2007 Open Architecture Challenge Winner’s Innovative Design Seeks to Empower Thousands of Children in Kenya
7/14/2008
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SIDAREC, Kenya
The overall winners of the AMD Open Architecture Challenge, The Global Studio, have begun work on the SIDAREC Youth Technology and Media Lab in Nairobi, Kenya. In late August, half the team traveled to Nairobi for a feasibility study. While in Nairobi, they met with SIDAREC and had their first site visits to the existing resource center at Pumwani, and the new site at Mukuru Kwa Njenga. On site they had a chance to interact with many of the youth leaders and community members. The winners of the Asia and South America Challenges will be traveling to their respective sites in October and November.
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During the 50x15 Partner Summit held in June in Cape Town, South Africa, AMD and Architecture for Humanity, an organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and provides professional design services to communities in need, announced the winners of the 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge: Digital Inclusion. The global competition, which is the largest prize of its kind in the field of architecture, provides the overall winner with the resources to develop technology facilities for communities in need.
Each year Architecture for Humanity hosts a global design challenge on the Open Architecture Network to address a different systemic issue facing those living in underserved communities.
The winners, including one overall competition winner and two regional site winners, were determined by an international review board of jurors comprised of architects, technologists, and community members. The competition was announced at the 2007 TED Conference and launched at the 2007 World Economic Forum on Africa in June 2007.
Overall Competition Winner: Kenya
Winning Design Team: Global Studio, Seattle, WA
Overall Competition Winner: Kenya
The overall competition winner and Africa challenge site winner is The Global Studio of Seattle for its design of a technology media lab and recording studio for SIDAREC, located in an informal settlement of Nairobi, Kenya.
AMD and the 50x15 Initiative will provide full construction financing and the Global Studio will collaborate with Architecture for Humanity and SIDAREC, the recipient local community organization, to build the winning solution. The Global Studio’s innovative design is planned to enrich the lives of thousands of children in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga settlement.
“We continue to be proud of our collaboration with Architecture for Humanity and the Open Architecture Challenge. With 566 registered entries from 57 countries, the significant interest in the contest is evidence that community building through technology is a means of bridging the digital divide and empowering people in under-served areas,” said Dan Shine, vice president of the 50x15 Initiative at AMD.
South American Challenge Winner: Ecuador
Winning Design Team: Igor Taskov, Fernando Pagan, ChunSheh Teo, Heather Worrell, (Locations: Nis, Serbia; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Indianapolis, IN)
South American Challenge Winner: Ecuador
The winners of the South American challenge site are Igor Taskov of Nis, Serbia, Fernando Pagan of Puerto Rico and Heather Worrell and ChunSheh Teo of Indianapolis for their design of a fair-trade chocolate factory and technology hub for Kallari Association in Ecuador.
Asia Challenge Winner: Nepal
The winner of the Asia challenge site is Max Fordham LLP and Nick Lawrence of London, for an innovative telemedicine center for Nyaya Health in the remote mountains of western Nepal.
Founders Award Winner
Architecture for Humanity also awarded its Founders Award to the third place Asia challenge finalist, Studio Wikitecture, for embracing a truly collaborative way of working using online crowd sourcing and Second Life as a way to create a highly participatory design approach.
Founders Award Winner
Winning Design Team: Studio Wickitecture, created on Second Life
Each of the three winning teams will receive a US$5,000 travel stipend to travel on site and work with the respective community organizations to further develop and refine the design. Architecture for Humanity is currently seeking additional funds to construct the solutions for the sites in Ecuador and Nepal.
2009 Challenge
The 2009 Open Architecture Challenge will focus on redesigning portable classrooms. For more information and to view all the designs entries in the 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge, visit www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/challenge.