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Rammed Earth Walls and Green Roofs Enhancing Community Engagement

Authors:
Cristiano Dias, Joel Marinho, André Brandão, João Santos
Rammed Earth Walls and Green Roofs Enhancing Community Engagement

Project in-detail

Constructed from rammed earth and topped with a green roof, this community-focused building fosters engagement and cohesion among residents while integrating seamlessly into its natural landscape.
5 key facts about this project
01
Utilizes locally sourced rammed earth for effective insulation and visual harmony with the landscape.
02
Features a green roof that promotes biodiversity and enhances thermal performance.
03
Incorporates a Fibonacci spiral layout to foster natural movement and community interaction.
04
Aligns communal spaces with the sunset to enhance the daily connection to nature.
05
Designed with a focus on minimizing land disruption through site-specific integration.

The Spirala Community Home is designed to support community living in its natural environment. Located on a slope, the design encourages unity and mutual support among its residents. The plan centers around circular and spiral shapes, which create spaces where people can interact while also maintaining their privacy.

Geometric Inspiration

The design uses the Fibonacci spiral, a pattern found in nature, to shape its layout. This approach combines circular and spiral forms, leading to distinct spaces for various activities. The flow of movement throughout the building allows for easy connections between public and private areas, promoting a sense of community.

Materiality and Construction

Sustainability is a core principle of this project, using earth excavated from the site to build the walls. The use of rammed earth provides good insulation and creates a strong visual connection to the local landscape. The rich textures and colors of earth help ground the building in its environment, making it feel part of the land.

Interior Experience and Light

Natural light plays an important role in the interiors. A ceiling made of laminated wood converges at an oculus, which enhances the height of the space and allows sunlight to fill the rooms. This feature aligns the main communal space with the sunset, creating a changing visual experience throughout the day as the light shifts.

Integration with Landscape

The green roof contributes to the building's relationship with the surrounding area. It supports local biodiversity and acts as a natural cooling system. This design choice blends the architecture with nature, reinforcing the project's focus on environmental responsibility. The green roof also adds to the overall visual appeal, enhancing the experience of those who live there.

An expansive communal area acts as a central hub, fostering connections among residents while offering views of the landscape that change as day turns to night.

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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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