MIAMI FLOATING HOUSING COMPETITION
INTRO
Miami is facing two major emergencies.
First, it has become the least affordable US city to live in. Its housing stock has been depleted by its quickly growing population, accelerated by more people moving during the recent pandemic. Recent reports suggest nearly 1000 people are moving to Florida each day. New developments are pushing rental rates and costs of housing higher, making areas now unaffordable, and pricing people out of their neighborhoods.
Miami’s second major emergency comes from the growing realization that its housing is greatly threatened by rising sea levels caused by climate change. Miami Dade County contains 26% of all U.S. homes at risk from sea level rise. Some insurance companies are canceling service for high risk flood zones, potentially leaving a portion of the population homeless after a major hurricane.
These two problems, combined together, demand new solutions for housing in Miami. How can we design solutions that not only create affordable housing but also make it resilient to the looming problem of sea-level rise?
CHALLENGE
The problems of sea-level rise and housing affordability in Miami merge together as a new phenomenon called “climate gentrification”. Current residents of neighborhoods located on the higher ground within the city are being displaced by coastal residents looking to escape the rising seas and flooding.
Little Haiti and Little River are two bordering neighborhoods located north of downtown Miami just west of Biscayne Bay. They have rich cultural histories filled with Haitian and Caribbean residents who have lived in these neighborhoods their entire lives, and some for multiple generations. However, recently they have become hotspots for new developments and climate gentrification. This is primarily due to parts of the neighborhood having higher elevations that attract developers to invest in new buildings, making rent and home prices rise higher than the longtime residents can afford. The northern edge of these areas is at high risk of sea-level rise due to its proximity to the Little River Canal, further amplifying the number of displaced residents.
The recent development and revitalization of the neighborhoods brings about its own underlying uncertainties: will longtime residents be able to find affordable housing near their current homes and communities? And, if so, how can they protect themselves from the risk of being displaced again due to sea level rise?
Arch Out Loud is calling on designers to propose solutions for floating housing in Miami’s Biscayne Bay.
SITE
The site for the competition is located in Biscayne Bay, north of downtown Miami, and just off of the coast of Legion Park. The park is slightly east of Little Haiti and connects the surrounding neighborhood to the waterfront.
How can the floating housing connect to local amenities and provide a healthy and sustainable place to live for its new residents?
Drone photography and videos will be provided upon registration along with the full 3D model of the competition site within the larger city area.
AWARDS
- OVERALL AWARD
$5,000
+ CERTIFICATE & PRESS PUBLICATIONS - RUNNER UP AWARD
$1,000
+ CERTIFICATE & PRESS PUBLICATIONS - RUNNER UP AWARD
$1,000
+ CERTIFICATE & PRESS PUBLICATIONS - RUNNER UP AWARD
$1,000
+ CERTIFICATE & PRESS PUBLICATIONS - 10 HONORABLE MENTIONS
CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT
+ PRESS PUBLICATIONS - DIRECTOR’S CHOICE AWARDS
(HIGHEST RECOGNIZED PROPOSALS BY ARCH OUT LOUD)
CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT
+ PRESS PUBLICATIONS
SCHEDULE
Early $75
Entry Ends
SEP 27, 2022
Regular $95
Entry Ends
NOV 08, 2022
Submission Deadline
NOV 09 2022
Results Announced
DEC 2022
JURY
DELIVERABLES
(x1) ARCH D size board
( 24” x 36” / 610mm x 914mm )
> Oriented landscape or portrait.
> The content of the board is left open to each team to decide what best communicates its concepts and solutions. Possible board content may include – but is not limited to – axons, plans, sections, elevations, rendered perspectives, diagrams, and images of models. It is strongly recommended that text and labels are kept to a minimum.
(x1) Project text summary
( 8.5” x 11” / 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm )
(under 200 words)
> All materials should be submitted as PDF documents.
> No team member names or affiliations can be included on the submitted materials.
RULES / GUIDELINES
• Teams can have up to four members.
• Participants can be from any country.
• Interdisciplinary teams are allowed, although it is recommended that at least one member have an architectural background.
• Under no circumstances can members of the jury see, review or have any knowledge of a proposal prior to the submission. Doing so will automatically disqualify the proposal from the competition.
• Registered teams will be provided with the full 3D digital model of the site and the surrounding city. Accuracy between the model and current existing conditions is subject to change and to be used at the discretion of the participants. Files provided are .3DM (Rhino), .SKP (Sketchup), and .DWG. Arch Out Loud is not responsible for any conversions to different file types.
• No company logos can be used on submissions.
TERMS
This competition is an ideas competition and will not result in any realization of an actual building. Additionally, no existing conditions will be altered or removed due to this competition.
Arch Out Loud was not hired or contracted to organize this competition. Every aspect of this competition was fully developed by Arch Out Loud.
Arch Out Loud reserves the right to make any changes to this document and competition. It is the responsibility of participants to check the Arch Out Loud website.
Arch Out Loud does not own any of the real sites used for the competition site nor will the sites be altered in any way as a result of this competition.
Arch Out Loud is not responsible for any in-person research done on or around the competition site. Please abide by local laws.
Breaking of rules and regulations set in this competition brief or on the Arch Out Loud website will result in the disqualification of the given team without any refund of registration fees.
ownership
All material submitted to the competition will become equal property of Arch Out Loud and therefore give Arch Out Loud all rights to publishing and using the material. Authors of the materials will be properly credited in publications. Arch Out Loud maintains the right to modify any information in its files in order to better adapt it to any publishing methods.
REGISTRATION & SUBMISSION
Join now by registering at
www.archoutloud.com/miami-floating-housing
Upon registration you will receive a confirmation email with your order receipt. The “Order No.” in the upper right corner is your team’s unique identification. Please use this number to name your submission file. Also provided in the confirmation email, will be a link and password to the full 3D digital models, drone video and photography.
Submit your designs at
www.archoutloud.com/miami-submit
Teams must have a registration number in order to submit. Any materials submitted prior to registering will not be considered. File names should only include your team’s unique identification number.
Materials must be submitted by November 9th, 2022 (11:59pm EST)
If you have any trouble with registering or submitting please email info@archoutloud.comWe look forward to seeing your proposals!