Competition
There is a growing modern trend of people abandoning their lives in large cities and opting instead to live in smaller communities. These intentional communities are an evolution of the utopian colonies and communes of the past, where individuals shared resources and responsibilities in equal measure. In the US alone, the number of intentional communities has nearly doubled in recent years, with 1,200 communities registered in 2016.
As the world reacts to the impact of COVID-19 and the changes societies have had to make to their lifestyles, more and more people are looking to leave the big city behind and begin building a new way of life in intentional communities.
The Spirala Ecological Village is a pioneering project focused on self-development and communion with nature. This community, based in Northern Portugal, follows the values of life, honesty, integrity, peace, sustainability, learning, self-responsibility, freedom, awareness, love, kindness, and cooperation. Founders Nitzan and Romy from Israel chose to establish this community in Portugal in order to create a social and physical platform for people to fulfil their potential as human beings.
The Spirala Ecological Village is based in Northern Portugal and focused on communion with nature
The Spirala Ecological Village will consist of 20 buildings within the community where residents live and work together. The village and community farm will be a place for people to connect with nature on a daily basis, and this connection will allow them to see first-hand how their actions and those of the community impact the planet’s complex and beautiful ecosystem.
“We believe it is our duty as humans to initiate and advance the transition to sustainable living by creating green corridors for all living beings and reducinge our ecological footprint on our planet.”
The village will be a home that brings people together, allowing them to cooperate, learn and bring their own uniqueness to share with others.
The Spirala Community Home competition is calling for submissions for a community home to be located in the heart of the Spirala Ecological Village. The home would need to be a space where community members can gather together and meet for events, workshops, or just socialise.
Founders Nitzan and Romy from Israel would like the concept of the new home to follow the name of the ecological village and its inspiration – the spiral – 'spirala' in Hebrew. It is a phenomenon they wish to learn from, as it’s in the structure of our very DNA.
The Spirala Community Home should have both indoor and outdoor space for members to meet and congregate, and that can serve different purposes throughout the year. It should have the functionality to serve as a saloon for the community, as well as host workshops; a space to co-create and be inspired in.
The competition site
As winning designs will be put forward for consideration for construction, the founders of the ecological village are asking participants to offer solutions that will best serve the various needs of the community, while also being a prolific example of green building practices and sustainable design.
Download 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
