Kiribati Floating Houses is a call for young architects promoted by YAC and Cantiere delle Marche to design floating, environmentally-friendly houses to be built in the Kiribati archipelago as a possible solution for the thread represented by ocean level rise.

Global warming doesn’t just cause seasons’ shifting, mild winters etc. but also rising sea levels wiping out houses, lands and civilizations. This is the terrible price the Kiribati people who live on an archipelago composed by 33 atols 20 hours flight from any destination are now having to pay.

To help the approx. 110.000 inhabitants of Kiribati, YAC (Young Architetcts Competions) a company acting in the promotion of research in the field design, and Cantiere delle Marche, world leader in the explorer yachts segment, held the “Kiribati Floating Houses”, a contest for young architects who were asked to design floating houses, easy to be replicated, able to overcome the challenge represented by the rise of ocean level making use of renewable energies and resources.

The contest that saw the participation of above 230 candidates from all over the world offers monetary prizes of € 15.000 for the three top finalists. Projects are judged by a specially selected panel composed by: Kengo Kuma, Moon Hoon, Rocco Yim, Cristiana Favretto (Studiomobile), Simon Frommenwiler (HHF Architects), Carlo Ratti, Giuseppe Zampieri (David Chipperfield Architects), Fabio Roversi Monaco (Genus Bononiae), Vasco Buonpensiere (Cantiere delle Marche), Simon Frommenwiler (HHF) Teuea Tebau (MISE Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy), Walter Mariotti (Domus), Marco Imperadori (Politecnico di Milano), Marco Cattaneo (National Geographic Italia).

Kiribati’s fragile eco-system is changing, almost certainly (and unfortunately) forever. For its inhabitants emigrating is not an option. Hence the importance of the Kiribati Floating Houses to offer a future to these people while helping them create a new sense of resilience.