Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Heat Adaptive Architecture Design Competition
Who can participate in this competition?
Any student at the time of the submission enrolled in an undergraduate (3rd year or higher) or graduate program (Master or PhD) in architecture or urban planning/design. Interdisciplinary teams (e.g. with engineering or environmental studies students) are welcome, but the team lead must be from architecture or urban planning/design. Every submission should be sponsored by a faculty member via including a sponsorship letter in the submission package. A template for faculty sponsorship is provided here.
What if I graduate right before or after the submission date? Enrollment in an academic institution is a requirement at the time of the submission and ideally throughout the competition process. In case you are going to graduate after the submission date but stay affiliated to an academic institution at least until 31 December 2025 you will be eligible IF you have a faculty member who will continue to sponsor you during this time. This commitment should clearly be specified in the faculty sponsorship letter.
Can I participate individually? Yes, both individual and team entries (up to 3 members) are allowed.
Are students from any country eligible? Yes, this is an international competition. Students from all countries are welcome.
Can I submit more than one solution? Yes, but each solution must be submitted separately.
Can I be a member of different teams? Yes, you can join different teams.
As a faculty member can I sponsor different teams? Yes, a faculty member can sponsor different teams.
Can the submissions come from a studio work as part of the academic curriculum?Yes, solutions developed as part of the studio work can be submitted as long as they meet the other criteria.
Can the submissions come from a PAST studio work? Solutions designs should be developed for the purpose of submission for this competition. Designs that were produced for different purposes or before July 2025 will not be eligible.
Is the context of the solutions limited to where we participate from or anywhere in the world? This competition is about addressing a problem related to risk of extreme heat. Ideally, it should be grounded on a context you are familiar with, and defining the context is part of the submission requirements. At the same time, we expect solutions to be adaptable and flexible. In that sense, there is no requirement for the context to be the same as the location where you live at the time of submission.
Can/should the solutions be designed for all or a combination of the categories e.g. residential, micro, small and medium businesses, and public spaces? The solutions are not limited to belonging to either or all categories. However, remember that your starting point should be the problem that you are trying to solve and for whom the solution is for.
What about the scale of the solution? Are there any limitations or minimum requirements? The scale of the solution depends on the context and more importantly, the nature of the problem you are trying to solve. You should remember to check with the scalability, adaptability and affordability criteria to decide on the scale of the solution.
Are cost estimates or structural calculations required? Detailed cost estimations or structural calculations for the solutions are not required. However, an indication of total cost estimate would be helpful to evaluate your solution against the criteria of scalability and affordability.
What would be the scale of the prototype of the solutions? The prototyping of the solution at a small scale -that can be easily carried around- will be supported by the Climate Centre.
Will the contest be carried out entirely virtual? Yes, all phases of the contest will be carried out online.