Register 04 JUN, 2018 | Submit 04 JUN, 2018 |
MICRO A New Living Revolution
BRIEF
Welcome to Eleven’s 10th competition. For this challenge, we are starting a living revolution. ‘Macro to Micro’ is a two-challenge competition looking at revolutionising the way we live from the city to the human scale. In this competition, we will focus on the MICRO element and ask you to engage with the idea of new neighbourhoods and greenfield developments on a city scale.
The Living Revolution is here and it is MICRO!
Today, in the United Kingdom, we are experiencing a housing crisis brought on by the increasing demand for houses which exceeds the supply. As a result, more greenfield sites are being developed for residential neighbourhoods on the outskirts of major cities and in new towns.
But the housing crisis extends beyond the deficiency in numbers. Today we are seeing more and more developments being built with the idea of maximising profits and numbers rather than quality of design and lifestyle. This paves the way for a dulled-down housing model which is mediocre at best and often lacks any imagination, innovation, personality and style due to cost cutting exercises and the standardisation of development.
Many new developments become dormitories designed through outdated standardisations which display little to no architecture or design ambition. We create housing in the form of little brick boxes for our lives and find ourselves being packed tighter and tighter together like the very same bricks that surround us.
More so, our lives and technology have changed drastically from decades ago. The same can be said about our housing needs and our perception of what a ‘house’ is. Yet, for the main part, our new housing stock has not moved on with the times.
The solution comes in architecture driven housing, but architecture can come at a very high price and is therefore traditionally reserved for the richest sectors of our society.
With new advances in materials, technology and society, how can we bring the same quality of architectural space in housing for the general public so that we can begin to breathe life back into our new homes? And how do we do this in line with the latest ecological practices for a more sustainable future?
The solution could be found in the mainstream industrialisation of construction processes rather than the standardisation of outdated housing models.
If we spend less money in the actual building process on site, we can invest more in the quality of design of both the house itself and its surrounding landscapes. Modularisation in housing can also mean that you as the buyer can have a say in how your home is developed and perhaps, your home can be upgraded and change with your changing needs as you go on in life. Why can’t the standard of constructing homes change?
Why don’t we shift to building more homes in factories rather than onsite? Why don’t we invest more time and thought in cracking the industrialisation of house production – like we did with cars and products over a century ago – for the benefit of the developer, the environment AND the end user alike?
We believe the answer to this will pave the way to a radically new system of both imagining and developing the future of our homes and lives.
For this competition, your goal is to deliver a new concept of house. Your focus will be to develop a quality-led sustainable dwelling. The outcome should strive to define a new paradigm of what a house of the future could be. Challenge the status quo, push boundaries, define new frontiers and – why not – have fun. Remember that this competition is about shifting vision so don’t be afraid to dream big.
The event, held in Manchester (UK) on the 12th July 2018, will host a dedicated exhibition of the awarded and best entries from this competition, as well as provide a platform to formally announce the competition winners.
SCHEDULE
DEADLINE 04 JUN 2018
AWARDS
FEES
Early Bird: £40 per team
Standard: £60 per team
Late Bloomer: £80 per team
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DISCOUNT: Teams wishing to join both our Macro and Micro competitions will recieve a 25% discount on registration if they purchase both competitions at the same timee. Refer to Q10 on the F.A.Q section.
JURY
Meet your jury, formed by world leading pioneers, designers, architects, planners, decision-makers and academics in the field of architecture and urbanism.
WEBSITE
https://www.eleven-magazine.com/?competition=micro