Submission: December 20, 2021
Registration: December 20, 2021
Language: English
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Prizes: Please see details below
Type: Open
Considering the current environmental crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic that we are experiencing globally, it is important that we use our expertise as designers to create considerate and thoughtful sustainable architecture that feeds and nourishes both the earth and us as people. With this in mind, we are asking for applicants to design a piece of vernacular architecture that will be environmentally conscious with a minimal carbon footprint. It should set an example for how architecture can work with the surrounding landscape and benefit areas such as this protected natural park.
El Pantà de Sau is one of the most prominent features of its kind across the whole of Spain. The valley in which it lies was home to the small village of Sant Romà de Sau which is now submerged beneath the reservoir, apart from the Church steeple, which is still visible when the water level is low. The reservoir is one of many that provides water for Catalonia’s Capital city, Barcelona and is therefore of huge importance to the area.
The reservoir sits within Les Guilleries national park, a protected area spread across 8,300 hectares of the pre-Pyrenees within central Catalonia. Its mountainous landscape is made up of tree-topped undulating mountains and dramatic sheer cliff edges. Steeped in nature, activities and rich history, the area has become a haven for the people of Catalonia and visitors to the region.
The idea is to provide an architectural beacon for the area that will attract short-stay visitors and act as a gathering point. The building should also provide a space for meditation and reflection for visitors and the local community to come and step out of their everyday troubles, with a close connection to the surrounding nature and scenery.
AWARDS
- A cash prize of £500 will be awarded to the winning team. Photos and information about the winners will be published on our website. Winners will be offered the opportunity to act as jurors for one of our next competitions. Free entry into one of our next competitions (winners cannot participate and act as a juror in the same competition).
- The top 5 runners up will have their competition entries displayed on our website and social media platforms and an open vote will select one of these five entries to be the first runner up and therefore, the Public Favourite. The first runner up will also receive a 50% discount off the entry fee for one of our next competitions. The remaining four entries will receive honourable mentions and have their entries published on our website.
- A further five honourable mentions will be awarded and published on our website with details about the designers.
- All entries will be showcased on our website within a virtual gallery!
eligibility
Larsen is providing an opportunity to showcase your skill and creativity. This competition is open to all designers and design students.
