Living Steel, a world-wide programme to stimulate innovation in the design and construction of housing using steel, launched an international competition, at the UIA Congress Istanbul, a challenge to the architects of the world on the theme: "can you house eight billion people ?"
This competition sought to identify innovative approaches to meet sustainable housing needs to cope with the growing world population and responding to social and environmental aspirations.
An international call for expressions of interest attracted three hundred candidatures, amongst which ten were selected and invited to submit a project for a site in Kolkata, India, and ten others for a site in Warsaw, Poland.
The entries were submitted to the international jury, composed of prestigious architects, under the presidency of Glenn Murcutt and including Charles Correa, James Barry, Andrew Orgorzalek, Jaime Lerner and Nicholas de Monchaux, the latter two representing the UIA.
The competition results were announced, in June 2006, during the World Urban Forum, in Vancouver. The winning project for the Warsaw site was by the Dutch team Architektenbureau cepezed, while the British team Piercy Conner Architects was winner for the site in Kolkata.
Glenn Murcutt: "The jury was impressed by the ambition and scope of the Living Steel programme. This competition will provide an excellent contribution to the crucial global debate on sustainability and quality of residential environments. (…) Many proposals, and the winning entries in particular, displayed the potential for steel construction to provide light-weight, open, flexible and refined spaces responding to contemporary urban living".
THE WINNING PROJECTS
The Architectenbureau cepezed project impressed by the simple floor plans, the robustness and flexibility of the design achieved through use of double loaded corridors enabling full use advantage to be made of ventilation and daylight.
Overall, the project proposed by Piercy Conner impressed the jury by its simplicity and lightness.
