Chernobyl Rewilding: Designing Biodiverse Cities (Results Out)

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Premise

The Chernobyl Rewilding competition calls architects to envision a transformative city that reawakens the natural world within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Through innovative urban planning and biodiversity-centric design, this competition seeks to restore the region’s ecological balance while fostering a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Issue

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, once a site of tragedy, now stands as an opportunity to heal and regenerate the environment. The issue lies in the need to rejuvenate this vast area, restoring its once rich biodiversity and creating a city that balances human habitation with nature’s resurgence. Sustainable approaches are vital to ensure that this new city thrives amidst its unique context.

Objective

Participants are tasked with designing a biodiverse city that encompasses residential, commercial, and cultural spaces, all carefully integrated into the natural landscape. The city should embrace sustainable infrastructure, energy-efficient systems, and waste management practices, showcasing a balance between modern urban living and ecological preservation. Emphasis should be placed on promoting community engagement and a strong connection to the environment, fostering a deep appreciation for the coexistence of humanity and wildlife.

Site

The competition site is the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine, a historically significant and ecologically sensitive region. The vastness of this site offers an unparalleled canvas for architects to create a city that fosters biodiversity, celebrates nature’s reclamation, and stands as a testament to the potential of sustainable urban planning.

Constraints

The city design must prioritize biodiversity and sustainability, showcasing innovative solutions that restore and preserve the unique ecological qualities of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Architects must adhere to existing environmental regulations and cultural sensitivities, ensuring a seamless integration with the surrounding landscape while celebrating the resilience of nature.

The Chernobyl Rewilding competition is a call to reimagine the relationship between humans and the environment, fostering a city that celebrates nature’s resurgence and thrives sustainably amidst the remnants of history.

Submission Requirements

1. 2 x A1 Sheets explaining the value proposition or the design (each PDF with at least 150dpi – Max. 20 MB)
2. An optional 1-2 min Video explaining your design/concept (content in the video has been left to the participant’s consideration)
3. Participate in teams of 1-3 Individuals (Multiple Registrations Allowed using different Email IDs and Phone Numbers)
4. The final PDF must be named ‘team-<team number>.pdf‘ (for example, team-1234.pdf if your team code is ‘1234’) and should be uploaded on Google Drive/Dropbox/OneDrive or any similar online file handler with ‘Public Access‘ setting as ‘Enabled’ 
5. The final video must be named ‘team-<team number> | Seek Fanatic Competition #chernobylrewilding and uploaded as an ‘Unlisted‘ video on YouTube (Choose ‘Mark as not made for kids‘ while uploading)
6. The content in sheets should be free of any plagiarism (except collages and human cutouts in renders) 
7. Submitted content must not include any information which exposes details of the participant or the region the participant resides in
8. Seek Fanatic logo must be postfixed to the video for 3 seconds with black background  (Download logo: go.seekfanatic.com/logo)
9. Registration must be done on seekfanatic.com only – using the contact information of the team representative.
10. Team Number is the same as your Order Number (4-digit code) after payment of registration fees.

Note: Failing in compliance with any of the above requirements will lead to disqualification of the respected team from the competition, with a notification email to the registered email id of the team leader.

Schedule & Fees

• Early Registration Ends: September 10th, 2023, 23:59 GMT ($15 USD)
• Standard Registration Ends: October 10th, 2023, 23:59 GMT ($25 USD)
• Late Registration Ends: October 25th, 2023, 23:59 GMT ($35 USD)
• Submissions End: October 25th, 2023, 23:59 GMT
• Results Announced: November 25th, 2023

Prizes & Grants

• • Winner x 1 = $1000 + Certificate + Publication in our Annual Issue + Blog Post
  • Runners Up x 4 = $250 + Certificate + Publication in our Annual Issue + Blog Post

• Participation Certificates for all teams

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