Schedule
Competition time:
Start: 1 September 2020
Deadline: 31 December 2020 at 24:00 CET
Winners announced:
February 2021
Awards
1. PRIZE: €15,000
2. PRIZE: €5,000
Prizes before taxes. Participants outside Finland are responsible for paying possible taxes in accordance with local legislation. The organiser reserves the right to allocate the prize money between the best entries if it sees fit.
Organisers
The competition is organised by Metsä Wood, Aalto University and the Ministry of the Environment of Finland.
Criteria for entries
The design should be a multi-purpose building or a building system for an urban environment. The designs are required to have public services, but can also have other functions.
The competition entry should show different scenarios and how the building or the building system can be adapted and re-configured based on the changing needs during the lifecycle, for example in 3, 20, 50 years after the building has been taken into use.
In addition to visual and functional criteria, the designs need to show
(1.) adaptability;
(2.) modularity; and
(3.) sustainability.
Location and the building site
There is no specific site or city for this competition.
Entrants must choose a neighbourhood and a plot that provide an exciting platform for an urban building showcasing the future of construction. The concept should be based on using flexible wooden structures that adapt to the changing needs and uses of the community. Entrants should use the existing context of the city to reinforce the character of the proposal.
Programme
The primary programmatic element included in the proposal should be a multi-purpose building that addresses the particular needs of the surrounding community (housing, working, commerce, industry, culture, care services, learning, etc.) should be included.
The competition entry should show different scenarios and how the building adapts to changing needs during the building’s lifecycle, for example, in 3, 20, 50 years after the building has been taken into use.
The design doesn’t have to be a new design for this competition. Previous projects and designs of already built buildings are also accepted.
Main building material: Engineered wood
Entrants are expected to propose construction systems that draw on the performance characteristics of lightweight engineered wood products and a variety of wood technologies. Design solutions are required to use engineered wood products, such as Metsä Wood’s
Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber), as the primary structural system. Otherwise, material selection is up to the entrant. Solutions that devise new and innovative ways of using and combining different kinds of wood products, like beams, columns and panels, are encouraged. The competition seeks bold and ambitious plans that push the limits of prefabricated wood construct .