Guggenheim and Google SketchUp Announce Winners of Design It: Shelter Competition

On the occasion of the exhibitions Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward and Learning By Doing, the Guggenheim and Google SketchUp invited amateur and professional designers from around the world to submit a 3-D shelter for any location in the world using Google SketchUp and Google Earth. Over the course of the summer, nearly 600 contestants from 68 different countries submitted designs that met the competition requirements. Current Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture students then selected ten finalists for the People’s Prize award.

The two winning entries have now been announced: David Mares’s “CBS – Cork Block Shelter”, which won the People’s Prize after receiving 64,875 votes out of more than 100,000 votes submitted online by voters around the world; and David Eltang’s “SeaShelter”, which was selected by a jury of architecture and design experts for the Juried Prize.

CBS – Cork Block Shelter
David Mares (Setúbal, Portugal)

CBS is located at Vale dos Barris. It was designed to be an ecological and living block. In a microclimate that ranges from the dry heat to damp cold, the application of cork is a good way of thermally isolating the shelter and also providing acoustic insulation for study/sleep. The dynamic facade gives visual interaction when in living-studying mode; in rest-sleep mode it closes to provide privacy for its occupant.

SeaShelter
David Eltang (Aarhus, Denmark)

SeaShelter is situated in the Wadden-sea, a unique coastline, with shallow water but tides of 1-3 meters and exposed seabed at low tide. It is habitat for a variety of birds and seals. SeaShelter offers opportunity to stay in the Wadden-sea even at high tide, and opportunity to discover wildlife and seabed when flooded. Interior Workspace: Horizontal view, ‘Tidal Stair’: Sea-level view, ‘Observation and resting Tower’: Non-flooded panoramic view.