Vancouver Affordable Housing Challenge

Category: Architecture
Register by: May 3, 2022
Submit by: June 14, 2022

Please note that this has expired and is for reference only. See our active listings for more competitions.

Vancouver regularly appears on lists of the best cities in the world for livability and quality of life, however, this has also made Vancouver one of the most expensive cities in the world, often appearing along the likes of London, Hong Kong and San Francisco as one of the least-affordable cities on Earth. The recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is only set to make things worse, pushing up house prices even further as demand far outpaces supply. Vancouver also struggles with incredibly strict zoning laws that make almost every type of housing illegal in most city neighbourhoods, other than single-family detached homes.

The Vancouver Affordable Housing Challenge is tasking participants with designing a solution to the city’s current housing crisis. They are encouraged to consider designs that are both flexible and capable of accommodating different unit sizes including families, single professionals and couples.

There is no set site, size or height requirements, and so participants are encouraged to be as creative as possible in the solutions they design. The jury will be looking for projects that challenge typical ideas of housing, design, and the community at large, while at the same time maintaining a practical element that could potentially see these designs realized.

Eligibility

Competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum).

Awards