“The British had assumed control of Delhi in 1803. The then-existing city of about 125 thousand had been founded by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 and, over the years, the population of the Indian capital, after independence, has grown beyond the 13 million units. New Delhi had continued to lure British tourists, who found it far more attractive than Indian districts in the colonial metropolis. The fast and continued growth of the city population has generated, as in many other megacities of the world, an economic and social imbalance. About 6 million people live in slums in the suburbs of New Delhi. The formation of slums is closely linked to economic cycles, trends in the distribution of national income, and in recent years with national policies for economic development. The negative effects of globalization (especially the boom and economic failures that have gradually increased economic inequality) have contributed to the huge increase of the slums. All this is accompanied by a very relevant data: over 60% of the Indian workforce is distributed in the countryside and live on the farm economy. The problem of Indian cities, like New Delhi, is the lack of infrastructure.

Hof – Horizontal Farm in New Delhi wants to focus on finding a solution that integrates the culture and traditions of Indian society with improved living conditions of slums inhabitans. The competition proposes the design of a multifunctional structure for different types of emergencies involving a large part of Indian society. A Horizontal Farm, which contains a range of services and functions (see page. 06) that improve the quality of life of residents. At the same time should not be changed customs, traditions and cultural roots of people who live in this way by hundreds of years.”

Jury

Manit Rastogi, Morphogenesis || Architect, India

Gurjit Singh Matharoo, Matharoo Associates || Architect, India

Vikas Pawar || Architect, India

Shangeet Sharma || Architect, India

Gaia Rengo || Architect, Italy

Awards

First Prize – 1500€

Second Prize – 1000€

Third Prize – 500€

+ publications on the official AWR Mag: Headline

Registration Period – February 1, 2012_May 31, 2012

Submission Deadline – June 15, 2012