HÄUSER-AWARD 2010 "The future is being built today"

Year 10 after the turn of the millennium is a perfect opportunity to pause for thought and take stock: today’s construction industry is confronted with a host of challenges.

Space is becoming ever scarcer, energy ever more precious – sustainable, resource-saving and eco-friendly building is one of the dictates of our time. New information and communication technologies are changing our home life at breathtaking speed.

Our own four walls are a reflection of the demographic and social changes currently taking place: the classic floor plan is disintegrating in favour of more open, more flexible layout structures and, more than ever before, houses have to adapt to their occupants’ changing needs and life situations. At the same time, never before have owners had as much freedom in deciding what their house should look like, never before have there been so many technical possibilities and innovative materials for creating high-quality, energy-efficient buildings economically.
All these developments have produced a new generation of individual single-family houses in recent years. We are looking for the best of them: houses that are not only convincing because of their outstanding architectural quality but also meet the requirements of the early 21st century in ideal fashion.

We are holding the HÄUSER-AWARD 2010 in collaboration with Schüco and the Verband Privater Bauherren e.V. (VPB). Prize money of 15,000 euros is at stake. The results of the competition are scheduled for publication in HÄUSER in March 2010. The best projects will also be presented in a book to be published by Callwey Verlag at the same time.

The Prize Money
The total prize money of 15,000 euros will be allocated as follows:

1st prize: 7,000 euros
2nd prize: 5,000 euros
3rd prize: 3,000 euros

The jury may choose to allocate the prize money differently.

The VPB will pay the owner/client of each award-winning house an additional bonus of 1,000 euros.

The Jury
The works submitted will be judged by an independent jury made up as follows:

Regine Leibinger, Barkow Leibinger Architects
Klaus Becker, Schüco International KG
Thomas Penningh, Board Chairman of VPB
Michael Frielinghaus, President of the BDA (Association of German Architects)
Wolfgang Nagel, editor-in-chief of HÄUSER

Conditions of Entry
Architects from all over Europe are eligible to enter the competition.

They must be the originators of the projects submitted. The houses must have been completed after January 1st 2006 and not have been previously published in a general-interest magazine. In addition, the award winners must agree that the winning houses will not be published in any other general-interest magazine prior to the announcement and publication of the competition results (scheduled to appear in HÄUSER 2/2010).

Each participant may submit a maximum of two projects under the condition that the participants and owners/clients agree to the publication of photos and plans in HÄUSER and on the HÄUSER website.

Competition Documents
Please submit the following project documentation and forms:

- Project plans: location plan on a scale of 1:1000 plus ground plans, sections and views on a scale of 1:100, maximum format A3 (as loose sheets, folded; no brochures, boards etc.).

- Photos: at least eight colour prints/colour copies (no slides, no digital picture files) in a format of approx. 18 x 24 centimetres, giving a general impression of the exterior of the house – including its urban context – as well as the interior.

- A completed project sheet (see form download below) with the most important building data, key energy figures, date of completion, an exterior photograph of the house as well as a summary of the design concept in bullet points (in German or English).

- An explanatory text in German or English with a detailed project description (1 page A4 maximum), explaining the special features of the design.

- The completed entry form as well as the signed participant’s declaration.

Closing date for entries: 25.5.2009
The jury’s decision is final.

Informations, Entry Form and Project Sheet

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