Annual International Architecture Competition

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #1 (2019)

Results

Foreword

Competition organisers

MICROHOME

Bee Breeders presents its inaugural MICROHOME architectural design competition. This competition is the first chapter of our Small Scale Architecture Appreciation Movement, which will highlight small projects from around the world that offer big ideas.

What is a MICROHOME?

As the affordable housing crisis expands to a larger number of cities around the globe, and as natural resources dwindle, we are looking for easy-to-replicate ideas for living small. Participants were asked to submit designs for an off-grid, modular structure that could accommodate a hypothetical young professional couple.

The only requirement of the brief was to design a living structure with a total floor area of maximum 25sqm. Unique aesthetics, new technologies and innovative materials were encouraged. With this competition and others, Bee Breeders looks to build a library of small-scale design ideas that have the potential to change the world.

Can the MICROHOME become entirely new form of architecture?

Jury members found the range of submissions for the 2019 MICROHOME competition promising. Modular homes, floating homes, homes within existing structures, prefabricated homes, shared homes, flying homes, homes that produced their own energy...all of these ideas and more were presented. Entries focused on solutions targeted to cities in Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada, the UK, the USA, Mexico, Japan, and many more. The winning submissions were all innately hopeful in nature, offering sustainable, small housing solutions with many possibilities for use and implementation.

Bee Breeders thanks all of the designers who submitted ideas to this competition, which was truly global. In partnership with ARCHHIVE BOOKS, we look forward to presenting some of these ideas and more in the upcoming print book, What is Small Scale Architecture? planned for publication in the spring of 2020.

1st Prize Winner

Project name

Shifting Nests

Authors

Jerry Liu
Jesse Basran

Canada

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Participating in architecture competitions is a way for us to take a step back from our day-to-day work and experiment with different ideas on design challenges that we may not otherwise come across. The process of working on a competition is rigorous and demanding, and helps us to keep an open mind, aiding our design and critical-thinking skills as they apply to real world projects.

Jury feedback summary

Vancouver, Canada, is quickly becoming one of the world's most unaffordable cities. While a large number of young professionals are drawn to the city by work opportunities, many also soon leave because they simply cannot afford to live here. The city, paradoxically, is not comparatively dense. It is notable that it has many vacant lots that require remediation for development. 'Shifting Nests' presented a sustainable housing solution, targeting these lots, which it claims have recently begun being transformed into community gardens, but are not adequately taken advantage of. The submission aims to take advantage of these lots by offering a proposal for low-cost small-scale housing. 'Nests' are a prefabricated housing solution consisting of a plywood, metal cladding, and corrugated polycarbonate on a series of simple frames. The jury was impressed by the sensible linear plan layout, segmented into zones for resting, bathing, cooking, living+dining, and farming. The project is depicted beautifully in plan and section, giving sense to the project's layout and form. The jury would like to see how this design might be adapted to other cities and climates.

2nd Prize Winner +
BB STUDENT AWARD

Project name

MIKADO/ MICRO HOME19

Authors

Bilyana Apostolova
Slavena Todorova

University

University of architecture, civil engineering and geodesy
+144 points Buildner University Rankings!

Bulgaria

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We believe that participation in architecture vision competitions can create many great opportunities, especially for students. The basic and fair answer stands behind our personalities and is linked with our passion about architecture and the chance to challenge yourself. Architectural competitions are a great chance to improve many of your skills, to widen your knowledge and express your creativity. You can also learn how to work as part of a team and how to use your unique qualities to complete one project.

Jury feedback summary

'Mikado' offers a circular housing form, in the tradition of yurts and teepees, which floats on a supporting pole: while it is depicted here as raised above a water body, it is also intended that this home can also be constructed in urban spaces and more rustic land terrains. The water-collecting system on the roof is combined with a foundation reservoir for containing fresh water. The house is likely not a cheap solution (it claims to produce energy through solar cells integrated in a curved glass skin), but the open circular plan is rational and open, serving as a cornerless blank slate for organizing one's life. This submission's unique collection of drawings shows evidence of a skilled and restrained designer.

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

COMPACT HOUSE

Authors

Raina Kanari

Sweden

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

I participate in architecture vision competitions mainly to challenge myself. I see it as a tool for learning and an opportunity to be creative and experiment with new ideas. Architecture vision competitions offer a freedom of expression that is otherwise restricted when you work for an office or a client.

Jury feedback summary

This 25sqm house has everything one needs for comfort: simple and easily-constructible, it offers many uses afforded by mobile, re-configurable furniture. Four basic programs - bedroom, office, toilet, and kitchen - are connected via a central multifunctional space. The Compact House is equipped with photovoltaic panels, a rainwater collection system, and a composting toilet. Modular shelving provides storage opportunities. These open shelving systems might require highly-organized users, but they also help to subdivide this tiny space in a way that allows it to feel open and spacious.

BB GREEN AWARD

Project name

Tiny Home - Big Impact

Authors

Eric Weber

University

University of illinois urbana-champaign
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

United States

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

I participate in competitions because they offer the possibility to design with new and innovative forms of architecture. They also push you to think outside of the box and do research into how you can make your vision possible. Competitions also give you the opportunity to design spaces that can be different from what you usually design.

Honorable mentions

VIEWclose HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Project Name

Mekong Delta "Thuyen Nha" Microhousing

University

University of southern california
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

United States

Project authors

John Perez
Bradley Kreuger

Project Name

Pioneer Living

University

Lund university
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

Sweden

Project authors

Brendan Cooney
Parto Jahangiri
Minh Quang Do
Arvin Nadimi

Project Name

Suber House

Country

United States

Project authors

Jolanda Devalle
Alison Zuccaro

Project Name

Niu Haus

Country

Spain

Project authors

Michael Salka
Julianna Carmona
Elisabet Fabrega
Kevin Matar

Project Name

MOVING BOXES

Country

Hungary

Project authors

Davor Robitschko

Project Name

Omah Guyub

Country

Indonesia

Project authors

Garry Novianto
Rudy Hermanto

Shortlisted projects

VIEWclose Shortlisted projects

United States

jolanda devalle
alison zuccaro

Spain

michael salka
julianna carmona
elisabet fabrega
kevin matar

Germany

braunundbraun braun
pattanun thongsuk
giorgi chinchaladze

United Kingdom

nick husband
matt jones

Guatemala

Rafael Landivar University (Universidad Rafael Landivar)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
jose manuel castillo garcía
maria de fatima mérida loy
carlos estuardo velasquez zacarias

Colombia

juan garcia
valentina herrera

Romania

Moka studio design

natasa andrei
carmen ivan
raluca popp
alexandru ivanciu

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
linnéa olsson
martin blivik
jihyun lee
zhihao han

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
brendan cooney
parto jahangiri
minh quang do
arvin nadimi

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
nicholas hartman
felix dokonal
victoria restrepo giraldo
nina allberg

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
anna ridder
valentina rapuano
Óli geir kristjánsson
tyra blichfeldt

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
therese skevik
katarzyna starczewska
hana shibu
erik odqvist

United States

USC - University of Southern California

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
john perez
bradley kreuger

Indonesia

amyra marlia
safira salsabila
dinullah ibrahim

Italy

simone zanini
roberto faccin
luca soldati
carlo andrea vescovi

Singapore

Singapore Polytechnic

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
jing xi foo
bryan jia en lee
abbrielle loh
ernest tock

United States

Porterfanna architecture

lj porter
brandon sanchez
sakia harrison
alex sanchez

India

Architecture brio

shefali balwani
stuti murarka
anton henrard
robert verrijt

United States

Yale School of Architecture

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
kaiwen zhao
malcolm galang
yangwei gao
xuefeng du

United Kingdom

connor pilling
valerio stuart
jack hutton
daniel warren

Mexico

ITESM, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
iván martín flores urista

United States

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
eric weber

United States

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
jennifer emmert

United States

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
somesh tripathi

Chile

Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana UTEM, Chile

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
wilson gonzalez
sebastián figueroa
nicolás jara

United Kingdom

leoni uskuri
ryan theobald
oguz uskuri

Bulgaria

UACEG , University of Architecture, Civil Eng. and Geodesy

+144 points Buildner University Rankings!
bilyana apostolova
slavena todorova

Malaysia

University of Sheffield

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
kai yi wong
li mei tan
vicky wei kee lee
yi shu

Australia

Makano pty ltd

claire vervaart
david male
stephen geason

United States

michael holmquist
kurt stavdal
zach martins
natalie clark

Australia

Wmk architecture

kim aleksandrowicz
dion srkulj
holly zhang
sophie sisko

United Kingdom

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, University College London

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
maria konstantopoulou
mabel parsons

Italy

Polytechnic of Turin, Politecnico di Torino

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
ezio damonte
giovanni gradi
gemma santoro
marco di mauro

United Kingdom

Cardiff University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
ed green

Philippines

Arkiasia

nacho mauricio
diana yambao
charles dela cruz

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
kwan yiu tam

Egypt

samer el sayary
ahmad halabi
maha ftouni

Venezuela

hector bellorin
ivano aspesi

Chile

javier ariel barba romero
helmut oliverio martes carrillo

Germany

Universität Stuttgart

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
ridvan kahraman
james hayward
sacha cutajar

Georgia

Tbilisi State Academy of Arts

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
davit botchorishvili

Indonesia

garry novianto
rudy hermanto

Indonesia

Rawhaus

cassandra sari damayanti
rendy aditya wachid
dani hermawan

United States

melissa banda
zerik kendrick

France

agathe licciardi
louise valladier
emilie mouchel

United States

Noble home, llc

noah grunberg grunberg

Iraq

ahmed maher rashid
mohammed abbood gatea

Italy

nicola luppino
matteo brero
narcis constantin oprea
daniel stiven pepe galindo

Iran

sepideh bazrafshan
masoud mirzahoseini

United States

gary lee
helen ko
adam schiffmacher

Philippines

francisca mejia
sofia gomez
hsuan-jen hou
 

Open architecture competitions

  • Closest Deadline first
  • Project competitions first
    Selected winning projects have the potential to be constructed
  • Ideas competitions first
    Experimental competitions with the focus on pushing the boundaries of creativity
ideas COMPETITION
The Architect's Chair
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Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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project COMPETITION
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South Dakota, USA

Design an iconic tower for De Smet, South Dakota, USA

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + POTENTIAL TO BE REALISED
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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project COMPETITION
Iceland Beer Spa

Design a beer spa in Iceland's captivating landscape

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + POTENTIAL TO BE REALISED
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 14
Sep 14
Nov 08

Reccuring architecture competitions

ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial
Edition #3

Design a memorial that speaks to the cause of ending all nuclear weapons programs

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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ideas COMPETITION
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Edition #3

Redefine the future of workspaces

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Sep 14
Nov 16
Jan 18
ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Museum of Emotions
Edition #4

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
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Jan 30
Run repeatedly
Los Angeles Affordable Housing Challenge
Affordable Housing Series #16

Design affordable housing solutions in Los Angeles

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 07
Sep 07
Nov 01
Register now

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Competition results

MICROHOME

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #4
Hong Kong 
Pixel Homes

Hong Kong Pixel Homes

Affordable Housing Series #2
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