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Participation Guidelines

Eligibility & Team Composition

Who can participate

The ISA-iSUN Design Challenge is open exclusively to accredited architecture and engineering institutions worldwide, including universities, colleges, schools of architecture and other recognised academic institutions offering relevant programmes.

No registration fee

There is No Registration Fee to participate in this competition.

Institutional registration

Registration is at the institutional level. Each participating institution shall register using its official institutional name, institutional email address(es), and country of the institution. Each registration will be assigned an Institution Code upon completion of the process.

Entries per institution

Institutions may make their submissions for one or more of the SIDS locations. Each institution may submit a maximum of three entries, i.e. one entry per site.

Team Composition

Each team shall comprise:

Core Team - Required
2-8 Students enrolled in the participating academic institution.
At least 1, and at most 2, faculty member(s) from the institution (mandatory).
Optional Advisory Experts
Practising registered architect (if not already included above)
Solar industry professionals with relevant expertise.

Each team may include at least one practising architect registered with the country's recognised architecture council. This requirement may be met by either:

a faculty member who is also a practising registered architect; or
an external advisory architect.
Note: An association/endorsement letter must be submitted from each advisory expert listed above, in the Phase 2 submission, if shortlisted in Phase 1. Advisory experts are not required for Phase 1.

Evaluation

Parameters & Design Principles

Seven weighted parameters guide the jury's assessment. Hover or focus a parameter to see what the jury looks for.

25% Planning, Passive Design & Climate Response

Orientation, zoning, circulation, form and shading to local sun and wind; ventilation and daylighting that cut loads; thermal mass and envelope for a hot, humid island.

20% Solar Integration & Energy Performance

BIPV over rooftop retrofits; solar tiles and shading doing a second job; battery storage; generation, self-sufficiency and reliable supply.

15% Scalability & Replicability for SIDS

Works across islands of different sizes and budgets; modular, documented, affordable to repeat; local skills and supply chains.

13% Disaster Resilience

Withstands cyclones, storm surge, flooding and seismic risk; keeps power running through an event; fails safe and recovers quickly.

12% Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Treats land as a scarce constraint; manages waste; harvests rainwater; local, low-embodied-carbon materials.

10% Adherence to SIDS Policy Frameworks

Supports NDCs and code commitments; eligible for finance and incentive routes; reduces permitting friction.

5% Community, Inclusion, Livelihoods & Innovation

Community and livelihood integration; social inclusion; genuine design innovation.

Assessment

Submission Requirements

The challenge runs in two phases.

Phase 1 is a concept submission open to all. Phase 2 develops the design further and is only for teams shortlisted from Phase 1.

Phase 1 tests the idea and its logic. Phase 2 tests whether it resolves.

Finalists from Phase 2 present printed sheets and a physical model at the Award Ceremony.

Phase 1 ALL ENTRANTS

Preliminary concept submitted via the Participant Panel, evaluated anonymously by Jury 1.

Phase 1 submissions should cover the following content:

Design concept and architectural drawings including site plans, plans, elevations and sections
Passive & active low-impact design strategies
Solar energy strategy including BIPV approach, indicative generation and storage
Replicability and scalability logic for the solar module system
Views, perspectives & additional visuals
Phase 2 SHORTLISTED TEAMS

Detailed and refined submission by shortlisted teams, with supporting analyses, evaluated anonymously by Jury 2.

Phase 2 submissions should cover the following content:

Detailed architectural drawings including site plans, plans, elevations and sections
Detailed documentation of passive and active low-impact design strategies with analysis
Energy performance analysis comprising generation, demand, self-sufficiency and storage
Resilience detailing for cyclones, storm surge, flooding, seismic risk and marine erosion
Materials strategy including local, low-embodied-carbon sourcing
A walkthrough video of the interior and exterior spaces
Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) Bonus
Cost estimation Bonus
Note: Teams may submit any additional supporting documents that may help explain the submission better.

Submission Guidelines

Submission Format

Design submission proposal to be submitted as per the following guidelines:

Phase 1
  • 4 x A1 Landscape Sheets (841 x 594 mm each)
  • AutoCAD drawings
  • Duly signed and stamped declaration forms of competition terms & conditions (for each site).
Phase 2
  • Design Presentation (maximum 40 slides)
  • AutoCAD drawings
  • 1 x Walkthrough Video of 60-90 seconds, MP4 format, showcasing the key interior and exterior spaces and demonstrating the relationship between architecture, landscape and environmental systems.
  • Duly signed and stamped association / endorsement letter from each advisory expert.
Final Shortlisted Entries (Award Ceremony)
  • Printouts 2 x A0 Landscape Sheets (1189 mm x 841 mm)
  • Physical model of the proposed design, at an appropriate scale
Institution Code

Your Institution Code, which is a Unique Identification Number, along with the Site Code will have to be mentioned on all submissions. You will receive your Institution Code after completing your registration.

Anonymous

All submissions must be anonymous. No personal information such as name, college, organisation or contact details should appear; failing which may lead to disqualification.

English only

All text must be in English.

Any technique

Proposal may be presented using any technique of your choice (sketches, diagrams, 3D visualisations, model photos, CAD drawings, etc.).

Metric units

All dimensions should be in metric units.