«  
  »

InstantHouse Competition: Kindergarten for Children ages 3 to 6

Sponsors: Federlegno Arredo S.r.l. for MADE Expo, in association with the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies of the Politecnico di Milano.
Type: open, ideas, one-stage
Eligibility: The Competition is open to graduates and students of architecture, engineering and industrial design. Degrees must have been earned after 31 January 2008 and students must have been enrolled in university courses on 31 January 2013.
Languages: Italian and English
Fee: none
Timetable:
3 June 2013 – Deadline for submission of registration forms and entries
Prizes:
Prize for the winning entry: EUR 1,500 (one thousand five hundred euros);
Runner up: EUR 1,000 (one thousand euros);
Third prize: EUR 750 (seven hundred and fifty euros);
The Jury reserves the right to award honorable mentions.
Design Challenge:
The project may encompass a single building or several buildings, and the architecture should fit the surrounding area and ideally form a bridge between the neighbourhood and the children. The design should emphasise the relationship between architecture and nature, between indoors and outdoors, as a must for a nursery school that aims to create an organic link between the children, nature and the city.
The Competition also requires projects to include the area outside the property, i.e. for outdoor learning, using nature, the cityscape and the environment as drivers of the architectural proposal. The project should thus also devote some thought to developing an innovative programme capable of accommodating both individual spaces and collective spaces. Almost as if the city were somehow contaminating “outside” users, and in turn, the users were contributing certain aspects of their experience to the local neighbourhood and community. An open, inclusive school made of welcoming, exciting spaces that nonetheless also protects and envelops the children and helps them to relate to the outside world, the neighbourhood and the city.
The design concept should seek the most innovative use of space for the various educational functions, and likewise the most innovative use of materials and techniques, while displaying a unique environmental sensitivity. The challenge therefore lies in designing a project that is affordable, well constructed and financially and socially sustainable.
For more information, go to:

http://www.instanthouse.it/en/competition