TerraViva Competitions launches Wildlife Pavilions, a new architecture contest that aims to explore the potentialities of “Torbiere del Sebino” Reserve (Iseo, Italy) in order to come up with creative design proposals focused on nature.

Prizes up to 7.000 € will be awarded to the winners selected by an international jury panel composed by, among others, Zhang Ke (ZAO/standardarchitecture), Alessandro Bonizzoni (Fosbury Architecture), Jan van Dijk (Van Dijk Architects), Nicola Russi (Laboratorio Permanente).

Located in the North of Italy between the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo, Lake Iseo - also known as “Sebino” - is the seventh lake by extension in the country and the fourth in Lombardy region. With its stunning landscape, particularly rich in naturalistic and historical heritage, this territory represents one of the most beautiful areas in Italy, as well as one of the most popular among visitors and tourists.

Towards the southern edge of the lake, it is situated the famous wine region known as “Franciacorta”: a precious land characterised by a hilly topography sprinkled with small villages and covered by wonderful vineyards, where the presence of man perfectly blends with nature.

Today, numerous footprints left by the retreat of the ancient glacier responsible for the formation of this special environment are still clearly visible. One of the most significant, located on the southern coast, is where the sediments left after its melting rise to shape a morainic amphitheatre. The encounter between this area and the lake’s shore gives life to an extraordinary ecosystem of unique environmental value: the “Torbiere del Sebino” Nature Reserve.

Prizes & Mentions

- 1st Prize: 3.000€

- 2nd Prize: 2.000€

- 3rd Prize: 1.000€

- 4 Golden Mentions: 250€ each

- 10 Honourable Mentions

- 30 Finalists

Guidelines

Wildlife Pavilions proposes a paradigm shift: an architecture conceived to coexist in harmony with the landscape, mainly thought for nature itself instead of for human beings.

The goal of the competition is to think out of the box and to imagine inhabited structures designed for flora and fauna: micro-architectures where man meets wildlife just as a passing guest, as a respectful visitor or simply as an observer.

With the aim of challenging anthropocentric architecture and with the idea of experimenting a new creative process focused on nature, the contest requires the design of three small-scale pavilions immersed in the breath- taking landscape of the “Torbiere del Sebino” Nature Reserve.

Today, the only few structures present in the whole complex are just being used for bird watching, whereas the new devices will have to complement the existing ones with an additional feature: providing shelter to nature itself.

The intention is to go beyond the mere act of designing an observation cabin. In fact, it means much more than that: Wildlife Pavilions is about providing supports for bird nesting, new shelters to reptiles, containers to help the proliferation of autochthonous plants, insects hotels, sunbathing platforms and many more. The key lies in being able to conceive a design proposal centred on nature, which, as a secondary function, allows visitors to observe wildlife in total respect of the ecosystem.

Requested Material

Competitors have to submit two A1 panels (59,4 x 84,1 cm) landscape oriented + a brief text describing the proposal (up to 250 words). Panels must contain all the necessary graphic information to explain the project in the best way possible (title, diagrams, sketches, 3D visualizations, plans and sections, collages, model photos, etc.). All kinds of graphic representations will be accepted.

Jury

Zhang Ke | ZAO/standardarchitecture (Beijing, China) 

Nicola Russi | Laboratorio Permanente (Milan, Italy) 

Giulia Pozzi | Fabulism (Berlin, Germany)

Jan van Dijk | Van Dijk Architects (Dundalk, Ireland) 

Alessandro Bonizzoni | Fosbury Architecture (Milan, Italy) 

Ana Babaya| Pesa Arquitectura (Rosario, Argentina) 

Samuel Gonçalves | Summary (Porto, Portugal)

Stefania Capelli| Torbiere del Sebino (Brescia, Italy)

Schedule

Competition Opening on November 28th

69 € “Early” Registration from November 28th to January 20th

89 € “Standard” Registration from January 20th to February 24th

119 € “Late” Registration from February 24th to March 17th

Submission Deadline on March 17th

Results Announcement on April 17th 2023

Download full brief here. 

Requirements & Eligibility

The competition is open to students, architects, designers, urbanists, engineers, artists, makers, activists and anyone interested in the fields of architecture and landscape design. Participants can join the competition either individually or with a team.

More information can be found on the competition's website. 

Top image courtesy of TerraViva Competitions.

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