Competition Seeks Sustainable Housing on Vacant Lots in Roanoke, Va. - 5/24/2004 - Home Exterior Environment Landscaping

Competition Seeks Sustainable Housing on Vacant Lots in Roanoke, Va.

The contest is looking for innovative approaches to providing housing for low- to moderate-income households in communities where waste becomes fuel and trash becomes raw material following principles described in “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”  by  William McDonough and Michael Braungart.

"This is an exciting opportunity for our community to demonstrate the value of pursuing new approaches to residential construction," said Melody Williams, executive vice president of the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association and a member of the housing network. "Our hope is to build housing for the families in Roanoke that will set a new standard in sustainability that can be repeated in communities across the country."

The First International Cradle to Cradle Housing Design and Construction Competition began accepting entries on May 3 and will close on Dec. 15. Judging will be held in January and winners will be announced in February.

Architecture schools from around the country have been invited to participate in the competition. Winning design teams representing accredited architecture programs will be offered internships, including room and board, to participate in the actual construction of their designs.

"Launching this competition has hinged on extensive support from local, state and federal government entities as well as from private sector businesses," said Gregg Lewis, principal of SmithLewis Architecture and competition advisor. "But for the ultimate success of this competition we are counting on the creativity of the architectural community to find designs that apply technological innovations to improve both the houses and the larger environment in which we live."

The designs that are chosen will serve to increase awareness of the availability and limitations of existing green building technologies and strategies, and will serve as models for other communities around the country.

For more information, click here or e-mail Gregg Lewis.