Living Steel competition for architects

publication date: Jan 28, 2008

Living Steel is once again asking architects to take up the challenge to develop sustainable housing for the world’s burgeoning housing shortage. The 3rd International Architecture Competition presents architects with the task of creating energy efficient, single-family, detached housing that minimises climate change emissions and can withstand temperature extremes, yet is affordable to build and to buy.
The competition’s Call for Expressions of Interest is launched today, and the world’s architects can enter at www.livingsteel.org/extremehousing until 28 April 2008. Architects entering an Expression of Interest must do so as a team of two architects to be eligible for short-list consideration.
Judged by some of the leading architects around the world, total prizes and honoraria are €100,000, with the winning design awarded €50,000. The winning architects will use the exceptional qualities of steel to construct their design in Cherepovets, Russian Federation, where temperatures can range from -49 C to +34 C. The homes constructed from the winning designs will be part of a community for use by employees of Russian steel maker, SeverStal JSC, headquartered in Cherepovets.
“This competition is the chance to be a positive force in the growing global need for economical, environmentally responsible housing,” said Scott Chubbs, Living Steel Programme Director. “We’ve put together an exciting format that will allow ten teams of two architects each to present their best ideas for filling this critical need.”
The third competition includes a two-part challenge each with a winner and prize. Ten teams will be short-listed as competition finalists. The ten short-listed teams will be given the project brief and one month to put together their ideas for efficient, sustainable housing that fits the location specifications. These teams will be flown to Helsinki, Finland, where they will present their concepts to the competition’s Jury on 26-27 June 2008. The Jury will select a winning
team who will be awarded the Jury Prize of €50,000 and the opportunity to see their design come to reality.
In addition, a two-day design charrette will follow on 28-29 June in Helsinki where the teams will be joined together in groups and tasked with master planning of the community development. The groups will present their plans to each other and then vote which group offered the best solution. The winning group will share the €20,000 Architects’ Prize.
Each of the 10 competition teams will be awarded a €3,000 honorarium, as well as have their travel costs to Helsinki paid by Living Steel.
The competition event in Helsinki will conclude with an awards dinner on 29 June 2008 and the announcement of the winners of the Jury Prize and Architects’ Prize.
“We want to give architects the opportunity to imagine their extreme ideas making an extreme impact for our world and for the people that will call their vision ‘home’,” said Chubbs. “We are anticipating a great time of exploring a score of possibilities for home and community, not only to meet this competition challenge, but to offer the world viable, sustainable solutions for comfortable and affordable housing for similar regions.”
The 3rd International Architecture Competition follows two other successful Living Steel competitions that are entering the demonstration building construction stage in Brazil, China, India, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Learn more and enter online at www.livingsteel.org/extremehousing
For more information, please contact:
Mary McCeney Patrick Flynn
Weber Shandwick Weber Shandwick
T: + 61 2 999 444 83 T: +61 2 999 44 36
E: mmcceney@webershandwick.com E: pflynn@webershandwick.com

About Living Steel
Living Steel, a worldwide, collaborative programme designed to stimulate innovative and responsible housing design and construction was launched in February, 2005. The programme was developed to help address the unprecedented pressure on infrastructure, communities and the quality of people’s lives stemming from growing urban populations.
Funded through the contributions of the world’s leading steel manufacturers, the Full Members of Living Steel include ArcelorMittal, Baosteel, BlueScope Steel, CELSA