An ambitious new competition whose main objective is to accelerate the advent of sustainable technology into mainstream households, has chosen its winners.
The final results of the first annual Czech Off-Grid Houses (in Czech Český ostrovní dům, or island homes, a play on the idea that the homes operate without any connection to a city network), showcase the efforts of top technical and architectural professionals and promising students of architecture and construction.
The five self-sustaining prototype homes chosen as winners and runners up of the competition could be built as early as 2018 and will be open to the public as a showcase for the independent and energy-efficient dwellings of the future.
The project, taking place under the auspices of the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Prague and the Czech Budějovice VŠTE, called on designers to create a house that could operate virtually alone in the woods; in particular the secluded land in the foothills of Šumava near Vyšší Brod.
The resulting prototype homes are “living organisms” that don’t impede on the landscape around them, and are simultaneously stunning and a friend to natural resources, say the projects organizers.
1st place / Daniel Brýda
Project manager Jana Hořická: “The level of designs has taken us aback. The task was difficult, but the inventiveness and desire to explore new options exceeded all our expectations. Competition in the students aroused great interest, and that is exactly what we wanted to achieve.”