Often, our architecture education hinges on the altruistic side, otherwise tackle the question on ‘how do we live together?’ within the current and speculative social, political, cultural and environmental context. Whether these ponderings and proposed solutions can be actioned post education is something that would take significant amount of resource and research to solidify the concepts. Back for its second edition, Ammodo Architecture is an exciting award that will hopefully continue to motivate practices to engage in community-collaborative projects.
This prestigious award aims to recognise design studios and initiatives on ‘exemplary contributions to socially and ecologically responsible architecture’. Given that architecture in the social media realm vastly pushes visions and inspirations for one’s interior – Ammodo casts a spotlight on the side of architecture often overshadowed if not muted by the aspirational culture. Each recipient will be awarded with a grant ranging from €10,000 to €150,000 to further develop their project.
Out of 168 submissions from 64 countries, 26 studios or community-led initiatives and collectives have been selected for the prestigious award. The advisory committee made of architects, academics, urban planners and cultural programmers have awarded projects across the globe in three categories and scales. The awards were decided on an extensive criterion that focused on each initiative’s response to social and environmental consciousness, potential for grown and even domestic justice.
“Rather than scaling through replication, the selected projects demonstrate a patchwork ethic — locally embedded yet globally resonant. They challenge extractive development through reuse, reframe participation as expertise, and treat architecture not only as object but as process. For younger generations, these works offer a model of practice that is mission-driven, politically incentive, and structurally generous.”
– An Andrés Jaque and Loreta Castro Reguera / Ammodo Advisory Board
The awards are separated into three categories, distinguished by scale of project.
Social Architecture - €150,000
Awarded to two practices – SHAU (Indonedia) and gaupenraub+/- (Austria), the two practices explore the realm and network of socially and ecologically responsible architecture. SHAU’s application focuses on ‘urban acupuncture’ for residents who reside along the Gajah Wong River – creating small interventions that tackles ‘safety, sanitation and flood resilience’. Meanwhile gaupenraub+/- transforms a former retreat ‘into an inclusive residential and working community’ to rejuvenate local participation and fostering community.
Social Engagement - €50,000
Twelve projects where design skills are the key driver to social and ecological responsibility. Selected projects focuses on engaging with the local community as the main driver to facilitate their design. Highlights include a library in the rocky terrain in Zheshui Natural Library, integrated into the landscape – a design reflective of the local architecture stitched into the landscape. A Floating Schools Initiative in Pabna District, Bangladesh – created to address issues of flood-prone riverine regions. Melbourne-based practice NMBW also was successful in receiving the award for social engagement with their project Sanders Place - transforming an old brick factory into a porous working space that blends indoor and outdoors.
Local Scale - €10,000
Twelve projects that have a local impact through self-initiation have been selected for the award. These projects provide an opportunity for pockets in communities to be activated. These manifestations allow for reclamation of urban space for ‘women and children through small-scale, inclusive interventions’ located in Cairo; a floating stage that celebrates the community of Belén, Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon; and my personal favourite – a modular play structure to activate spaces for play for children in marginalised communities in Karachi.
It will be interesting too to see how the awarded recipients will further develop and challenge their existing projects, and perhaps spearhead more discussions on what it means to be a ‘socially and ecologically responsible’ designer.
Full list of recipients:
Ammodo Architecture Award for Social Architecture (€150,000 per project)
Kampung Mrican Phase 1 · SHAU · Yogyakarta · Indonesia
VinziRast am Land · gaupenraub+/- · Mayerling (Lower Austria) · Austria
Ammodo Architecture Award for Social Engagement (€50,000 per project)
Zheshui Natural Library · LUO Studio · Zheshui Village, Shanxi · China
Limbo Museum · Limbo Accra · Accra · Ghana
Chaki Wasi, Handicrafts Center of the Community of Shalalá · La Cabina de la curiosidad · Shalalá, Quilotoa · Ecuador
Prototype Anti-Seismic House · Aziza Chaouni Projects · Talaat N’yacoub, Al Haouz · Morocco
Floating Schools for Community Resilience and Sustainable Development · Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha · Pabna District (Gumani River) · Bangladesh
Jackfruit Processing Unit and Community Centre · atArchitecture (with Anant Foundation, Government of Meghalaya) · Gulpani Nokat, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya · India
Floating University · Floating e.V. · Berlin (Tempelhof Rainwater Basin) · Germany
Shelter Inclusive Place COPAL · o+h · Yamagata · Japan
The Wild Mile · Urban Rivers · Chicago, Illinois · United States
Sanders Place · NMBW Architecture Studio · Melbourne · Australia
Machan_Korail Community Platform · Paraa (with Korail residents) · Dhaka (Korail Settlement) · Bangladesh
Territorio de los saberes – Mencoriari · Asociación Semillas para el Desarrollo Sostenible · Central Peruvian Amazon · Peru
Ammodo Architecture Award for Local Scale (€10,000 per project)
Main Stage of MuyunaFest · Espacio Común · Iquitos (Belén), Loreto · Peru
Village as House · Robida Collective · Topolò/Topolove, Friuli Venezia Giulia · Italy
Terrachidia Oasis Campus · Terrachidia NGO · M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Drâa-Tafilalet · Morocco
Jardín Naturalista Colibrí at Canal Constitución · Gladiola Camacho Estudio · Monterrey, Nuevo León · Mexico
Jucão Seed House · Laboraterra Arquitetura; Alain Briatte Mantchev Arquitetura ME · São Paulo · Brazil
TerraTimber · Karlsruhe Institute of Technology · Karlsruhe · Germany
Adobe Vault · Esfahk Mud Center · Esfahk, South Khorasan · Iran
Rural Primary School, Mandi · Dhammada Collective (commissioned by SEEDS) · Mandi, Himachal Pradesh · India
Bankatta Community Initiative, Madi Valley · Sustainable Mountain Architecture · Bankatta, Madi Valley (Chitwan) · Nepal
Magdy El Khouly Street Renovation · AHS CxA · Old Cairo · Egypt
Play – Pause – Ponder · WM Re-Lab · Rural Pakistan (flood-affected areas) · Pakistan
The Slovo Hall Project · 1to1 – Agency of Engagement (with Slovo Park Development Forum) · Slovo Park, Johannesburg · South Africa
All projects can be viewed via Ammodo Architecture Award’s website
Press information including images are provided by Ammado Architecture