MICROHOME

Circadian Home is a proposal for a flexible residence that adapts to varying natural light conditions in any location. It features a circular core with two radiating wings for independent use and positioning. Each of the pivoting armatures reinforces a user’s unique 24-hour cycle and processes of daily life. According to the jury, "The design is beautiful and well rendered. It is engaging despite the complexity of its implementation; in fact, it allows the building to fulfil an essential aspect – the opportunity of privacy given to each occupant despite the small living space. The design is future-oriented and feasible for construction. However, the designer could have better stressed the purposefulness of the project in the context of the ‘New Normal’, with today’s realities of two people living and working at home."

Cloud Catcher is a design for a rectangular unit composed of machine-like modules of furniture, enclosed by a perimeter water tank with a hydroponic garden, and topped by a roof of plywood, metal sheets, and panels of radioactive cooling film and photovoltaics. This structure is then enveloped by a light modular frame supporting a recycled polyurethane mesh fog catcher. The jury writes, “The concept of water collection and redistribution is carried out with consistency throughout the design, creating a unified vision for how to sustainably deal with water on a macro level. An added bonus is that the simple design is an aesthetic eye catcher – beauty is achieved through functionality. The concept is very straightforward and sensitive at the same time. Cloud Catcher is a project that expresses clarity in the ability to evoke a light, flexible structure deeply linked to the surrounding environment and its potentials.”

Switch challenges standard living spaces by compressing functional furniture elements, which could then be expanded depending on the needs of the user. It is a house comprised of a casted basement with embedded furniture and topped by freely mobile suspended modules containing the resident’s personal objects. The user can easily transition between the night area (containing a bed, bathtub, and wardrobe) and the day area (containing a kitchen, dining table, desk, and sofa). The jury writes, “The design appears constructable and realizable. It is simple, well-developed, and original. It shows an in-depth thinking of the constraints of living in limited space with a well-designed water system.”