November 2014 /// The Crying Roof

NOVEMBER 2014 COMPETITION

The Crying Roof ///

The primary purpose of a roof is to prevent water from entering a space from above. Roofs are designed as barriers that block and shed water away. What if, instead, a roof invited water into a building? Rainfall is vital to the larger environment, yet is considered a detriment as soon as it enters an interior environment. How might a roof act as a filter that safely brings water inside to be experienced. Beyond collecting water through drains and cisterns, how might water be brought into a space to be touched, smelled, and heard? What benefits might come from letting some rain in? What happens when roofs cry?

Participants are asked to focus on designs that create direct interactions with water, rather than a closed system that simply collects water for reuse. Submissions may be conceptual, technical, and/or artistic.

JURORS ///

Daniel Félix

M.Arch / Phd Student, University Lusiada of Vila Nova de Famalicão

Guimaraes, Portugal

Firm: A.riscar Lda

Tommaso Modesti, Chartered Architect
M. Arch, "La Sapienza" University of Rome
Rome, Italy
Firm: TMAstudio

Kyle O'Connor

M. Arch & M. L.Arch, University of Pennsylvania

New York, United States

Firm: SHoP Architects

ENTRIES ///

29 Entries from 18 Countries

Michal Hajduk

Bratislava, Slovakia

Luís Batista Alberto

Lisbon, Portugal

Tugce Aydın

Istanbul, Turkey

Vivian Stasi

Seattle, Washington, United States

Anna Hagen

Vienna, Austria

Gianluca Ferriero

Milano, Italy

Kerim Karajko

Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mohamad Firman

Singapore, Singapore

Alastair Wake

Manchester, United Kingdom

Michal Hajduk

Bratislava, Slovakia

1ST

JURY COMMENTS ///

"Well-drawn image that provocatively puts water into positions that it is typically kept out of. Rather than gutters and leaders to conceal and shed water, why not streams and cascades to reveal and use it?"

"Powerful and iconic image that satirically represents through a great design how common concrete buildings relate to rainwater. They are basically waterproof and unable to reuse water. Rather, they bleed water until it stop raining."

2ND

Luís Batista Alberto

Lisbon, Portugal

JURY COMMENTS ///

"Beautiful projection of a convincing post-apocalyptic scenario on a recognizable landmark. This image says so much without using any words at all."

3RD

Tuğçe Aydın

İstanbul, Turkey

JURY COMMENTS ///

"Using water as a finishing material for buildings' walls, assuming the roof as the vital element to supply the water, sounds like a new and really interesting approach. This proposal suggests a continuous movement of water from the roof to the ground, creating dynamic walls that spread the smell and sound of the water, and at the same time encourage to touch and feel."

TOP 8

Vivian Stasi

Seattle, Washington, United States

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The entry accurately describes a project for a bio-technological oasis in the desert that accumulates water during the year and let it gradually evaporate afterwards, acting like a biorhythm system that revitalize a bare environment."

TOP 8

Anna Hagen

Vienna, Austria

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The idea of a sponge house seems to be dependent on the existence of water. In this conceptual proposal, the roof becomes a definite piece to assure the presence of water, which is the main element to define the identity of this house."

TOP 8

Gianluca Ferriero

Milano, Italy

JURY COMMENTS ///

"A minor graphic inversion that demonstrates a major shift in thinking about our relationship to water. The questions posed here are both delightful and, increasingly, critical."

TOP 8

Kerim Karajko

Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina

JURY COMMENTS ///

"Clear and suggestive image that focuses on the amazing experience of feeling all wet under a dark rainstorm while standing in a fully controlled and safe interior environment."

TOP 8

Mohamad Firman

Singapore, Singapore

JURY COMMENTS ///

"Protecting from the rain under a tree is a very common action. The transposition of this fact for buildings is inspiring and very provocative. A great symbiosis between buildings and nature where the tree is immediately recognized as a roof, and simultaneously provides for intense sensations."