Habitare Design Competition 2024
Messukeskus and Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, are organising a design competition in two stages. The competition is intended for students studying architecture, design and art in Finland.
The theme of the competition is Comfort Zone.
1. The Design Brief
The brief is to design and build a comfort zone for one or more people, in keeping with the spirit of the Habitare 2024 theme of Layers. Competition entries should reflect it in their concept or use of materials. Through the theme, Habitare wants to explore how homes or spaces come into being: how the present is shaped by the past, individual styles, things we do not perceive, dialogues, and the collision of elements. Use adequate means, possibly including reused or recycled elements or materials. The 1:1 outcome/prototype should not exceed 2m x 2m x 2m space dimension.
2. Evaluation Criteria
The Jury will evaluate the competition entries based on their artistic and design quality. The entries will also be assessed based on their functional, material and structural characteristics.
3. Who can participate?
The competition is open to entries from people studying design and architecture in Finland, as well as University of the Arts Helsinki students or teams of students. Team size is not restricted. The competition organisers encourage contestants to assemble multi-disciplinary teams that can approach the brief with an open mind. The contestants, including all team members, must be enrolled at the institutions mentioned above at the time of the competition launch, on 7 March 2024.
4. The Jury
Stage 1
Päivi Helander, Creative Lead of Habitare and Aalto University Lecturer
Pentti Kareoja, Architect and Aalto University Professor
Martin Relander, Interior Architect and Aalto University Lecturer
Tomek Rygalik , Designer and Aalto University Professor
Stage 2
The Head Judge of the competition will be announced later
5. The Competition Schedule
The competition is launched 7.3.2024 and will take place in two stages. The deadline for submitting entries for the first stage of the two-stage competition is 3 May 2024 at 16:00, by which time all entries must be submitted digitally. The jury will select the finalists, whose competition entries will be displayed at Habitare from 11 to 15 September 2024.
Stage 1
In the first stage of the competition, participants must present their competition entries on PDF-format. The placards should briefly explain the entry’s design concept and the materials used. The entries must be displayed in such a way, that the jury can make their assessment according to the competition’s evaluation criteria. 3-5 entries will be selected to proceed to the stage 2 of the competition.
The 1 stage entries must be delivered to ida.agren@messukeskus.com
Stage 2
In the stage 2 of the competition, the 3-5 selected participants are required to build a 1:1 scale outcome/prototype of their competition entry.
The organisers of the competition will distribute 6,000 € for building the final prototypes. This sum will be divided equally among all entries that proceed to stage 2 of the competition.
6. The Prize
The Habitare Design Competition 2024 has a grand prize of €5,000, donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation. The winner of the competition will be chosen by the head judge, who may choose to award this prize to one finalist or divide it among several entries.
The jury will select the finalists, whose competition entries will be displayed at Habitare from 11 to 15 September 2024.
All the finalists will be displayed at the Habitare 2024 fair, held at Messukeskus on 11–15 September 2024, and the results will be announced, and the prizes awarded on the 11th of September 2024.
7. Utilization of competition results
Expo and Convention Centre will place finalist proposals of the competition, i.e., the proposals selected for the 2nd stage, on display in connection with the Habitare design and interior fair 2024 and uses the competition material for domestic and foreign marketing and communication about the event.
8. More Information about the competition
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, producer Ida Ågren, ida.agren@messukeskus.com
The full competition programme is available at www.habitare.fi