What if we could save money, radically reduce our environmental impact, and have a freer, less complicated life?
Treehugger founder Graham Hill has part of the answer: we need to have less stuff and live in smaller spaces, like the 420sf (~39 m2) apartment in New York City he will renovate in 2011.
With some design and technology magic, even small space can allow for almost anything - so we’re asking you to redesign a small space thinking about these core ideas:
- transforming space - use one space for work, play, sleep, guests
- digitize everything - photos, books, music
- from ownership to access - think car-sharing instead of owning, pay-per-view instead of downloading, smart space-sharing and subletting
- only the essentials - cut down on extraneous stuff, leaving only what’s really necessary
Create a design based on Graham Hill’s 420 sf (~39 m2) apartment.
The design needs to support the life of a real person in the apartment - someone who works, eats, lives, and entertains. We’re looking for apartment designs that allow for:
- a sit-down dinner for 12
- a comfortable lounging option for 8 people
- space for 2 guests with some visual and ideally auditory privacy
- a home office
- a work area with space for a rolling tool chest
- a hideable kitchen
You must use one or more of the Resource Furniture Space Saver designs to combine some of the functions, but the rest is up to you. For additional requirements, please see Mandatory Requirements section.
As the room function is changed, it should not feel like you are sleeping in your office or eating in your bedroom. At the same time, it should be easy and quick enough to change the room function that one would actually do it. This is the space we’ll be renovating. And here are some ideas we’ve compiled to get you thinking about how others have created more from less.
When a design is found that meets all of Graham’s criteria (he needs to love it, since he’ll be living in the space and paying for it) an additional contract will be awarded to use the design or elements of the design in his apartment renovation.
Keep in mind that feedback and conversation can help you improve your ideas. Therefore we encourage you to post and update your entry at any time up until the submission deadline. In return, you’ll receive feedback from Graham, your peers, and our jurors.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Both jury and community are asked to consider the following three criteria when evaluating the designs:
Requirements - does the design meet the requirements (after all, Graham will be living in it and promoting the ideas so we really want him to be happy)?
Replicability - can the design be replicated in similar spaces with a reasonable budget? Will this design get people to consider living in this type of space, from an economic perspective?
Aesthetics - will the design look good in 25 years? Will it make us want to leave large and love little?
Awards
We’re awarding up to $70,000 in cash, products, and contracts for the best ideas. The best ideas will also be featured on Treehugger, Core77 and Architizer.
The submission process depends on thoughtful feedback to help designers improve their submissions. We’ll also reward the best feedback with over 50 prizes.
Jury Award
- $10,000 in cash
- Contract award of up to $10,000 to consult on the renovation project
- One week stay at the renovated apartment in NYC
- The revolution unfolds: a Strida folding bike
- Get together with family and friends: Cisco ?mi Telepresence system and Cisco Valet router for 2 locations plus one year of service*
- Collaborate at work: Cisco Webex annual subscription
Community Prizes
First Place
- $5,000 in cash
- The Thinbike designed by Graham Hill and Schindelhauer
- One week stay at the renovated apartment in NYC
- Get together with family and friends: Cisco ?mi Telepresence system and Cisco Valet router for 2 locations plus one year of service*
- Collaborate at work: Cisco Webex annual subscription
Second Place
Third Place
Fourth Place
Fifth Place
Sixth Place
Seventh Place
Best Feedback to Designers
* available to winners in the North America and European Union. Winners in other regions will have the option to exchange the ?mi system for other Cisco products. European Union winners may be invited to join the ?mi beta testing program.
Apartment Functions:
You must use one or more of the Resource Furniture Space Saver designs to combine some of the functions, but the rest is up to you.
Kitchen - The kitchen should have an induction cook-top, a combination microwave/oven, a small fridge (could be a drawer fridge), a dishwasher, an espresso machine, a juicer, a smart system for storing non-perishable food, and a soda water maker. The kitchen should be hide-able.
Bath - The apartment needs to have a toilet, a sink, a shower, and perhaps a steam room. The setup should look great, be space efficient, conserve water and energy, and have low embodied energy. Must have audio privacy.
Bed - The apartment should have at least a queen size bed, ideally raised off the floor.
Storage - Significant storage is needed for clothing, tools, sports equipment, food etc. (perhaps 300 or 400 cubic feet?)
Home Office - The office is built around a Mac 31” monitor and a 17” Macbook Pro.
Recycling and Reuse - There needs to be a convenient space/system for composting as well as a recycling and reuse "center" (stuff that will be given to friends or donated to charity).
Work Area - There should be a space to store a rolling tool cabinet and an area to do minor in-home repairs, bike maintenance, etc.
Entertainment & Telepresence - There should be Amina in-wall speakers to be used for entertainment and Cisco ?mi Telepresence. The 31” monitor will also be used in the entertainment and Telepresence center.
Materials and Other Considerations:
Flooring - The floor should look great, feel great, wear well, have low embodied energy, be easy to clean, and be maintainable by a Roomba.
Materials - When selecting materials, consider lifecycle and health concerns such as offgassing. Push for low embodied energy materials wherever possible.
Light, Sound - The apartment should be able to be made dark enough to not see one’s outstretched hand. Surfaces should absorb sound.
Shoes - This will be a shoeless apartment, therefore shoes need to be organized or stored near the entrance. A place to sit to take off/put on shoes might make sense as well.
Robot Servants - Low, hidden area where Roomba and Scooba cleaning robots might be stored away to charge.
Bike Storage - It would be nice to be able to hang the Strida in a closet and to slide the Schindelhauer ThinBike into a slot somewhere such that it is out of sight.
Plants - Plants should only require tending to once a month.
Nice to have:
Home automation - House systems might be controllable via mobile phone and internet, with simple on and off controls for all appliances.
Steam Room - It would be nice to have a few luxury items in the apartment such as a steam room. How do you optimize a steam room (less volume?), so it’s as eco-friendly as possible?
Lockable Storage - A portion of storage should be lockable such that some of it can be easily secured when the apartment is sublet.
Wall surface/area - There should be a way (magnets?) to display inspirational photos, images etc.
Assumptions and things already considered:
Air quality - The air will meet or surpass PlaNYC and the American Lung Association "Healthy House" certification.
Resource Usage - The space will use 70% less energy than a typical apartment, saving money and increasing peace of mind. Heating, cooling, and water usage is 20% of a similarly sized NYC apt. The apartment will be super-insulated, use high efficiency appliances and technologies such as a heat recovery ventilator to achieve this.
Lighting - It is anticipated that we will incorporate directional LED lighting into the ceiling so that none or very little additional lighting is needed anywhere.
Windows - It is assumed that we will replace the windows with super energy efficient pan and tilt models. Shading can be programmed using a Mechoshade Home System.
For additional information regarding the official rules, click here.
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