House of the Future

The House of the Future competition was launched in collaboration with the Dubai Government in the spring of 2023. The competition sought concepts from architects and designers around the world for an affordable, expandable and innovative single-family prototype home suited for modern Emirati needs.

The competition was organized in partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation and the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment, as well as with the architecture firms Zaha Hadid Architects and Calatrava International. The event was open to all and offered a prize fund of €250,000 (1 million AED). Winning submissions will be considered for incorporation into the national registry of housing options available to Emirati citizens.

Participants were tasked with designing a template for a new-age home for Emiratis in Dubai. The government sought sustainable, innovative projects suited to the needs of a typical Emirati family. The proposals were to respond to a standard development plot in Dubai, sized no larger than 450 square meters.

The response to the competition was unprecedented, with submissions received from design offices, individuals and teams representing 127 countries. Buildner and its partners worked with a stellar international jury to select the winning entries: Micael Calatrava and Andrew Mason of Calatrava Grace and Calatrava International, Charles Walker of Zaha Hadid Architects, Abdul Redha Abu Al Hassan of the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), Martin Voelkle of BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, Christina Seilern of Studio Seilern Architects, Ahmed Bukhash of Dubai-based Archidentity, Stefan de Koning of Rotterdam-based MVRDV, and Will Plowman who leads the Dubai office of Foster + Partners.

"This was an important international competition not just from an architectural standpoint but also a professional challenge to promote adaptability, sustainability and value in one of the world's leading countries for look-ahead development and growth. The winning submissions satisfied all the base criteria but also chose to blend in wonderful aesthetics to shape the environment. Clear choice of detail and sharp focus is required for this type of competition. The excellent format of the competition brought out the best in the global participants, given the overall entry numbers and quality of submissions."

- Calatrava International

The jury’s collective discussions were invaluable to questioning the fundamentals of housing in Dubai. The panel weighed the ambitions of this competition with the realities of Dubai’s construction and housing markets. The projects selected as winners were determined to be pragmatic, buildable and cost-effective when produced at scale. From an aesthetic level, the submissions were evaluated for their capacity to be amenable to Emirate lifestyles by being ‘cozy and welcoming’, as per the brief and client requests.

Among the technical aspects that differentiated projects is whether the homes were setback from property lines. Many proposals provided standalone homes, while others were built to the site perimeter. Several submissions proposed interesting courtyard conditions and outdoor spaces that provided spatial variety with the potential to connect residents with their sites. The jury came to the conclusion that whether a home was detached or not, the ‘perception’ of having one’s own house is culturally important for Dubai. Some of the winning projects, for instance, found ways to build to the site line and avoid space lost to small side yards, while also rendering the residence with a sense of individuality in the context of an urban or suburban streetscape.

"The competition was pioneering for tackling fundamental issues related to future Emirati housing in terms of sustainability, practicality and affordability. The submissions were highly sophisticated in terms of planning and visual representation while delving into meticulous planning details for materiality and constructability. The winners were special in terms of their aesthetic appeal for the local Emiratis as global citizens while balancing all of the diverse factors related to the competition parameters in a simple and efficient proposal that can function in both an existing master plan or a newly planned zone with the city."

- Ahmed Bukhash, Archidentity

The jury was receptive to projects that considered compactness, cost and intelligent layouts. While many sustainable solutions were proposed, such as wind towers, green walls and pools, the jury only viewed these positively if they were correctly incorporated from a technical point of view. Opportunities for passive design were also weighed. At an urban level, projects were evaluated for whether they could offer high-quality street frontage with the potential to support well-designed future communities.

The collective partnership involved in organizing this competition extends its congratulations to the winning and shortlisted teams for their outstanding propositions. We also thank each participant for their time and energy. The competition was a resounding success!