by ArchitectureWeek

At the United Nations Habitat World Urban Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, in June 2006, Living Steel announced the results of its International Competition for Sustainable Housing. Living Steel is a consortium of steel companies and associations that has teamed with the UN to find solutions to worldwide housing shortages.

The competition called for designs for two very different locations: Warsaw, Poland and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. Competitors were asked to design buildings that advanced the concept of sustainable housing in each location. The British firm Piercy Conner Architects won for their prototype for Kolkata, and Architectenbureau cepezed from the Netherlands won the competition for the Warsaw design.

Jury chairman Glen Murcutt said both winning entries "displayed the potential for steel construction to provide light-weight, open, flexible, and refined spaces responding to contemporary urban living."

"Housing a developing global population that is growing at the rate of a small city every day poses a unique set of challenges," explains Carl Perry, Chairman of the Living Steel Steering Group. "Flexible, sustainable, and cost-effective housing solutions must be found." He added that the use of steel can speed construction and improve design flexibility.   >>>

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Sustainable Indian housing prototype by Piercy Conner Architects, winner of the Living Steel competition. Image: Piercy Conner Architects Sustainable Polish housing prototype by Architectenbureau cepezed, winner of the Living Steel competition. Image: Architectenbureau cepezed   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.