Saint-Gobain, A French multinational company, and manufacturer of high-end construction materials, has held the 19th International Architectural Contest for students. Every year, Saint-Gobain targets a country with an architectural challenge and addresses real social and cultural issues working closely with the locals. Students globally participate and bring up concepts to mitigate these situations and become winners in the competition.
The competition is based on Saint Gobain’s commitment towards sustainability. It was organised first in 2004 in Serbia, advocating sustainable approaches, later becoming an International Contest in 2005. At present it attracts more than 1300 students, from more than 30 countries around the world, providing a meaningful platform to showcase solutions which will help attain sustainable approaches in the construction sector. The competition becomes a platform to showcase different perspectives and exposes the students to a professional setup.
About The Competition
Students need to create an in-depth proposal which includes architectural design, structural design and environmental factors surrounding them. Since the competition is based on sustainability, a considerable amount of attention is paid towards how the design is energy efficient, can reduce the carbon footprint and is economically viable. The design should also be able to maximise health and minimise environmental impact. It is a contest meant for both people and the planet. The overall concept and presentation of the proposal from ideas to the final design layout and the approach taken to achieve it along with creativity and practicality are some of the factors considered for judgement in the competition. It is a two-step competition with national and international stages.
The Core Requirement:
- The proposal was in the district of Vikki located 8 kilometres north-east of the city centre of Helsinki
- To design a new residential building in the new residential part (temporary or permanent)
- to renovate and change the use of an existing office building to a residential function for visiting researchers or students
- To design the interconnection of the buildings by exterior public green space.
- Circularity and potential reuse of building parts and materials are encouraged.
The criteria for judgement is based on 20% architectural design, functionality and concepts and 30% on sustainability and sustainable construction.
Winners Of The 19th International Architecture Student Contest
This year the competition was organised in collaboration with the University Of Helsinki, in Finland. The contest comprises 3 winners and a separate category for teacher and student prizes. The winners of this contest have been announced which has truly reflected on some remarkable and ambitious projects.
The first prize was won by the team from Portugal from the school “Faculdade De Arquitectura Da Universidade Do Porto” with a team of 3 members including Francisco Ferreira, Pedro Tiago Gaspar, and Joao Henriques
I) Sieni Park, Team Portugal
The First Prize winner – Sieni Park created a sense of community. It takes considerable input from the Finnish culture linking the network with the campus, making the old combine and coexist with the new structures. The word Sieni is a reference to the fungal growth of mushrooms. The design is a biomimicry with a sustainable approach. The team has taken environment-friendly approaches to the design, including a Sloped Zinc Roof for water collection with Foam Glass insulation for better thermal and acoustics inside.
II) Rurban Habitat, Team Poland
The Second Prize Winner – Rurban Habitat, as the name suggests is an amalgamation of rural and urban contexts to achieve the vision as imagined in the image below. The team included Alexandra Tądel and Magdalena Strauchmann, from the school Politechnika Wrocławska in Poland. Their approach was to reduce, reuse and achieve balance with the existing landscape and utilise the vernacular architecture of the place. Prefabricated designs for the core house and green energy production were all the characteristics adopted to achieve sustainability. This also created a humble and inclusive environment that did not encroach on the existing surroundings and complimented the future development ideas.
III) From Boundary to Gateway, Team South Korea
The 3rd Prize winners – From Boundary to Gateway is a nature-friendly experience. The team included Donghui Shin, Jiyeol Park, and Hwanhui Lee from Korean University in South Korea. It concentrates on natural light and the environment indoors to have maximum nature and light daily. The old museum and many other buildings have been repurposed for better suitable functions within and all the buildings connect people to a centre that acts like a gateway towards nature.
IV) Eco-Habitat: Greenhouse Dorms and Urban microclimate, Team Lebanon
Eco Habitat has won the student prize. The team included Reem Lichaa Khoury,
Ralph Sayah and Mohamad Ali Faour from Lebanese University – Faculty Of Fine Arts And Architecture – Branch 2 in Lebanon. This project considers the farmhouses of Helsinki while bringing in contemporary elements with traditional shapes and a courtyard for indirect solar heating. It is a self-sustaining design, with everything interdependent including residences, gardens, and waste management creating an organised system.
V)The Edu- Buoyancity, Team Malaysia
Vikki- The Edu- Buoyancity has won the Teacher Prize which looks upon the concerns of floods in Finland, presented by Eunice Min Yee Lim from Taylor’s University in Malaysia. It brings wildlife to rejuvenate and create a balanced life. It promotes residences designed to achieve maximum movement and create a community within nature and also looks into providing unique educational experiences and believes it to turn out as a resilient model for Finland.
Impact Of The Competition
The Saint-Gobain International Contest, creates a considerable impact on the architectural community, by providing a platform for students exposing them to professional parameters and real-life challenges. It gives them a chance to collaborate and have conversations necessary for meaningful change in the construction sector that can create a positive impact on the Global Sustainability goals. It will also offer solutions for mitigating problems in different design approaches and in addressing relevant issues within the community.
Going Ahead
Saint-Gobain has completed 19 editions of the student contest which have brought about considerable impact and changes bringing in ideas, and innovation for the future. Going forward the contest will continue to contribute to the architectural community with its continuous emphasis on a sustainable approach towards design. Every year the winners have increased the standards of solutions, with their environment-friendly concepts and sustainable construction approaches. These projects will become a point of reference for those in need of inspiration or just a solution. The competition in the future will come to serve as a source for solutions and a platform for advocating viable design solutions that are economically feasible, environment-friendly, culturally relevant and can stand the test of time.
