Isover Multi-Comfort House Students Contest

The Isover Multi-Comfort House Students Contest is an annual competition sponsored by Saint-Gobain, a French manufacturer of building materials. The objective of the contest is for teams of architecture students to design a new or remodeled "multi-comfort house" that maximizes energy efficiency through the use of passive, house-level technologies while also meeting acoustic, thermal and fire resistance goals. The students are also able to exchange ideas on creative development, familiarizing them with practical ideas for a "Multi-Comfort House".
The event was launched in 2005 with the participation of five countries, and as of 2016 now involves students from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.
History
;2005
The first contest took place in Bulgaria in 2005. Five countries participated: Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia. These countries have continued to participate in the event every year until present day.
In carrying out the task to design a mountain hotel, meeting the requirements of the passive house's thermal insulation standards, the prize was awarded to Romania. Bulgaria, the host country, organized the award ceremony event. The prizes to the winners were awarded at ceremony held in the atelier of the Bulgarian sculptor Andrey Nikolov - the so-called "Red House" in Sofia.
;2006
Romania hosted the second contest, and the final stage was carried out in province of Transylvania (Central Romania), on May 24, 2006. The student teams competed in carrying out the task of reconstruction of an existing building into a dance club in Bucharest. This time the future architects had to comply with the acoustic insulation requirements. Slovakia won the first prize.
;2007
Competitors from 9 different nations participated in the Third International Student Contest: Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Latvia and Slovakia. The final stage of the contest was held in Belgrade, Serbia , on May 16, 2007. The winner of the competition, as selected by the jury, was the Slovenian team. The participants were asked to design a single-family home, meeting the requirements of passive house, with regard to the surrounding environment.
;2008
Croatia hosted the Fourth Efficient Construction Student Contest, held from 1 to 4 June 2008. The number of participating countries increased to 13: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. The team of the host country won the competition whose task was to create a school, combining traditional teaching practices with modern learning facilities.
;2010
The sixth edition of the contest took place in Innsbruck, Austria, where 157 participating students from 18 countries and 34 universities gathered to compete. The newcomers from Estonia, Germany, Lithuania and Turkey joined the contest, increasing the total number of participating countries to 18. The participants presented their projects over dinner at Hilton Hotel in Innsbruck. The task was to redesign an old warehouse based in existing industrial building in Paris (France), in accordance with the requirements of the contest. The highest ranked participant - Austria, won the competition.]
;2011
The 2011 edition of the contest was carried out from 18 to 21 May 2011 in Prague (Czech Republic). Teams from Belarus, Rhode Island, New York (US), Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Britain and Pennsylvania (US) participated in the competition whose subject was the creative approach to the concept of efficient construction, entitled "Greenwich Tower" in New York. The team of Slovakia won the first place and the country won the right to host the next contest.
;2012
The eighth three-day Multi-Comfort House Student Forum, held in Bratislava (Slovakia), hosted a record number of participants - almost 1,000 students from over 100 universities on three continents: Poland, Russia and Ukraine, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Britain and Pennsylvania (USA). Serbia presented the best project and became a winner of the contest whose task was the design of sustainable neighbourhood for the accommodation of 12 - 15 families within the regeneration program of the Trent Basin area of Nottingham, UK.
;2013
19 countries and 53 student teams took part in the contest's 2013 edition. This time the participants had to demonstrate their vision of the future development of some parts of the "Gluckstein Quartier" in Mannheim, Germany, taking account of the existing buildings. The competition took place in Belgrade, Serbia and the participating countries are Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Britain and Ukraine.
The representatives of Slovenia were able to beat the competition and occupied the first place.
;2014
In the last days May 2014 the contest, held in Bucharest, Romania, brought together 58 future architect teams from 22 countries - Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine took part in the tenth edition of the Multi-Comfort House Contest. The winner was Turkey and the subject was vision of "School of the Future" in Gazientep, Turkey.
;2015
29 nationalities took part in the contest held in 2015 in Astana (Kazakhstan). 51 student teams competed to design a building, located in the perimeter of International Exhibition EXPO 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan won the prize, competing with Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Britain and Ukraine.
;2016
The three-day forum was organized from 25 to 28 May 2016, in Minsk, Belarus on the subject "Establishing a Community". Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Britain and Ukraine take part . The prize was awarded to the Bulgarian team.
Rules
The contest consists of two stages. The first one is at national level. Each participating country selects its representatives and is entitled to send 3 teams. The second stage at international level provides opportunity for collision of ideas in order to select the best one.
Monetary prizes are awarded for the first three places in the competition, the rest of the participants receive special mentions. The winners are selected by an international jury made up of laureates in the field of architecture.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu