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Young Chinese architect Ziyu Guo’s children’s house has won first prize in the Kaira Looro international architecture competition. Organized by non-profit humanitarian organization Balouo Salo, the 2022 edition focused on the design of a healthcare facility for children aimed at preventing malnutrition in a rural setting of sub-Saharan Africa. Second place also went to a team of architects from China made up of Shimin Zhou, Wanning Liao, Tianchen Xu, Hanyang Liu, and Joseph Ongaco, while third place was awarded to Thai firm Nattaphon Worawanitchaphong. Two honorable and five special mentions were awarded, and there were twenty finalist and Top 50 projects.
First held in 2016, the Kaira Looro Competition is principally aimed at students and young professionals from around the world. Architects, engineers, and designers can all participate, but so can anyone willing to take on the design challenge set each year. The competition has the dual purpose of discovering new talent and helping to improve living conditions in developing countries through sustainable architectural models for humanitarian purposes. In 2022, the competition focused on the United Nations’ second Sustainable Development Goal, that is, Zero Hunger by 2030. This year’s competition, the proceeds from which will go to charity, saw the participation of 835 projects from around the world, with Italy among the best represented countries.
>>> Find out more about the 2022 Kaira Looro Competition
The children’s house will be built in the village of Baghere in southern Senegal, a place where one in three children is at risk of malnutrition. The new facility will help in the fight against this social problem, which globally affects 149 million children between the ages of zero and five, through free pediatric treatment alongside health and hygiene awareness programs for local families. The competition aims to raise public awareness of malnutrition as well as the awareness of architects and designers of their social responsibility. On a technical level, the competition specifies three requirements for the project: it must be easy to build using sustainable technologies that are suitable for self-construction; it must use locally sourced natural and/or recycled materials; and it must be integrated into the environmental, social, and cultural settings of its site.
>>> The theme of 2021’s Kaira Looro Competition was a Women’s House, also in Baghere
The projects were evaluated by a jury made up of architects of international standing, including several Italians, and nutrition experts: Kengo Kuma (Kengo Kuma & Associates), Mario Cucinella (Mario Cucinella Architects), Agostino Ghirardelli (SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli), Benedetta Tagliabue & Ana Gallego (EMBT Miralles Tagliabue), Mphethi Morojele (MMA Design Studio), Alice Dietsch (AL_A), Giuseppe Mazzaglia (MVRDV), Sharon Davis (Sharon Davis Design), Ligia Nunes (Architecture Sans Frontières International), and Saad El Kabbaj + Driss Kettani + Mohamed Amine Siana. There was also a competition committee comprising Balouo Salo and Kaira Looro.
The projects in first, second, and third places will receive a prize of five thousand, two thousand, and one thousand euros, respectively. The three winners are also offered the chance of interning with Kengo Kuma Associates, Mario Cucinella Architects, or SBGA Blengini Ghirardelli, again respectively. The winning project will be built as part of a charity program by a team of volunteers and the local community.
>>> Explore all the winning, finalist, and mentioned projects on the official competition website
All images courtesy of Balouo Salo
