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Building resilient homes with timber - WoodSolutions offers $100k for designers to join the charge!
Australian designers are invited to use their skills to develop “Code+” homes with timber structures, to withstand the impacts of a changing climate
A recently launched WoodSolutions competition offers a total prize pool of $100,000 for new home designs that best showcase the positives of building with timber - in particular the ability to withstand increasingly adverse weather events as Australia’s climate continues to change. The competition is part of The Resilient Timber Homes Program - an exciting new initiative designed to support the construction of more resilient homes across Australia, using timber.
Timber has a long-held reputation amongst Australian designers, architects, engineers, developers and builders for its myriad of benefits, including strength, durability, beautiful aesthetics, affordability, versatility, and sustainability. Good design has historically resulted in safe and comfortable homes, able to withstand the harsh Australian climates.
However, wood is also suitable for an increasingly important feature – the role it can play in creating resilient buildings.
The WoodSolutions Resilient Timber Homes Design Competition aims to demonstrate how Australian homes can be designed using timber with a resilience-focused approach, for improved occupant safety and wellbeing, alongside increased value for investors and the community.
“At WoodSolutions we are continually impressed by the talent, creativity, and ingenuity that exists amongst Australian home designers,” said Resilient Timber Homes Program Manager, Paolo Lavisci.
“This competition provides a valuable opportunity for the design community to showcase its talents and work together to create a better and more resilient future for Australian houses and the families who occupy them.
“Specifically, we are looking for innovative home designs that use wood to help withstand the impacts of natural disasters, including fires, floods and high winds,” said Lavisci.
The competition - based on the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Model Conditions for an Architectural Competition - will be run in a single stage, with two briefs for entrants to choose from.
Entrants will be required to prepare their final designs for assessment by Friday 23 June, after which a Jury comprising leading design and build experts from across Australia will decide on the two winning entries, that will receive prize money of $50k each.
Following the competition, the program’s Partners may commission a full set of construction drawings from the winners, while WoodSolutions will work to support further R&D work suggested from the competition’s ideas.
For more information about the competition and how to enter, visit the Resilient Timber Homes Program’s Design Competition website to download the brief.