Three young Greek architects were inspired by the growing issue of homelessness in Greece, and the world, and decided to do something about it. The took part in the international Tiny Home Community Competition. The three architects – Stratis Skopelitis, Maria Christoulia and Alexandros Valsamidis, created a project in response to the competition’s main question:
“How can design address homelessness?”
The competition required architects to create residential buildings with specific features (prefabricated, sustainable, affordable solutions) to accommodate the homeless in Raleigh, North Carolina. The participants were asked to submit ideas for the design of twelve small houses, measuring 12 square meters in a field located in the outskirts of Raleigh.
Maria Christoulia, Alexandros Valsamidis and Stratis Skopelitis, co-founders of the architectural group «Riza3architects» and members of “AENAOS SA” submitted their project involvement and managed to take the first prize among more than 100 proposals submitted by architects around the world.
“In Greece we witness the homelessness issue addressed by the competition on a daily basis and that is why we chose to submit a proposal and work on a Greek but also global issue,” they said.
The jury decided that the Greek proposal was worthy of the first prize, since it was “a project that could make a difference.” It had the the best combination of space organization, the use of appropriate construction methods and materials and the robust design of housing units.
Implementation in Greece
The winning proposal could also be applied in Greece and provide solutions to the country’s social problems. The architects designed a community that consists of four neighborhoods. A shared building is located in the community center, which contains common rooms such as a kitchen, a study area, library, changing rooms and bathrooms.
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