Isover, the leading developer of sustainable insulation solutions to protect both the natural and the built environment, has launched its 2011 Multi-Comfort House competition. Entrants will be required to design a tower to be located in the Greenwich South district of Lower Manhattan, New York, in accordance with Isover Multi-Comfort principles, encompassing Passive House components to create a sustainable, multi-use building.
For the first time in its history, the UK competition will be open to students of all architectural universities offering RIBA accredited degree or masters courses. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to showcase their work in the Passivhaus Pavilion at Ecobuild (1-3 March 2011, ExCeL, London), where designs will be judged by a panel of leading industry experts.
Students can participate in teams of up to three members and will be tasked with creating a building which encourages a mix of uses incorporating both residential and public areas. The three winning UK teams will receive cash prizes of up to £1,000 and will go on to compete in the seventh international final, which takes place from 18 – 21 May 2011 in Prague and features a top prize of €1,500.
The Isover Multi-Comfort House concept illustrates how energy use can be minimised and demonstrates how energy efficient living can be achieved both comfortably and economically. It builds on the Passive House principles of delivering the highest thermal comfort while reducing energy use and COâ‚‚ emissions by considering occupants’ wellbeing, taking into account acoustic and safety features as well as energy saving measures.
Stacey Davis, marketing director for Isover, comments: “Isover is committed to working with the UK’s future architects to develop tomorrow’s solutions today and this competition offers students the opportunity to showcase their architectural talent while gathering valuable feedback from industry professionals to ensure they get maximum benefit from the experience.
“As part of Saint-Gobain, which is committed to developing sustainable solutions for the built environment, Isover is uniquely placed to deliver comprehensive solutions which help to meet Passive House Standards, incorporating thermal and acoustic comfort, high indoor air quality, air tightness and exceptional energy efficiency.”
Entrants can register online and a dedicated area at www.multicomforthouse.co.uk/competition will feature video lectures and resources, providing an introduction to the Isover Multi-Comfort principles and advice on applying this knowledge to the design of the Greenwich Tower. Isover experts will also be hosting a series of online tutorials, the first of which takes place on 10 November.
For more information, visit www.multicomforthouse.co.uk, follow us on Twitter @IsoverUK or join our Isover UK group on Facebook.
For more information regarding Isover’s presence at Ecobuild please visit www.isover.co.uk. As well as featuring in the Passivehaus Pavilion, Isover will also have a significant presence on the Saint-Gobain stand (N310) which will incorporate products and systems from its UK companies, including Saint-Gobain Abrasives, British Gypsum, Ecophon, Saint-Gobain Glass, Saint-Gobain PAM, Pasquill, Solaglas and Weber.
