Tristan da Cunha | Design Ideas Competition

Tristan da Cunha is the remotest inhabited island in the world. Situated within the South Atlantic Ocean, the island lays approximately 1,750 miles (7 to 10 days sailing) south-west of Cape Town and is only accessible by sea, on approximately 60 days per year.

Tristan da Cunha is internally self-governing and part of the UK Overseas Territory of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Tristan da Cunha actually consists of four islands - Tristan (the main island), Nightingale and Inaccessible, which together form a group, and Gough Island that lies to 220 miles to the south-east. Inaccessible and Gough are both UNESCO World Heritage sites with Gough being home to a small meteorological station where up to 9 scientists live for a year at a time.

Tristan is the only island with a permanent community, known as Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and referred to locally as 'The Settlement', with a population of around 270 people. Tristan is of volcanic origin and the lava flow responsible for the island's temporary abandonment between 1961 and 1963 dominates the settlement's immediate landscape.

To coincide with the island's 200th Anniversary in 2016, the Tristanians are keen to see how the built environment and energy efficiency of all homes and government buildings can be improved. Design teams (to be led by a practising registered architect) from around the globe are invited to participate in this unique design competition that is seeking ideas to help the community become self-sustainable and ensure that Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is viable for future generations.

The competition is seeking innovative, cost-effective approaches for the re-design and consolidation of the Island's government buildings; initiatives to significantly improve the living standards and performance of residential properties; together with improvements to the Island's agrarian systems to better support grazing and the year-round growth of fresh produce.

The design competition is being managed on behalf of the Government of Tristan da Cunha by RIBA Competitions.

http://www.ribacompetitions.com/tristan/