Premise
Modern lifestyles seem to have not only taken a toll on our mental well-being but our cities as well. As a result of the density/space paradigm, most of them have transformed into vast concrete jungles, resulting in increasingly reduced avenues for human interaction with nature. However, Biophilia in buildings, when applied correctly, serves much more than mere aesthetic.
Despite its immensely therapeutic impacts in workplaces, where biophilic design has yielded tangible positive impacts on employee productivity, well-being and mental health, the proliferation of Biophilia as a practice, especially in residences where we inevitably end up spending the most time in our lives, remains severely limited.
Challenge
The challenge is to design a residential tower with 75 housing units on the site provided, incorporating biophilic design principles.
The size of the unit is homogenized to a 2.5 BHK unit (2 Bedrooms + 2 Bathrooms + Hall + Kitchen + Study).
The design is intended to improve the quality of life of its residents while providing more opportunities to personally engage with nature, improve mental health and relieve stress.
More so, the design challenge urges designers to look beyond simply designing towers with vertical vegetation by engaging with all principles of biophilic design holistically, including making and strengthening connections with many aspects of nature through natural light, views of nature, plants, natural materials, textures, and patterns. All of these holistically combine to create a biophilic design.
Prizes
- Prize pool of worth 20,000$
- First Prize: 5000$ (For students and professionals)
- Runner Up: 6 x 1100$ (For students and professionals)
- People’s Choice: 4 x 600$ (Open for all)
- Honorable Mention: 12 x 500$ Each
