The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) with
the Advanced Architecture Group and the BUILD Solution project partners are launching the Design with Nature Contest, a global platform to experiment and rethink urban environments in response to today’s global challenges.

Despite cities having strengthened their economy, efficiency, and liveability over the last decades, they are still facing major issues such as contamination, rising inequities, and
unemployment. New planning paradigms that recognize the importance of ecology to respond to these challenges are being developed, by integrating living systems in urban environments aimed at improving cities’ socio-economic and environmental conditions.

Living systems integrated in cities are also known as Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). This call aims to boost the reflection on how the integration of NBS in cities through technologies can generate innovative visions, methodologies, and solutions.
This contest is looking for innovative visions for the city of the future where design optimized to integrate nature can transform urban spaces into systems to live, produce, and restore the environment.

Submission Requirements

The proposals should comply with the following criteria:

• Should address one of the following scales: global, regional, urban, neighbourhood, architectural, product design.
• Should be presented in three (3) vertical DIN A-3 panels.
• The panels should contain the following information: title, short description, drawings. Optional: renders, pictures of prototypes.
• Each panel should be submitted in PDF format. The size of each file must not exceed 1MB.
• Optional: Submit a 1 minute (maximum) video to explain, in a few words, the key concepts of your proposal.

Eligibility

This contest is oriented towards students and professionals from all over the world. It is targeted at professionals and students from all disciplines, including design, engineering, landscape, biology, agronomy, business, and arts.

Awards

• The best project will win a scholarship for the Master in Advanced Architecture 1 year program at IAAC, for the academic year of 2022/23.
• Selected projects will be published in a online publication.
• The best 10 entries will be exhibited in the BUILDs final event exhibition to be held in November 2021. Moreover, they will be promoted in the BUILDs webpage and social media accounts and their authors will be included in the BUILDs talent network.