The contemporary home
This competition is part of a strategic partnership between Buildner and ArchDaily that aims to explore "The Contemporary Home".
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Introduction
The MICROHOME Kingspan Edition is an exciting development in the evolution of the MICROHOME architecture competition, marking the seventh edition of this esteemed event. This special edition is hosted by Buildner in a key partnership with Kingspan, a collaboration that showcases a mutual vision and shared objectives, amplifying the reach and impact of the competition with a substantially increased prize fund of €150,000.
The Buildner-Kingspan partnership embodies a united commitment to drive forward architectural design, particularly in the realm of small-scale, sustainable, and affordable living solutions. The shared ethos rests on the belief that innovative design, quality, and sustainability are of paramount importance, and that they can create transformative solutions without being restricted by size.
COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Official partner
The MICROHOME Kingspan Edition invites participants to conceptualize an off-grid modular dwelling that would accommodate a hypothetical young professional couple. This scenario serves as the benchmark family size for the competition. The total floor area of the structure should not exceed 25 m2, thereby encouraging participants to push their creativity and innovate within these parameters.
The competition challenges participants to radically rethink spatial organization, to introduce distinctive aesthetics, and to implement state-of-the-art technologies and materials. The end objective is to propel the micro home from a mere architectural form to a revolutionary genre in its own right.
There are no geographical restrictions on the hypothetical sites for these designs, allowing for unlimited creativity. Whether urban or rural, any location worldwide can be the backdrop for these micro homes. Designs that prioritize sustainability and present solutions to economic, social, and cultural challenges through fresh architectural methods will receive preference.
The MICROHOME Kingspan Edition is an opportunity to contribute to the evolution of residential architecture. It looks forward to uncovering visionary designs and innovative ideas that are poised to redefine the future of micro-living.
Download the full competition brief for more information!
Competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum). Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English; All information submitted by participants must be in English.
The full competition brief
The full competition brief can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information will be provided after registration.
(!) Full Competition Brief
Prizes
TOTAL PRIZE FUND
150,000 €
1ST PLACE
40,000 €
2ND PLACE
20,000 €
3RD PLACE
10,000 €
Kingspan compliments
4 x 5,000 €
6 honourable mentions & certificates
Buildner will acknowledge the outstanding performance of all winners and honourable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.
Publicity campaign
The Buildner’s extensive global publicity campaign for the competition winners:
"SEEN BY" ONE MILLION
Results published on buildner.com - one of the leading websites in the industry and is visited by over one million unique visitors each year.
"SEEN BY" 800 000 MORE
Publications on Buildner's social networks (over 600,000 followers) and newsletter campaigns (over 200,000 subscribers).
INTERVIEW
Exclusive interview published with the results and shared on Buildner's social networks.
MOVIE
The competition winners will be granted an opportunity to submit a movie about themselves. The video will be published on Buildner's website and social networks.
MEDIA PARTNERS
The competition results will get international art and design media coverage and will be featured in the world’s leading architecture media outlets.
Key dates
Send remindersClosing date for registration
29 April 2024
Competition Q&A deadline
6 May 2024
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants,
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
Closing date for project submission
30 May 2024
23:59 (LONDON TIME)
Announcement of the winners
24 July 2024
Competition Q&A deadline
6 May 2024
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants,
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
Registration fees
STUDENT REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
Contact us to receive special student rates for group registrations (discount applies for 3+ registrations from one university/school) and to receive further information and support for getting your students involved in architecture competitions. Send us request from your university email address along with basic information about yourself and your university/school. Please note that only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.
Jury
Jury members shall under no circumstances be contacted by competition participants or their representatives. Participants who attempt to contact jury members, shall be disqualified.
All jury members are involved in the evaluation based on their availability at that time. All communication regarding the competition should only be carried out with Buildner staff. For any questions please contact us on [email protected]
Brent Trenga
Director of Sustainability, Kingspan Insulated Panels
USA
David Basulto
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Germany
Ben Van Berkel
Founder and Principle, UNStudio
Netherlands
Paolo Flores
Director, Zaha Hadid Architects
UK
Flora Lee
Associate Partner, MAD Architects
USA
Martina Martino
CEO, Mario Cucinella Architects
Italy
Silvana Ordinas
Founder and Partner, Peter Pichler Architecture
Italy
Carlo Ratti
Director, MIT Senseable City Lab
USA
This project has no set budget.
No specific site has been selected for this competition.
The 25m² restriction refers to the building footprint and usable floor area indoors (in the case of having more than one storey, your total footprint will need to sum up all floors). The non-essential external structural elements should not be included in the 25m² allocation.
Total 25m² footprint is a sum up for all floors.
You may submit a previously published design concept as long as you are the author and the project presentation materials are original and have not been published before.
As it is explained in the competition brief - for this competition participants are required to upload four A2 presentation panels. Presentation deliverables set listed in the competition brief is a suggestion only. Participants are not required to present the entire list. Please choose only the most essential information set that would explain your design in the most efficient manner.
For the Microhome architecture competition, participants are invited to submit their designs for a single micro home – an off-grid modular structure that would accommodate a hypothetical young professional couple.
You may use rooftop, however in this case it would need to be part of the 25m².
Underground construction can be proposed.
For the Microhome architecture competition, participants are invited to submit their designs for a single micro home – an off-grid modular structure that would accommodate a hypothetical young professional couple.
There is no defined building code that participants are asked to follow, however, we would recommend using Eurocode Building standards as a general guideline.
There is no maximum building height defined.
Internal courtyards, even if open-air but enclosed on all sides, should be included in the 25 square meter limit of the building.
While you can propose modular extensions, the primary focus should remain on the original 25 sqm building design.
All necessary information, including the utilization and integration of Kingspan products, should be presented on the A2 panels. If you are competing for the Kingspan Award, you will need to provide a brief, separate text explaining your approach to using Kingspan products when submitting your project.
You should mention the specific Kingspan products you are using in your presentation. You are also free to propose and mention any other materials that enhance your design.
While you can use other Kingspan products in your design, to be eligible for the Kingspan Award, you must select from the products listed for the competition.
Both options are acceptable for the competition. You can choose to design a prefabricated Microhome that is moved to the site in one piece, or a home that is built directly on site.
The microhome should be designed for a young professional couple and intended for permanent living. The design should focus on creating a practical and sustainable living space suitable for two people in a long-term living scenario.
The choice of materials for the MICROHOME competition is open. While incorporating Kingspan products is an option, it's not a requirement unless you aim to compete for the optional Kingspan Award. For this specific award, using selected Kingspan products in your design is essential. However, for the general competition entry, you are free to choose the materials you find most suitable for your design.
