Shortlisted Entries Announced for Design Competition

The shortlisting panel for Commonweal Housing’s design competition have chosen the final six entries to go forward to the judging panel on the 11th July. 

With the competition entries coming in from as far a field as America, Spain and Amsterdam, the standard of designs was very high, making the shortlisting a difficult process. Although all entries were unique and provided temporary accommodation solutions for the homeless, only six entries could make it through.

We are therefore delighted to confirm the following entries have been shortlisted to present to the judging panel on the 11th July:

• Inter Urban Studios
• Reed Watts
• Federico Ortiz  and Gaston Saboulard– Independent entry
• Sofia de los Rios Adrian Feige and Constantino Baranda – Independent entry
• Manon Portera and Cecile-Diama Samb – Independent entry
• Joshua Doyle – Independent entry

Thank you to all those who entered. Those shortlisted will be presenting their designs to a judging panel made up of independent experts on the 11th July.

Background:

The purpose of this competition is to find a viable and deliverable model for reusable, short term accommodation options that can be deployed within existing buildings.   We believe there is a real need for a safe, hygienic, sanitary and affordable alternative to the streets or tents.

The design competition lead on from research into the lives of Romanian migrants sleeping rough in encampments around London. The research, published by Thames Reach, looked at the conditions in which the migrants were living, the types of work they were engaged with, and what options they would be willing to consider as an alternative to the encampments. An executive summary of the initial research report can be accessed here whilst the full report is available here.

The shortlisted entries will each present to the expert judging panel made up of:

• Fiona Mactaggart, Chair of Board of Trustees, Commonweal Housing
• Jeremy Swain, Chief Executive, Thames Reach – Thames Reach are authors of the initial tent encampment research
• Kathy Mohan, Chief Executive, Housing Justice
• Sadie Morgan, Director dRMM, Design Chair HS2, National Infrastructure Commissioner
• Amy Frearson, Editor, Dezeen
• Phineas Harper, Assistant Director, Architecture Foundation
• Jonathan Breen, Director, Gensler