International Architecture Competition

Portugal
Elderly Home

Senior living. Edition#1

Results

Foreword

Competition organisers

Portugal 
Elderly Home

Buildner is pleased to announce the results of its Portugal Elderly Home Competition!

This event tasked participants with designing a retirement home on a sloping site in central Portugal to house 60 residents and ten support staff. The brief outlined a program which included features such as a small library, a gathering room, a chapel, a kitchen, and a dining room, as well as a private area that could function as a nurse's room and therapy room for psychological support. The competition was designed to seed innovative ideas for housing an aging population.

Buildner collaborated with a regional and international jury boasting a broad range of experiences: Ricardo Gomes is partner of Portugal-based KWY.studio; Samuel Gonçalves is the founder of SUMMARY, an architectural practice based in Porto, Portugal which was selected as the 2020 “The Emerging Architect of the Year” by Dezeen readers; Tiago Krusse is a professional journalist with more than 22 years of experience writing about design, architecture and art, and is manager of a digital media group that holds the publications Design Magazine, Design Magazine Brasil and architectura MAGAZINE; Marta Frazão and Inês Vicente are partners at Atelier Data, a Lisbon-based office; Tudor Radulescu is Partner and Co-founder of KANVA, a Montreal-based multidisciplinary architectural firm whose work is at the forefront of thinking, imagining, drawing and constructing collective space; Catarina Ribeiro is a co-founder of merooficina, a Porto-based office; Lera Samovich is an architect at Fala Atelier in Porto, Portugal; and Robert van Kats is an architect and partner at bkvv architecten, an architectural practice based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Buildner and its jury panel would like to thank each of the participants from around the world that submitted ideas to this event.

Enter the next
competition edition!

ideas COMPETITION
Beyond Isolation: Senior Housing
Senior living. Edition#2

Reimagine senior living spaces

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 08
Sep 08
Nov 02
Register now

Portugal
Elderly Home

Senior living. Edition#1
1st Prize Winner +
Client Favorite

Project name

Casa das Oliveiras

Authors

Natalia Maslennikova
Sara Martins
Alecsandra Trofin

Portugal

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

One brief, multiple answers. Competitions broaden our views, revealing the multitude of approaches that can be taken to address the same question, thus transforming it into a powerful learning experience.

Jury feedback summary

Casa das Oliveiras is a subtle proposal designed to integrate with its context. It features a single-story entrance at street level, aligned with the scale of the existing neighborhood, behind which a tiered development is embedded within the hillside and topped with olive trees. The project is planned about a central open courtyard surrounded by residential units and, at its ground floor, directly connected to common amenity spaces. An autumnal red textured envelope gives the project a clear identity while also allowing it to appear in continuity with its natural setting.

 

Ricardo Gomes / Buildner guest jury Partner, KWY.studio Portugal
The project creates two strong faces - a memorable street facade and an elegant terraced facade towards the landscape. The courtyard in between is the heart of the building and a luscious common space for the community.
Tiago Krusse / Buildner guest jury Design Magazine Portugal
The project stands out for the way it communicated, both for its clear and well-structured information and its objective graphics. The circulation flow through the building has positive aspects related to mobility and to the maintenance of the different spaces by floors.
Lera Samovich / Buildner guest jury architect at Fala Atelier Portugal
The project offers a seductive sequence of public spaces, both exterior and interior. One could easily imagine how these courtyards, terraces, rooftops and hallways could be occupied. Such rigid elevations are perhaps too serious for a proposal that is so light and engaging. The building could get more open and inviting, bringing coherence to the entire project.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 10/10
    Linework
  • 10/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 10/10
    Balance of color
  • 9/10
    Layout
  • 10/10
    Hierarchy
  • 9/10
    Annotation
  • 9/10
    Text
  • 9/10
    Clarity of story
  • 10/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 10/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

This is an excellent example of a clear, effective four-panel competition submission. The layout is simple, in many ways reflective of the project’s design. The boards are organized using a primary full-span image and the mostly-white boards are anchored by the strong red facade components which appear throughout the renderings and sections. The presentation would benefit from two additional items. The first is basic annotation and labeling to describe the intent and spaces of each of the renderings on the final board. The second is an enlarged detail to describe the construction of either the facade or the planted roof, to solidify this project as a serious architectural proposition.

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

Jardim do Sobreiro

Authors

Atelier L'abri

Canada

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Architecture competitions provide an opportunity for Atelier L’Abri to explore new ideas, foster innovation, and showcase the workshop's creative capabilities and expertise.

Jury feedback summary

Jardim do Sobreiro is described as a ‘garden of cork oak trees,” and a “haven that meets the physical needs of residents while promoting an active lifestyle.” The building uses passive principles to minimize solar heat gain, and benefits from a sustainably sourced cork facade, considered solar mass and natural airflows. The building is broken into two wings, and set perpendicular to the hillside to frame a large terraced garden at its center, programmed to support a market, cafe and park for its elderly residents.

 

Tudor Radulescu / Buildner guest jury Partner and Co-founder of KANVA Canada
This project captures the essence of the brief. It is thought provoking, unique and very well resolved. As with the overall quality of the project, this project softly puts sustainability questions at the forefront of the proposal. Local circular economy became an active participant in the project.
Inês Vicente / Buildner guest jury Partners at Atelier Data Portugal
The proposal shows an overall awareness of the communication with the main street and local surroundings, relation with the terrain and its morphology, adequacy of the proposal and its organization with the program required.
Robert van Kats / Buildner guest jury bkvv architecten Netherlands
An interesting move to position the build program in two blocks and to create a semi public terraced garden. The two blocks, however, are a bit 'heavy'.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 10/10
    Linework
  • 10/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 10/10
    Balance of color
  • 10/10
    Layout
  • 10/10
    Hierarchy
  • 8/10
    Annotation
  • 8/10
    Text
  • 9/10
    Clarity of story
  • 10/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 10/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The submission is clear and organized. Split into two halves vertically the boards are consistently laid out with some variation to lend a reader dynamism and interest. The renderings are beautifully balanced in color and work well with supporting, crisp line drawings that make use of a range of line weights to differentiate the project’s overall form from the landscape and the interior layouts. The submission would benefit from a detailed sectional drawing to describe the buildup of the cork facade on the primary structure. It would also benefit from reducing the length of the introductory text or dividing this text into more manageable bites across all four boards. While the story is clear, it would help that each of the main points in the description be supported by adjacent drawings.

 

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

The Terrace

Authors

Dian Luo
Xiang Liu
Guisong Zhang

China

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We join the competition for the reason that it provides us with a platform to inspire our passion and create works freely. Architects often face multiple restrictions in their routine work due to various reasons. However, in this competition, we can delve deeper into current social issues and problems, giving more attention to the context of our designs. By enhancing our design philosophy and updating traditional design styles, we strive to pursue optimal solutions.

Jury feedback summary

The Terrace is an M-shaped building that steps according to the site’s sloping topography, providing an outdoor set of pedestrian streets for residents  atop a mix of private and public elemental units that are strung together to comprise the angled forms. At the angled intersections of each leg of the building are outdoor gardens, and residents are provided ample connections to the site physically and views to the surroundings.

 

Samuel Gonçalves / Buildner guest jury Founder, SUMMARY Portugal
The volume is fragmented in several pieces, which are adapted to the natural topography and distribute the functions in a precise and hierarchical way.
Catarina Ribeiro / Buildner guest jury Founder of Merooficina Portugal
The apparent simplicity of the proposal, along with its morphology, spatial fluidity, and proportion, sets the project apart from the others. The clear presentation aids in quickly understanding the general idea of the proposal and facilitates a thorough and detailed analysis.
Inês Vicente / Buildner guest jury Partners at Atelier Data Portugal
A solution that envisions a single gesture to solve the difficult terrain of the plot, creating different and stimulating solutions and spaces throughout the project. It explores properly the relation with the view and sun exposition, and its morphology provides great privacy to each accommodation without losing the feeling of total openness towards the views.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 9/10
    Linework
  • 9/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 10/10
    Balance of color
  • 9/10
    Layout
  • 10/10
    Hierarchy
  • 7/10
    Annotation
  • 8/10
    Text
  • 9/10
    Clarity of story
  • 10/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The project benefits from its use of a limited number of large, outstanding visuals. Both rendered images and drawings communicate design intent and leave little room for confusion. A single-image introductory board is followed by three sheets based on a clear and variable grid. While plans are well annotated, the rendered images and section would benefit from basic information such as materiality, dimensions, structural grid and labeled spaces. The final section in particular appears incomplete for its lack of annotation, though it clearly describes the building form as it relates to the site. A larger-scale sectional or plan detail would also help to complete this presentation.

 

BUILDNER STUDENT AWARD

Project name

Elderly oasis

Authors

Samuel Andrejcak
Jakub Ceresnik
Lukas Bim

University

Slovak university of technology in bratislava (stu)
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Slovakia

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We appreciate the fact that competitions contribute to the creation of new and high-quality projects. For the client, this means having access to multiple answers for a specific brief, which enhances the quality of the final design by validating it through various solutions. Simultaneously, we embrace competition as it stimulates our interest in the perspectives of other architects and the diversity of ideas. It is highly positive that architectural competitions are gaining prominence these days and encompass a wide range of interesting briefs at different scales.

Jury feedback summary

Elderly Oasis has been designed to consider the senior home as a modern, civic place. Emphasis is placed on communication with the outside world. It consists of simple volumes relative to and readable according to their function. The main principle is to create a collection of spaces for communal activity and socializing, focused on a central courtyard terrace. The materials are spartan and pure: wood, polycarbonate, metal mesh, white plaster, concrete. The aesthetic is industrial and minimal, inviting and visually light.

 

Marta Frazão / Buildner guest jury Partners at Atelier Data Portugal
The urban strategy is clear and clever. Instead of a big mass the proposal explores a set of different volumes (according to their function) arranged in an embedded platform that links the west to the east side. The space in between volumes results in a communal space for socialization.
Inês Vicente / Buildner guest jury Partners at Atelier Data Portugal
The proposal supports its strengths on the greater use and creation of public space around the built volumes. The ability of bringing the street into the program helps the edification to integrate more easily with the surroundings.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 10/10
    Linework
  • 10/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 10/10
    Balance of color
  • 10/10
    Layout
  • 10/10
    Hierarchy
  • 8/10
    Annotation
  • 9/10
    Text
  • 9/10
    Clarity of story
  • 10/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 10/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The project is stellar in its ability to communicate its form, program, use and aesthetic. Beautiful line drawings, renderings and photos of a crystal clear model work  together to offer an easily legible and sophisticated design proposal. The presentation does not lack much, but a constructive detail or enlarged section of a unit or the envelope would be helpful to more fully understand the project construction and make it convincing to both a client and a juror. 

 

BUILDNER SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Project name

Embrace

Authors

Christian Meezen
Adrian Martinez Morcillo
Idris Bahadur

Company

Rop architects

Netherlands

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Competition projects serve as the perfect laboratory for us to imagine and test new ideas, serving various purposes. For the organizer/initiator of the competition, we strive to present a different, unique, yet always fitting and realistic idea to address the challenges of the design brief. For a broader audience, we aim to create inviting, understandable, and compelling design proposals that facilitate discussions on specific socially relevant subjects. Personally, competitions provide us with a method to push ourselves further, expand our knowledge as a design team, and specialize in a particular area within architecture. In this case, the focus is on elderly housing and the relationship and impact of the built environment on a person's well-being through eco-friendly design.

Jury feedback summary

Embrace is designed to function like a small village with a central community heart, where residents might forge new personal bonds and meet others through spontaneous interactions. The project has many sustainable features which stood out from other submissions: the use of a cross laminated timber (CLT) structure for lower embodied energy, a healthy interior environment and enhanced flexibility and modularity;, green roofs to increase thermal mass and lower heat gain; a heat exchanger to lower energy costs; and even an integrated smart electric car hub for its elderly residents to encourage mobility. 

Samuel Gonçalves / Buildner guest jury Founder, SUMMARY Portugal
Sometimes OK is better than WOW. That's the case for this project. A very quiet and anonymous object responds to the demanded functions in a very clear manner. The project not only integrates several technologies, but also uses modular solutions, promoting cleaner and efficient building methods, through a pragmatic and serious approach.
Tiago Krusse / Buildner guest jury Design Magazine Portugal
The project receives the recommendation mainly for the way it presents and highlights the qualities and efficiency of the structure's construction and design. These aspects are important for indoor air quality and concerns for durability, adaptability and sustainability.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 8/10
    Linework
  • 10/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 10/10
    Balance of color
  • 9/10
    Layout
  • 10/10
    Hierarchy
  • 10/10
    Annotation
  • 10/10
    Text
  • 9/10
    Clarity of story
  • 10/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 10/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The project intelligently mixes rendered imagery with an appropriate amount of digestible text, clear annotation and thoughtful diagrams. The visuals are extraordinary and beautiful. The three general sectional drawings would benefit from additional lin work to provide hierarchy and depth and, as with all the projects commented on above, a construction-level detail to describe the project buildup would solidify the author’s design intent and clarify the project’s ability to be realized.

 

Honorable mentions

VIEWclose HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Project Name

Patium "Elderly retirement"

Country

Spain

Project authors

Carlos Aridane Gonzalez Cuervo
Rafał Matusik
Jakub Masłowski
Justyna Masłowska

Project Name

Mosaics of Daily Life

Country

Nicaragua

Project authors

Virginia Lucía Chavarría Elvir

Project Name

O Pavilhão

Country

France

Project authors

Quentin Roy
Samuel Cabiron

Project Name

The local park

Company

Mia design studio

Country

Vietnam

Project authors

Manh Nguyen Hoang
Long Nguyen Quoc
Huy Nguyen The
Minh Mai Ngoc

Project Name

Terrace

Country

Germany

Project authors

Tianyu Zhang
Huilian Tang
Zhiwei Liu

Project Name

Andorinha de Areia

Country

Netherlands

Project authors

Jeroen Mensink
André de Hoop
Salomé Suarez Vilas
Shane Kemp

Shortlisted projects

VIEWclose Shortlisted projects

United States

University of Oregon

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
alborz nazari
madison young

Brazil

nicholas holanda
kaique xavier
gustavo murilo pessini
manuel eduardo lópez

Venezuela

ramon yepez
anastasia carvallo

China

Tsinghua University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
muhan li

Uruguay

Universidad ORT Uruguay (Campus Center)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
agustín larrosa
santiago arizcun
gastón palermo

United States

tucker douglas
taylor halamka

Australia

The University of Melbourne

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
yanis newman-pache

Slovakia

Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU)

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
samuel andrejcak
jakub ceresnik
lukas bim

France

Ami studio

noui sara
hugo chassard
charlotte fontaine

Romania

vlad olaru
alexandru călin
andra drăgan
bogdan mihăilă

Netherlands

Rop architects

christian meezen
adrian martinez morcillo
idris bahadur

Turkey

maral günenç tıkıroğlu
ezgi kalender
deniz topaloğlu
zeynep yasemin değermenci

China

向磊 丁
玉楠 张
佳怡 毛
卓杰 李

Germany

tianyu zhang
huilian tang
zhiwei liu

China

dian luo
xiang liu
guisong zhang

Puerto Rico

Partner studio llc

david rodriguez
mariela lugo
brian torres
fernando irizarry

Mexico

Universidad Anahuac Queretaro (Universidad Anáhuac Querétaro)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
dara edrei zilli garcía
regina mestre vargas

Sweden

Andersson & stare arkitekter

oskar stare
julius andersson

Poland

Cracow University of Technology (Politechnika Krakowska im. Tadeusza Kościuszki)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
patryk włodarczyk

France

sabrina de sousa carriço
fiorella rapisarda

Kazakhstan

Pe.pl.cult

kristina klimova

Israel

nadav gefen- furestain
neta gefen-grinbaum

Spain

carlos aridane gonzalez cuervo
rafał matusik
jakub masłowski
justyna masłowska

Netherlands

jeroen mensink
andré de hoop
salomé suarez vilas
shane kemp

Vietnam

Mia design studio

manh nguyen hoang
long nguyen quoc
huy nguyen the
minh mai ngoc

Hungary

Buda-office kft

geza gyetvai
solongo batsaikhan
jános szőke

Portugal

Porto School of Architecture , Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
inês guilherme
leonor teixeira
luísa maruny

Nicaragua

virginia lucía chavarría elvir

Portugal

natalia maslennikova
sara martins
alecsandra trofin

Portugal

ana rita gomes
samuel leite
nide marques dos santos
 

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