Space Group organizes the 26th space prize for international students of architectural design competition with the theme "Where, how do you live?"

If the 20th Century was a period of change, when the impact of the Industrial Revolution became apparent in various sectors of the society, the 21st Century is already witnessing another transformation; it is difficult to enumerate the complexities of this new century, ranging from the movement of huge amounts of capital with the expansion of globalization and the intricacies of class differences, to lifestyle changes due to new technologies. However, most people still lead their lives in accordance with dwellings and lifestyles that were created from the 19th Century to the 20th Century, because they are familiar with these constructs. Dwellings that comprise physically solid and socially inflexible systems require people to live in conformity with them and still retain control. The division of rooms, which include the living room, the kitchen, and bedrooms, and which are used according to their functions, is almost a global phenomenon; the rooms fulfill exclusive functions respectively, and fail to offer flexibility by meeting new demands. Moreover, one also rarely finds cases reflecting various types of families and the changing environment.

Types of families have been rapidly changing in recent years, and are still changing. People, who have experienced a transition from extended families to nuclear families, are now witnessing the emergence of completely different, new types of families; and the concept of “family”no longer maintains a solid adhesiveness as in the past, due to the growing prevalence of divorce, studying overseas, homosexual marriages, and frequent travel. The increase in the numbers of unmarried single households and the elderly population leads to an increasing trend of "living alone," which raises doubts about the general functionality of dwellings. Furthermore, the extensive expansion in travel is blurring the concept of settlement as it existed in the agrarian society, and airports and hotels around the world change into the dwelling places of numerous travelers every night. As indicated by the emergence of Ipods, which personalize space, and mobile phones, which transform the concept of distance, the advancement of electronic devices is changing personal relationships and rearranging the concepts of space and privacy. With people spending more time out of their houses, the dwelling in the sense of a place where families get together over a hot meal is no longer realistic.
Moreover, the rise in land prices following rapid urbanization shows that dwellings can no longer be realized by merely occupying land. The interiors of offices, rooftops of buildings, dwellings on the water, and mobile homes are already being used as alternative dwellings, while other, even bolder possibilities, also exist.

We hope that students will read the signs of these changing patterns of the 21st Century society in their respective surroundings, cities, and countries, and propose new styles of dwellings reflecting the emergence of these new lifestyles. The dwelling may be for a single person or new types of families, and may even be collective dwellings. As modern architects in the early 20th Century reflected changing new lifestyles with proposals that transcended their era, rather than merely reflecting their times, we hope that applicants will create new alternatives for dwellings based on currently imaginable technological advancements and predictions of future social changes.


Jury
- Ryue Nishizawa (Office of Ryue Nishizawa)
- Choi Moon-gyu (Department of Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University)

Eligibility
Undergraduate and graduate students up to master's degrees in Korea and other countries (students on leave of absence included). A team should be composed of three or less students.

Awards
Grand Prize (1 team): 5 million South Korean Wons, testimonial, medal 
First Prize (1 team): 2 million South Korean Wons, testimonial
SecondPrize (3 teams): 1 million South Korean Wons, testimonial per team
Third Prize (many): Testimonial, 1-year Space subscription

The Grand Prize winning team is given an opportunity to join Space Group, and other prize winners get preferential treatment when they apply to the Space Group.

Timeline
April and June 2008: Seminar 
20 June 2008: Application deadline
11 September 2008, 17:00: Submission deadline
18 September 2008: Preliminary judging announcement and notification of final judging (qualified teams)
Early October 2008: Final judging and award ceremony - exhibition

The timeline is subject to changes.

Application
Register as a member at www.space-prize.com, apply for the competition, and pay the application fee. Application fee is 50.000 South Korean Wons.

Application is complete if the application fee is paid. No refund for the application fee. Application details can be changed only before the application deadline.

Submissions
Submission address is "Secretariat of the 26th Space Prize for International Students of Architectural Design, 219, Wonseo-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Korea"

Requirements
- Microsoft PowerPoint file: Less than 20 pages of PowerPoint documents, personal information that include applicant's identification should not be written and only the title and application number should be specified on the first page. Official language is English.
-A model is not required, but pictures of a model can be submitted.
- Work files should be submitted in a CD.
- PPT folder: PowerPoint file, Data folder: images and texts in high resolution
- Application information should be specified on the surface and cover of the CD.
- 2 copies of Microsoft PowerPoint file printout in color (size: A4)
- Application certificate, issued at the time of application or printed out from My Page.
- Enrollment certificate (all team members)