Pui Quan Choi, Masahiro Nakamura
Modern Courtyard Living with Stacked Modules and Communal Spaces

Project in-detail

Stacked courtyard modules designed for communal living innovate traditional space use in urban settings, creating a vibrant environment where multigenerational families can thrive together.
5 key facts about this project
01
Stacked courtyard modules enhance vertical living while maintaining strong community ties.
02
Design prioritizes flexible arrangements to adapt to specific site conditions.
03
Public circulation areas foster social interactions and easy access to amenities.
04
Integrates outdoor features like teahouses and mahjong pagodas for community engagement.
05
Focuses on multigenerational living, supporting family expansion in an urban context.

The project focuses on addressing the housing crisis in Guiyang, a rapidly developing city in China. It reinterprets the traditional Chinese courtyard, a key aspect of cultural heritage, to create a modern living environment that promotes community interactions. By engaging the local population in the design process, the aim is to foster a sense of belonging while addressing urban density challenges.

Site Masterplan

The overall layout revolves around courtyard modules that enhance social connections among residents. These modules are designed to reflect the qualities of traditional courtyard houses, supporting multigenerational living. This design approach offers spaces for families to gather, fostering relationships and allowing the community to celebrate its cultural traditions during important events.

Stacked Courtyard Design

The design features stacked courtyards to optimize land use and accommodate smaller family structures. This vertical layout maximizes available space while ensuring that circulation areas serve as public spaces. It promotes connectivity throughout the residential environment, making it easy for residents to navigate and access communal amenities.

Landscape Integration

A key element of the project is the landscape design, which includes personal gardens and communal courtyards. These outdoor spaces are essential for community life, offering areas for gathering and interaction. Public features such as seating areas, teahouses, and pagodas enhance the livability of the environment, inviting residents to enjoy their surroundings together.

Community Circulation

On the first floor, the design prioritizes circulation to create semi-private spaces that connect courtyard modules and residential towers. This layout allows for smooth movement while encouraging engagement among residents. By balancing public and private areas, the design caters to the needs of multigenerational families, ensuring both privacy and community connection.

Flexible arrangement styles throughout the design enable variation based on site conditions. This adaptability creates communal spaces that function much like amphitheaters, providing shelter and encouraging social gatherings among the inhabitants.

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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

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