Submission: April 29, 2016
Registration: April 29, 2016
Language: English
Location: Memphis, USA
Prizes: 1st Prize: $10,000, 2nd Prize: $5,000, 3rd Prize: $3,000
Type: Open
The Re-defining Home: Home Today, Home Tomorrow competition challenges architects and designers to create new standards in housing design so people can stay in their home as they travel through various life stages: from entering the workforce, getting married, having a family, sending kids to college, becoming a grandparent, following personal passions with new careers and hobbies, and considering retirement.
The goal of the design challenge is to generate universal design solutions and build an attractive, adaptable and affordable home of the future that speaks to and showcases livability, by promoting both aesthetically- and functionally-appealing designs for better living.
In addition to the monetary awards to be made to three juried winning entries, the first place, winning design will be incorporated into a real-life home and publicly unveiled to provide an experiential learning opportunity for the general public. The Home will also be offered to a deserving family.
Why This Competition Is So Important…
People overwhelmingly want to stay living in their homes and communities for as long as possible. But, livability isn’t about aging. It is about comfort, convenience, safety and options throughout your life. Yet, people tend to buy or live in homes based on their present-day circumstances…newly married, having kids, downsizing as empty nesters, accommodating health conditions, and more. This can present challenge at other life stages. Moving costs money, creates emotional stress, leaves behind precious memories, disrupts relationships, and creates impediments to accessing support services. Life is all about change!
Let’s alter the paradigm and re-imagine Home so it changes with our needs, as we evolve in life. That’s what Re-defining Home: Home Today, Home Tomorrow is all about, and why it is so important. It allows people to grow-in-place – expanding and contracting with a person’s life circumstances.
PURPOSE OF THE COMPETITION
Put aside any knowledge, assumptions, and beliefs of how housing exists today. Think beyond to new models that may not exist and bring creativity and brainstorming to how we can adapt to the same home environment as our needs change over time. Truly universal design is about appealing to the mainstream, not a specific audience segment or community. The home designs should be aesthetically pleasing, attractive and functional to varying age groups, flexible, seamless, and relevant to any demographic. We want to see the next generation of innovative design elements that equally apply to a young family with strollers and aging grandparents who have regular visits from their grandchildren. Read full details by downloading the brief (link below).
COMPETITION SCHEDULE:
The anticipated schedule (which may be subject to change at the sole discretion of Home Matters) is as follows:
| Activity | Date |
| Competition announced | December 3, 2015 |
| Registration opens | January 20, 2016 |
| Deadline for submissions | April 29, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. EST |
| Judging of design concepts | May 16 – 18, 2016 |
| Final awards notification | May 2016 |
| Public Announcement | June 2016 |
| Construction | July – October 2016 |
| Home opens for tours | Late 2016 – Early 2017 |
| Home is delivered to new family | Late 2016 – Early 2017 |
PRIZES
A total of $18,000 USD will be awarded as follows:
$10,000 First Place Winner
$5,000 Second Place Winner
$3,000 Third Place Winner
First Place Winner
If selected as the first place winner, your designs will be incorporated into an actual home in Memphis, TN, as well as being awarded the above cash prize. Your design solution and legacy will live on and a family will benefit from your work. Best practices in design and other notable design elements submitted to the competition may also be included in our Design Challenge Toolkit, subsequent to the competition.
