The Federation of Associations of Architects of the Mexican Republic (FCARM) launched, with the participation of the government of the state of Guanajuato, an international ideas competition, open and anonymous, in one phase, for the design of an urban complex of sustainable housing.

In conformity with the Unesco/UIA regulations, this competition received the approval of the UIA.

The objective of the competition was the creation of an architectural and urban concept capable of improving the quality of life of its residents, integrating their cultural and social particularities and respecting the local traditions, history, and environment.

The programme comprised the design of 6 prototype residences of a total floor area of 90 to 120 m2, on three levels, whose construction cost did not exceed 400 US $ per square meter.
The urban complex of 1200 residences, grouped in clusters of 50 to 70 units, was to be implanted on the site of the former hacienda Santa Teresa, of a total surface area of 30 ha, on the outskirts of the city of Guanajuato.
The urban concept was to include energy management, the recycling of water and waste materials, and to integrate a sustainable concept of public spaces.

JURY MEETING

The jury met on November 8 - 9, 2002, in Guanajuato and examined 156 projects. It was placed under the presidency of Martin Drahovsky, architect (Slovakia), representing the UIA, and was composed of :
Francisco Gonzales Reyes, architect (Spain), Kazuo Iwamura, architect (Japan), José María Gutiérrez Trujillo (Mexico), Pablo Bransbourg (Argentina), José Escalera Chegoyan, architect (Mexico), and Sara Topelson de Grinberg, architect (Mexico).

• The first prize of 30 000 US $ was awarded to the team from Argentina made up of : Adolfo F. Mallea, Emilio E. Piñeiro, Sebastián Mallea, Rodrigo J. Navarro, Maria Julia Cerutti, Soledad Fernández Escobar, architects, with technical, bio-climatic assistance provided by Alfredo Estévez, engineer, and Daniel Gelardi, architect.

• The second prize of 10 000 US $ was awared to the team from Argentina made up of : Roberto Silvio Germani, Evohé Germani, Pablo Germani, Uriel Jáuregui, Horacio José Morano, Ines Rubio, architects.

• Two third prizes ex-aequo of 3 000 US $ each were awarded to :
  • The Mexican team made up of : Efraín Alonso Marban and Fernando Núñez Urquiza, architects, in collaboration with : Fernando Carvajal, Mercedes Castro, Delina Montesinos, Alejandro Ortega, Ana Claudia García, students of architecture ;
    
  • To the team from Venezuela made up of : José Farid Chacon Oliveros, Francisco Mustieles Granell, Lourdes Peñaranda Quintero, Claudia Urdaneta Guédez, architects, in collaboration with Federico Villanueva, Pablo La Roche, architects, and Carlos Valero, engineer.

• Manuel Guillermo Hernández Contreras and a team of students (Mexico)
• The team led by Kyncl Jakub (Czech Republic)
• Yoav Lavie, architect (Israel)
• Amparo Casares Gallego, architect (Spain).