Reinterpreting the romantic utopian getaway in the 24H Competition 12th edition

The timeless notion of utopia means different things to everyone, whether it is a place, a person, or escaping to paradise with that particular person. Ideas Forward focused on this classic theme in their latest 24H Competition, which lets entrants worldwide explore topics related to various contemporary sociologic issues. Once the prompt is revealed on competition day, it's a race against the clock as entrants only have 24 hours to complete and submit their proposals.

For the 12th edition "Utopia", participants had to architecturally interpret the concept of blossoming love, as represented by a romantic getaway hut. Once the 24 hours were up, the jury (which included Bustler and Archinect's Alexander Walter!) evaluated all the submissions and selected the three prize winners. Seven honorable mentions were also announced.

Check out the winning entries and jury comments below.

1st place: Kyle Bigart | Brooklyn, New York, United States

Jury comments:

“Between reason and utopia is the root that sustains the dream. Among the complicated and complex is the " structure" that allows the difference . The proposal allows the combination beetween root / structure the dream / utopia in an interesting way and relevant and complex approach..” — Pedro Novo

“Rooted Love is conceived as a perfect metaphor of established utopia through a very simple hut. What is the interesting in design that the structure is able to develop itself with different shapes, colors, utopias, structures and discourses that can be articulated in a much more innovative way, either architecturally or fertilely. The design approach relies on its innovative and original attributes through personalities or structural analysis. The presentation is very understandable, easily readable and colors represented here, emphasizes different spatial arrangements and this gives a technical clue about how it will be developed, or can be transformed for the future arrangements. Materiality, texture and construction values are well defined here.” — Berrin Chatzi Chousein

“Rooted Love fulfilled all the criteria of a winning design: simple yet strong concept, beautiful design, aesthetically pleasing presentation, and in-depth descriptions of features and details. The entry lets nature grow the hut over time as a metaphor of love and (lasting) human relationships developing and maturing at a steady and sustainable pace. The element of time in this spatial construct has been introduced very poetically.” — Alexander Walter

“The author of «Rooted Love» offered a beautiful metaphor for growing love. According to the author's idea the enduring love should be expressed in a live blooming designs in a form of the geodesic Fuller's dome. Two tree trunk, symbolizing two lovers, growing together and coalescing, eventually forming a unified whole. Great idea and excellent presentation.” — Maria Malitskaya

2nd place: Giulia Guglielmi Maes, Sidhant Choudhary | Civitavecchia, Italy

Jury comments:

“A conceptually very strong proposal. The “exemple” choise is effective and demonstrates intentions assertiveness. Graphically explores an imaginary idyllic , happy and enforceable . The plane as “ruin” is a solid bet , contemporary and adjusted to the current reality.” — Pedro Novo

“Probably the first time a derelict airplane wreck serves as the petri dish for utopian love as the result of the ongoing circle of dreams, freedom, silence, and reuse. See for yourselves.” —Alexander Walter

“The success of concept is derived from how we transform the spaces with minimum effort and budget-sometimes we don’t need budget as well –and this concept ‘a Hut at the Horizon’ doesn’t use any extra material to create and innovative space and new life for love. It is already there- and it completely introduces new architectural, contextual, structural imagery for couples, reviving and transforming the context it existed. Even if it is a plane crashing to the ground, the space can be moved, divided, painted or treated by different materials and give a fresh visual look to the design, distilling it from its bad history. The materiality in design is well presented and it is so real that no needs to display anything onto it. We can understand how it will be used without adding something –it is a good transformation of garbage to the new space-still aesthetic.” — Berrin Chatzi Chousein

“An abandoned object may get a new life with a birth of a new love. The author refers to popular and relevant today theme of reuse and recycle and offers for lovers the fuselage of an airplane as the place for a romantic getaway. Something old, forgotten, withered, blooms again and fills with the new meaning thanks to the love.” — Maria Malitskaya

3rd place: Jacopo Nori, Andrea Manfredini | Milan, Italy

Jury comments:

“The permeability as a wire proposal allows an interesting story creation around the dichotomy indoor/outdoor or like the exemple: the consciousness [between] home and “Jungle”. The “insulation” is a form of identity and assertion within the nowadays urban jungle.” — Pedro Novo

“Besides winning my personal ‘Best Title’ award, Jungle’s Boobs embraces the spatial utopia of the transparent cave. While not offering much explanation on its conceptional details, the premise allows the user’s mind to wander off and dwell on the proposal’s provocative practical applications.” — Alexander Walter

“The design is an exact definition and representation of how it can be reproducible because the material is very light, pure, basic and very simple to construct and adaptable in everywhere. Jungle’s Boobs put the risk in Love harmonized it with nature-because it can be seen, transparent and be inviting for everyone-very extraverted. It is more than a classical hut. The construction is very clear and understandable and transportable for every place and each bubble can be made up of different material and cover. It is very open to transform, spatial design approaches.” — Berrin Chatzi Chousein

“The author of the Jungle's Boobs sends lovers into the Jungle, rethinking primitive space with a modern twist. Here are a couple dissolved into nature and in each other.” — Maria Malitskaya

Don't forget to check out the Honorable Mentions in the gallery below.