# Description
In response to the annual theme, participants conduct research on a sustainable architectural design for a home in a specified country. They then produce a portfolio and create a display and a model. Semifinalists present their design and participate in an interview.
# Theme 2026-2027
Design Brief: Resilient Housing Unit in Cabo San Lucas
Overview:A family of six lives in an informal settlement, or colonia, on the outskirts of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The family consists of two parents, one grandparent and three children.
Their current home is self-built using salvaged materials such as scrap wood, corrugated metal, pallets, and tarps. The home is single-level and crowded, with limited privacy between generations. The family does not have reliable access to running water, sewage, electricity, drainage, or waste collection. Water is delivered by truck and stored in a small cistern, while electricity and sanitation systems are often improvised.
The region’s arid desert climate creates year-round challenges, including extreme heat, strong seasonal winds, and persistent dust. In addition, many informal settlements are located near arroyos, flood zones, or unstable terrain, placing families at serious risk during hurricanes and flash floods.
Challenge:The family needs a safe, affordable, and resilient single-level housing unit that can support multi-generational living in an informal settlement in Cabo San Lucas. Your task is to design a housing solution that improves comfort, safety, dignity, and long-term livability while responding to the region’s climate, limited infrastructure, and economic realities.
Requirements:• The housing unit must be single-level and designed for a multi-generational family.
•The design should include passive cooling, natural ventilation, and strategies to reduce heat and dust inside the home.
• The structure must be more resilient to hurricanes, strong winds, flash flooding, and unstable ground conditions.
The home should include solutions for water collection, water storage, and water conservation.
The design must address sanitation, drainage, and waste management in areas without reliable public infrastructure.
The proposal should use affordable, durable, and locally available materials when possible.• The home should be simple to build, repair, and maintain using realistic construction methods.
The design should allow for incremental or phased construction so the family can improve the home over time.
The layout should include flexible spaces for privacy, family gathering, sleeping, cooking, and daily activities.
The design should be scalable so it could potentially be adapted for other families in similar communities.
Budget:Your team has a limited budget equivalent to the income of a working family in Cabo San Lucas. The design should prioritize affordability, durability, and realistic implementation. The budget must account for building materials, water storage, basic sanitation, ventilation, flood protection.
Careers Associated
Appraiser
Architect
Construction Manager
Interior Designer
Urban and Regional Planner
# Oklahoma Eligibility
Three (3) teams per chapter may participate; a team of one (1) is permitted.
# Coordinators
The individuals listed below are familiar with the event and available to give guidance. Please email them if you have questions regarding this event.
Michelle Evans
Event Coordinator
Melissa Stebbins
Event Manager