The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) are seeking entrants to a global design competition that asks architects to future proof a small community situated on the most remote inhabited island in the world.

Situated within the South Atlantic Ocean, approximately 2,800km (7 to 10 days sailing) south-west of Cape Town, South Africa, the small island community of Tristan (a part of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago) have asked RIBA to host a design ideas competition in a bid to improve the sustainability of the their homes, government buildings and agricultural infrastructure.

Known as Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and referred to locally as 'The Settlement', Tristan has a population of around 270 people and the design competition seeks to establish the settlement as a sustainable and viable living option for future generations.

The competition is seeking innovative, cost-effective approaches for the re-design and consolidation of the Island's government buildings; initiatives to significantly improve the living standards and performance of residential properties; together with improvements to the Island's agrarian systems to better support grazing and the year-round growth of fresh produce.

The competition will coincide with the island’s bicentenary in 2016. Images: RIBA.

The competition will be held over two phases:

In Phase One, design proposals will be assessed anonymously by a judging panel and the Head of Government from Tristan before a shortlist of up to five schemes is identified in September 2015.

In Phase Two anonymity will be lifted and the authors of the five schemes will be invited to develop their ideas in response to feedback from the Phase One assessment. This will also include the indication of the potential costs associated with executing the propositions and will eventually conclude with design teams being invited to present their proposals to the Judging Panel and Head of Government in early 2016.

Deadline for submissions is Tuesday 2 June and more information about the competition can be found here:

Nathan Johnson

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