Creative Hub that lasts longer than 50 years

Background

Buildings are often designed aspiring for their long lives. With our modern-day construction materials, the average lifespan of a building can be considered as 40-50 years. However, what happens when a building dies and what if it becomes defunct before that?

Buildings when clubbed together form a locality which in turn add up to build a city. The proper functioning of any such building becomes an asset to a city. Contrarily, a defunct building is eventually a liability to a city.

A building is constructed on the estimation of it to serve people for at least its physical cycle (approximately 50 years). But if it gets demolished before the physical death (assuming 30 years), there is a loss in this anticipated use of the building. Additionally, there is a loss of money that was put into the construction materials used. Moreover, what happens to the building material when it is torn down to debris? Should this question be answered before we start building?  

With technology advancing exponentially, our building strategies are becoming inefficient to cater to the pace of changing needs. Thus, buildings are becoming incompetent in a shorter duration of time than ever before.

Is there a need to reflect on the way we’re thinking and designing buildings?

Brief

The design Brief asked to propose a Designer’s Hub in CityLife, Milan that could inhabit shared studio spaces for young design firms and freelancers. (2500-3000 number of designers). 

The participants had to especially remember that the land prices in this district are very high. Hence, if the building designed gets demolished/defunct before its physical death, it would cost a heavier financial loss to the city than any other piece of land in the city today. This challenge was an opportunity to solve the problem of outdating buildings by constructing something evolutionary for the designers by the designers.

The jury for the competition consisted of esteemed designers, professionals and academicians from around the world. The Lead Jurors for the competitions were as follows: 

Daniel Bonilla, Director, tab>I taller de arquitectura de bogotá, Colombia

Giovanni Vaccarini, Architect, Giovanni Vaccarini Architetti, Italy

Paulo Seco, CEO/Principal Architect, Impare Arquitectura, Portugal

Michele Rossi, Founder Architect, Park Associati, Italy

Madeline Sewall, Architect & Associate, Breathe Architecture, Australia

Some of the Best of competition projects as follows:

 

Winning Project: FLEXIBILITY AND POLYVALENCE-UNDERGROUND

By: Sanad Wir

Description: Exploring the limitations of the flexibility and polyvalence in an underground location, leaving the ground floor intact as a public park . The goal was to create a grotto like situation were architectural and natural elements blend together and form a heterogeneous space that allows users to reinterpret the space in the best way to suit their needs.

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Runner - Up: Code

By: Anastasia Khech, Anastasia Kalmykova & Alexandra Stepanova
 

Description: CODE is a mega platform for a Co-working Design, situated in heart of Milan. It engages multi usage spaces, coworking, sport/relax sector, food court, educational area and meeting/conference zone with an access 24/7.

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People’s Choice: Co-Design Milan - "IL TRATEGGIO"

By: Bryan Cruz López & Leanardo Guvadalupe Correa

Description: This project rethinks the afterlife of the building. The modular design allows the building to be relocated in other places once it is no longer useful in CityLife Milan.

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Editorial Choice: Luminary

By: Александра Дубова

Description: How to express creativity and the birth of ideas in an architectural form? The project is based on the image of a lighthouse, a cresset that attracts visitors and is a local movement vector from north west to CityLife.

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Discover the full results here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/co-design-milan/entries

Discover the design brief here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/co-design-milan/info/about

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Discover other design competitions to participate here: https://uni.xyz/competitions