Six Cities Solar High Rise Challenge

We calls for project proposals on the scale of the urban high rise tower which utilize progressive transparent solar concentrating envelope technology from Rawlemon in pursuit of a new model for high-volume urban solar harvesting and flexible habitation.

Description
Sun Robotics, a division of Rawlemon, has redefined building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) with a novel approach to solar concentration and tracking that integrates zero-emission concentrated photovoltaic conversion with waste heat capture in a fully automated, 90% transparent facade module. Strongly outpacing the efficiency of the best available solar building integration systems, Sun Robotics proposes to transforms the future of energy-positive building design, opening the door to an affordable, sustainable urban future.
The Sun Robotics Six Cities Challenge seeks a fully developed architectural platform for this powerful technology, which challenges the nature of architectural consumption, urbanism, and the interaction of the global citizen with the city and with public space. The project allows participants to critically explore two sets of topics:
1) The way that architecture can respond
to the energy challenges of global urbanism by reconsidering the nature of energy generation at the building scale; and
2) New modes of finance and civic cooperation for the production of solar energy, affordable living space and productive social space on underutilized spaces in our city centers.

Jury
NEW YORK COMMITTEE
- KIRBY BRENDSEL (US), Project Manager and Consulting Participant
- LOUISE VANDELAC (CA), Science and Environment Professor
- CHRISTIAN HOENIGSCHMID-GROSSICH (US), Architect
- FIONA COUSINS (US), Mechanical Engineer, expert in HVAC design
- JAMES RAMSEY (US), Architect, Engineer and Professor
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE
- FELIPE PICH-AGUILERA (SP), Doctor in architecture and Professor
- JOSÉ JUAN BARBA (SP), Doctor in Architecture, Professor and Author
- MARCO CANEVACCI (DE), Architect and Artist
- RAFAEL LAFARGUE (DE), Engineer and Solar Energy Specialist
- RODRIGO CAULA (CA), Industrial Designer and Author
- MICHELLE HOWARD (IE), Architect and Professor
- HANNES MAYER (DE), Architect, Author, Professor, Curator and Lichenologist
- TILL RIPPMANN (CH), Author
- ALFONSO DE LUNA (SP), Architect and Professor
- MANAL RACHDI (FR), Architect
- AMADOR FERRER I AIXALA (SP), Architect, Urban planner and Professor

Prize
The competition will result in the selection of three projects worldwide. Each will win top title, $4000 US, and the opportunity to build.

Entry Fee
Early-bird registration: $60 (by May 13th, 2015)
Regular registration: $80

Entries
Two 841mm x 594mm, 200 dpi, portrait project boards
Project Statement: 600 word max statement

Timetable
Selection and shortlisting of entries by the juries: November 16th, 2015
Final selection of the winning projects by the juries: December 14th, 2015
Results announcement: December 21th, 2015
Publication of the winning proposals on the WEB platform partners: January 8th, 2015

Organizer
Sun Robotics

Official Website