Bee Breeders are working in collaboration with the New York Build exhibition to run the New York Affordable Housing Challenge. This open architecture ideas competition looks to create a solution to New York’s ever-increasing housing shortage. Working with limited resources, in terms of both finance and space, participants are challenged to create diverse homes and communities open to all within the city.

The winning entries will be revealed at the New York Build exhibition in March 2017, with special awards being offered to student entries and those incorporating sustainable best practices. The New York Build exhibition is the leading construction and design event for the thriving metropolitan area, and an amazing opportunity for architects of all levels to showcase their work to the industry.

The New York Affordable Housing Challenge is now open until February 23, with a total prize fund of US $6,000. The winning designs will also be transformed into a virtual reality walkthrough provided by Vividly, which will allow viewers to have a full VR experience in what will be a pioneering presentation format.

Programme

Design a pilot-phase concept for affordable housing within New York City, which can be easily rolled out to increase capacity of housing stock, and is minimal in its use of land and materials.

No minimum size or amount of the residential units per block is defined. The proposals should be flexible enough to adopt in different sizes with different inhabitant capacity requirements.

Designs for the New York Affordable Housing challenge should be flexible to different locations across the city. The designs should also be adaptable, allowing adjustments to be made in order to suit different residential capacity requirements. 

Eligibility 

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

All participants are eligible to receive the "NYB Green Award". The jury will evaluate the submitted projects based on the best sustainability practices for: construction methods, materials used, logistics, maintenance and innovation. The winner of this award will win $500.

We welcome any student of architecture to get involved and submit their own design entry for the "Rising Star Award". The leading student design will win $500 and also will have the opportunity to become an intern at a New York architecture practice.

More information on the competition and virtual reality architecture can be found on Bee Breeders competition website.

Top image courtesy of Bee Breeders 

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