The International Union of Architects (UIA) has launched the Great Green Wall international single stage student ideas competition open to all students in architecture of the world.

The objective of the competition is to spotlight innovative design ideas for providing sustainable affordable housing within the 8000 km long, 16 km wide living region stretching across the Sahel- Savanah desert region from Dakar to Djibouti known as the Great Green Wall (GGW).

This competition was initiated by the UIA’s Region V to engage the global community of architecture students in the effort to harness the benefits of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to architecture in the service of the GGW. In conjunction with the long-term aims of the Initiative, architecture students are encouraged to harness the benefits of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to respond to the realities of climate change by creating affordable, resilient dwellings and sustainable livability while sustainably rejuvenating the cultural and historical landscape.

This competition is conducted according to the UNESCO Standard Regulations for International Competitions and the UIA best practice recommendations.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all full-time enrolled students from all countries of the world. Multidisciplinary teams must be led by an architectural student. Student participants must be enrolled in a school of architecture at the time of submission.  

Official Languages

The official languages of the competition are French and English. All documents for the competition will be provided in both languages. Entries shall be submitted in either French or English. The competition brief is available in Portuguese thanks to translation services facilitated by the International Council of Portuguese speaking architects (CIALP).

Jury

- Gaetan Siew (Mauritius), architect, Jury Chair

- Daniel Balo (Hungary), architect, UIA recommended juror

- Helena Sandman (Finland), architect

- Francisco Rodriguez-Suarez (USA), Professor of Architecture, University of Illinois

- Zhang Yue (China), Professor of Architecture, Tsinghua University

- Alternate Juror: Alba Alsina-Maqueda (Spain), architect

Prizes

1st prize: 5000 Euros and a certificate

2nd prize: 4000 Euros and a certificate

3rd prize: 3000 Euros and a certificate

4th prize: 2000 Euros and a certificate

5th prize: 1000 Euros and a certificate

At its discretion, the Jury may also decide to allocate honorable mentions to proposals with particular merit. All Prize winners may be invited to contribute further architectural research on the GGWI.

Timeline

Competition Launch: 18 April 2022

Deadline for Registration: 20 August 2022

Submission of entries: 20-30 September 2022

Jury meeting: 1-21 October 2022

Announcement of results: 24 October 2022

Award Ceremony: 17 November 2022

Participation

Participants will be required to register on the UIA competition platform. Competitors will receive a number or code that they will use to log into the system and download the competition documents. No fees are required for registering.

For more information, visit the competition page.

Top image courtesy of UIA.

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