Submission deadline: The deadline for submission still remains on Febuary 27, 2009. The extension of the registration period was only done to allow more participants. We feel however that a minimum one and a half month period to do the design for the house is enough.

The Lot Assignments: Students and Professionals may choose any of the lots provided. If you will notice, the lots are identical in shape, size and orientation. The locations are practically identical as both are inside lots -- meaning there will be houses on either side. The competition is an ideas competition, with the end view of having the winning design be replicated in most urban lots. We therefore advise you to make your designs adaptable to inside lots such as these.

Cost of the House: The P750,000 price range is an approximate. This is not a hard limit. It is only meant to guide or challenge to designers in as far as stretching the boundaries of convention when it comes to the way we think about what a house is, much more a house for the tropics, in an urban setting. Yes, we are asking you to propose a design, a complete design, including plumbing and electrical fixtures. The design should be livable when constructed as you designed it.

Size of Boards: Due to some feedback we received, we are revising the size of the boards to A1 size (594mm � 841mm), still portrait orientation. This size is close to 24" x 33". Even as we wanted to stick to metric sizes, we understand that the market is still not fully metric. We are thus allowing 24" x 33", in lieu of A1 size boards.

Number of Boards: Due to the change in size of the boards, we are allowing a maximum of two (2) boards to be submitted.

Material of Boards: We are not prescribing any material for the boards. You may use any material, even recycled materials, as long as they are firm and can be mounted on easels for viewing by the jury.

Submission of entries: The rules of submission as indicated in the Rules of the Competition remain the same. The only modifications are that: (a) your unique Registration Number (and only your registration number) be indicated in any part of your board/s; and (b) the Submission Form, together with the required documents, be enclosed in a white letter envelope, which you will provide for yourself.

• On Qualifications of Participants and Registration
  1. Is it still possible to join, even if the design was used for an international ideas competition already and had been published locally? We are joining with the hope of the design getting constructed.
  2. Does the PhP500 fee apply to a team as a whole or to be paid by each member of the team? Same goes for the application form.
  3. Can architects working abroad join the competition?
  4. I finished the first 3 years of architecture education, and then I tried working in a different field. So now, I am not technically a student or an architect by profession. But the profession is still in me and given the enough resources, I would never have second thoughts of pursuing the career. So I just have one question. Am I eligible to join?
  5. The registration fee can be deposited at any Bank of Commerce branch, right? And where should we write the team members at the registration form? Or only the team leader should be indicated?
• On the Lot
  1. Information on Lot Bearings
  2. Which lot is assigned to professional category.? Can the buffer area can be utilized as gathering space or user's entry point?
• On the House Cost
  1. Does the PhP 750,000 cost refer to the home construction cost alone?
  2. Is there any reference that will be provided for the construction materials price lists?
  3. Can the buffer area be utilized as a gathering space or user's entry point?
• On Entry Format
  1. Will floor plans, perspectives and elevations be drawn on separate sheets of paper? And can CAD be used?

Download the Frequently Asked Questions in PDF Format

Is it still possible to join, even if the design was used for an international ideas competition already and had been published locally? We are joining with the hope of the design getting constructed.

The design problem is site-specific, so we doubt if you can use a previous design for this competition. But since you are authors (presumably) of that design which you refer to, then you are welcome to use parts of it in this new problem.
As long as your previous design fits in the site; and as long as it satisfies the requirements of the problem; and as long as your previous design is not bound with any copyright, then you may use your design in this competition. Please read the rules for more guidance.

Does the PhP500 fee apply to a team as a whole or to be paid by each member of the team? Same goes for the application form.

The application fee and the form is for one entry -- team or individual.

Can architects working abroad join the competition?

Yes. As long as they can submit proof of an active Philippine license to practice, then they can join the competition.

I finished the first 3 years of architecture education, and then I tried working in a different field. So now, I am not technically a student or an architect by profession. But the profession is still in me and given the enough resources, I would never have second thoughts of pursuing the career. So I just have one question. Am I eligible to join?

Our rules require active students of architecture or graduates of architecture to join the Student Category. We appreciate your interest in joining and we would not want to dampen your enthusiasm for architecture. So here is what we suggest: Get a certification from your school that you are or were a student of architecture and an endorsement of a faculty member in that school for your participation in the competition.

The registration fee can be deposited at any Bank of Commerce branch, right? And where should we write the team members at the registration form? Or only the team leader should be indicated?

Yes, you may deposit at any branch of Bank of Commerce, although there might be a minimal inter-branch transaction fee (some banks do). The Team Leader's name will suffice as registered name.

Information on Lot Bearings

The lot bearings are written on the lot plan. The lot plan can be downloaded from the Competition Problem page.

Which lot is assigned to professional category.? Can the buffer area can be utilized as gathering space or user's entry point?

We have not decided on which site will be used for the professional site. In fact, you are free to choose which, as they are identical in size and orientation.
Yes, you may use the buffer area as entry. We actually plan to suggest that as the parking area for the two lots.

Does the PhP 750,000 cost refer to the home construction cost alone?

The P750,000 price range is only for the house itself. Furniture and landscaping is not included.

Is there any reference that will be provided for the construction materials price lists?

The price indexes of the materials to be used will be up to the entrant's appreciation. Since this is an ideas competition, we would not like to limit the range of ideas by publishing a list of materials and their prices.
The indicated price range for the house is only meant as a guide for designers. Detailed estimates need not be part of the proposals.

Can the buffer area be utilized as a gathering space or user's entry point?

Yes, you may use the buffer area as entry. We actually plan to suggest that as the parking area for the two lots.

Will floor plans, perspectives and elevations be drawn on separate sheets of paper? And can CAD be used?

You may use different sheets of paper for each drawing but all drawings should be assembled in one board as prescribed in the rules. Yes, you may use CAD or any other drawing program, i.e., Sketchup.

For further questions or inquiries, please e-mail us at [email protected]