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Premise

Today, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. Projections show that urbanization combined with the overall growth of the world’s population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050.

Living in these densely urbanized pockets is not just ridiculously expensive, but also substandard for average and low economic groups. Moreover, the cost of living increases so rapidly that it has become almost impossible for most households, resulting in an abysmal quality of life.

A possible solution can be to increase the availability of liveable spaces in cities, through building upon structures that are already thriving with people.

Challenge 

As we seek to increase the availability of spaces, parasitic architecture serves as a solution to an urban problem.

The proposal has to be based in a densely populated urban context. Additionally, the parasite should serve a typological purpose that is public in nature and resonates with the function of its host and its immediate context.

The more densely packed the city is, the more effective the  project will be. The structure will embed itself firmly into the urban fabric with a basic economic relevance.

Criteria

  • Location: Densely populated City
  • Typology: Over a Building or Infrastructure
  • Function: Public interest and relevant to host
  • Size: Should be between 10m3 and 100m3
  • Materials: Contemporary and available
  • Other restrictions: Fire Safety and any contextual design risks should be thoroughly considered

The WHAT

To be identified as parasitic, the architecture should serve at least 2 of the following criteria:

1. Be structurally supported by a host architecture.

2. Be typologically relevant to the original function of its host architecture.

3. Be accessible through the host architecture

The WHERE

The parasitic architecture must fulfill all the following criteria when choosing the location:

1. Be located in a city with a population density of at least 10,000 people per km2.

2. Be located on an existing residential/commercial/civic building or civic infrastructure such as bridges.

3. Be serving a public function whether the host is a public building or private property.

The HOW MUCH

Parasitic architecture should adhere to all of the following restrictions:

1. Be between 10 m3 and 100 m3 in volume.

2. Be able to be constructed by available materials and contemporary construction techniques.

3. Be respectful of fire-safety regulations.

Rewards

Grants of up to a total of 20,000$ can be won on this challenge. Learn more about the full conditions on the competition page here.

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