Since the dawn of time, humanity has been dependent on nature to provide us with food and shelter. And even as our civilization is becoming increasingly advanced, we still rely on nature to provide the basic building blocks: everything we eat is still grown or farmed on earth, and while we have invented and produced a myriad of exotic products, they are all built with materials found in nature.

However, over the last few centuries, people have become increasingly distant from the wild. Before the industrial revolution, only 3% of the world’s population lived in cities. Today - only 250 years later - more than 50% live in urban areas. It represents a physical, as well as a mental, detachment. The majority of the world’s population is no longer connected to nature in the same way as in the past.

This detachment affects both parties: on the one hand, the population living in cities misses out on the positive impact nature has on both mental and physical health - a multitude of scientific articles highlight the benefits of spending time in the green outdoors.

On the other hand, when being less involved, people also tend to become less considerate. While humanity’s negative impact on the environment increases, the concern about our planet declines. In the long run, this is a crucial contributor to climate change, affecting the entire planet.

It has become time to reconnect to nature, and to highlight the relationship between humanity and the rest of the planet.

Hello Nature invites you to find a way of re-introducing nature into people’s consciousness. But rather than by focusing on the negatives, it should be about highlighting the positive aspects of the environment to awaken people’s curiosity and interest.

Goal

To design a structure that celebrates nature.

Twist

The proposal must involve both education and recreation, or - if you prefer - business and pleasure.

How can architecture encourage involvement with nature? Is it possible to achieve a synergy effect by fusing man-made design with nature? Can a structure generate interest even for someone not visiting the site? Could the concept itself motivate people to experience nature?

Education can be anything between a basic bird-watching tower and an elaborate science research center that monitors land-rise after the ice age.

Recreation can be anything from a modest wind shelter or an art installation to a luxurious hotel: something that enhances the experience when visiting the area.

Further Considerations

The split does not have to be 50/50 - as long as there is at least an element of both, the division is up to you. If you feel that offering a unique experience is the best way to sell nature, focus on the recreation part. Or, if you believe that something involving science is more appropriate, go for an education-heavy design.

The two components can be completely separated, or merged into one entity.

The resulting design should encourage awareness of nature in general.

Please note that this is an ideas-based competition - there is no intention of building any of the winning projects.

Jury

The jury consists of one representative from Combo Competitions along with the following three external jurors:

Ia Hjärre (Director at Dive Architects, Stockholm, Sweden)

Jonathan Nygaard (Urban Planner at Kramfors Municipality, Kramfors, Sweden)

Jesung Park (Architect at schmidt hammer lasser architects, Copenhagen, Denmark)

Timeline

The competition opens on September 1st 2014. The registration fee is £50 until October 26th, when standard registration ends and late registration begins (fee £70). Last day of registration is November 23rd, one week before the submission deadline, which is on November 30th. Winners will be announced no later than December 21st.

All deadlines are 23.59 GMT.

Prizes

1st prize: £1,200 (one thousand two hundred British pounds)

2nd prize: £600 (six hundred British pounds)

3rd prize: £200 (two hundred British pounds)

The jury will also recognize a number of honorable mentions.

In addition to the cash prizes, the winners will receive a personal page within the Combo Competitions domain, showing their proposal along with the jury’s motivation.

A selection of the winning proposals will be published on various websites and blogs and/or their printed counterpart. Previous publications include, among others: Bustler, ArchDaily, WA - Wettbewerbe Aktuell and Ottagono.

> via combocompetitions.com