Annual International Architecture Competition

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #2 (2020)

Results

Foreword

Competition organisers

MICROHOME

Official Partners

MICROHOME

MICROHOME 2020 is an annual architecture competition organized as part of Bee Breeders’ Small-Scale Architecture competition series, and in partnership with ARCHHIVE BOOKS publications.

As the affordable housing crisis expands to a larger number of cities around the globe, and as natural resources dwindle in the face of climate and economic crises, the competition seeks easy-to-replicate ideas for living small, to better serve our changing world.

Even the smallest projects can contain big ideas. In describing Bee Breeders’ campaign to highlight innovative small-scale design work, UN Studio’s Ben van Berkel writes: “[These] projects sometimes generate ideas which can later be extended to larger scale projects. They not only perform as a testing ground for geometric, material and construction related considerations, but they are also invaluable when testing ideas on a conceptual level.”

The MICROHOME competition series challenges participants to submit designs for an off-grid, modular structure to accommodate a hypothetical young professional couple. The only project requirement is that the total floor does not exceed 25m². Participants are encouraged to rethink spatial organization and incorporate unique aesthetics, new technologies and innovative materials. Projects can be set on any hypothetical site, of any size, anywhere in the world.

Bee Breeders collaborated with a strong international jury, which brought insights from a range of practice types. The jury included: Oke Hauser, Vice President of Architecture and Design at Quarters Co-Living in Berlin and former creative lead and project manager of BMW-MINI Living; Brian Gaudio, CEO of Pittsburgh-based Module Housing; Anne Cecilie Haug, Senior Architect at Snøhetta in Oslo; Carlo Ratti, Director of the MIT SENSEable City Lab and Milan-based Carlo Ratti Associati; and Patrik Schumacher, Director of Zaha Hadid Architects in London.

Bee Breeders and its jury team thank each of the hundreds of designers who submitted ideas to this competition, from cities around the globe. In partnership with ARCHHIVE BOOKS, we look forward to presenting some of these ideas and more in our upcoming digital and print books.

Enter the next
competition edition!

ideas COMPETITION
MICROHOME
Small living, huge impact! Edition #6

Design a new concept of small-scale home

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + PUBLICATION IN MAGAZINE
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Feb 16
Apr 18
Jun 16
Register now

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #2 (2020)
1st Prize Winner

Project name

Horror Vacui

Authors

Giovanni Cavaglion
Pu Wang
Emanuele Cavaglion
Xiaoxu Liang

Italy

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Because it represents an occasion to explore extreme contexts and unique scenarios.

Jury feedback summary

Horror Vacui – a postulate attributed to Aristotle, who articulated for the field of physics a belief that "nature abhors an empty space". This is a beautifully - rendered project for a transformative housing unit that functions like a machine, with retractable ceiling and floor modules controlled via app. The jury writes, - “It is a good solution to exploit the maximum space available in any layout mode. It Interestingly integrates the digital into the physical space, to make it flexible and adaptable to the user.” The project yields a creative use of small spaces by a simple construction system that provides multiple atmospheres and usage scenarios.

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

Bricoleur River-House Initiative

Authors

Georgia Huang
Andrew Kurniawan
Leonardo Vincent

Australia

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We participate in competitions to seek more opportunities to learn about the world of architecture. We see it as a chance to refine and practice the skills we have and through this find our purpose and identity in the way we think and design.

Jury feedback summary

BRI – Bricoleur River House – Initiative - is an upcycling proposal for the polluted and crowded slums of cities like Jakarta, Indonesia. The submission offers a prototype micro-housing unit that combines the reuse of building materials from slums with 3D-printed plastic waste recycled from rivers. The jury comments, “The proposal combines material and spatial innovation to contribute to a more social, ecologic, and economically sustainable urban future in developing countries.” The entry suggests a variety of module types, accompanied by axonometric sections shaped to integrate cross-ventilation and integrated plumbing, as well as vernacular elements, such as the Javanese pendhapa – a pavilion-like structure, built on columns, for outdoor spaces shaded from the sun.

3rd Prize Winner +
ARCHHIVE BOOKS Student Award

Project name

Anonymous Watchman

Authors

Jinlong Li
Sen Yan
Xibao Ren
Huichao Luo

University

University of new south wales
+128 points Buildner University Rankings!

Australia

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We love to challenge ourselves and to test our ideas in the global context.

Jury feedback summary

The jury writes of Anonymous Watchman, - “Tiny, compact and beautiful – just as a microhome should be – with integrated energy and water solutions, good daylight without being transparent, and the use of simple and natural materials.” The project proposes a rectangular block form with articulated pocket windows, a circular rooftop water collection tank, and a single curved corner – these articulate the form just enough to give it refined, idiosyncratic proportions without appearing over-designed. It is an excellent and tasteful proposal that reads like a product in the vein of those by MUJI, IKEA, Toyota, and a host of other recent companies offering well-designed prefab housing units for off-grid living.

BB GREEN AWARD

Project name

E-COMMUNITY

Authors

Ali bugra Cebeci
Oguz kemal Basar

Italy

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We participate in architecture vision competitions because, as young architects, we can develop our skills on an international stage. It is an excellent opportunity to discipline ourselves and push forward our design limits.

Honorable mentions

VIEWclose HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Project Name

The High Sierra

University

Universidad iberoamericana puebla
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

Mexico

Project authors

Mauricio Bastidas Azotla

Project Name

Clochán

Country

Ireland

Project authors

Ben Mc quaid

Project Name

Pivot House

Country

United Kingdom

Project authors

Ibrahim Muasher
Gergana Popova
Simon Taylor

Project Name

MODULAR HOUSING UNIT

University

Politechnika warszawska
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

Poland

Project authors

Zuzanna Słabik

Project Name

Breathing House

Country

United States

Project authors

Tommy Nam
Eujean Cheong

Project Name

Purifying Home

University

Delft university of technology
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

Netherlands

Project authors

Aiste Rakauskaite
Kiana Mousavi
Savanne Van Harrewijen

Shortlisted projects

VIEWclose Shortlisted projects

Italy

giovanni cavaglion
pu wang
emanuele cavaglion
xiaoxu liang

Argentina

santiago muros

Serbia

jovana dmitrić

Chile

pablo larroulet
toni cremades villanueva

Spain

olga rof enriquez

Poland

Warsaw University of Technology , Politechnika Warszawska

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
zuzanna słabik

Netherlands

Delft University of Technology, TU Delft , Technical University Delft

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
aiste rakauskaite
kiana mousavi
savanne van harrewijen

Austria

marianne machner

Canada

mayank shekhawat

Panama

amilcar perez
diane lan
ariel arosemena

France

anouck badina
javier pose bazarra

Australia

wes whittle

United States

esther sperber
audrey chan
kellen thayer

Netherlands

fatemeh mahmoudyar
mahta aminali

Spain

michael salka
vicente guallart
daniel ibañez

Mexico

Universidad Iberoamericana, IBERO

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
mauricio bastidas azotla

Italy

ali bugra cebeci
oguz kemal basar

United States

Virginia Tech

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
blake massie

United Kingdom

ibrahim muasher
gergana popova
simon taylor

Ireland

ben mc quaid

Turkey

Ofis 16 architecture

eser koken isleyici
seckin dingil
busra ates kaya
zeynep diken

United States

jinwoo kim

Philippines

ma. shena paz monfero
kayla alyssa guino
nelson aldrich silva
stephen limin

Australia

University of New South Wales

+128 points Buildner University Rankings!
jinlong li
sen yan
xibao ren
huichao luo

Argentina

florencia mischelejis
santiago carlos peña fiorda
valeria ospital greslebin
agustin llobera

Ireland

ronan atkins

China

Tongji University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
yinsong bai
xingjie lyu
fanqing meng

United States

michael hoover
abigail peters

United States

University of Virginia

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
evan sparkman
colin frazier

Czech Republic

ARCHIP, Architectural Institute in Prague

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
hannah holmen
dandika thanos

Australia

Plans in motion

maggie cusdin
adriano zarosinski
stuart yeap

Portugal

Lusíada University, Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
josé miguel marques

Australia

georgia huang
andrew kurniawan
leonardo vincent

United States

tommy nam
eujean cheong

Philippines

elaine salufrania
alfred theodore bandojo

Montenegro

djordje radovic
luka papan

China

Shanghai University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
jinwei yang
ziyao he

Canada

stephanie ng
jamie wong
joanna allida
nancy luo

Poland

Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Politechnika Wrocławska)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
sebastian krawczyk
szymon chrzanowski

Latvia

helmuts nežborts
 

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    Selected winning projects have the potential to be constructed
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Design a home with no artificial lighting

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Jan 25
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project COMPETITION
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Design a guest house and olive oil tasting room located in Portugal

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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Dec 08
Jan 27
Apr 21
project COMPETITION
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Design a yoga guest house located within rich bog wildlife

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + CONSTRUCTION
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

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For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
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Present your best work and submit your favorite architectural visualization

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Mar 23
May 25
Jul 27
ideas COMPETITION
MICROHOME
Small living, huge impact! Edition #6

Design a new concept of small-scale home

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + PUBLICATION IN MAGAZINE
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Feb 16
Apr 18
Jun 16
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 #3

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
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May 19
Jul 21
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Edition #2

Design a portable reading room that encourages reading in any location

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registration deadlines

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Prize: MONETARY AWARD
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Creativity gym Short term competitions for you to exercise your creativity

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Edition #2

Submit your online portfolio!

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registration deadlines

Remind me
Mar 31
Apr 30
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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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