Home rental service Airbnb is offering a prize of US$1 million (A$1.5 million) to ten entrants in a competition for the “wildest home ideas.”
The Unique Airbnb Fund is an initiative by the company to finance unconventional and unusual liveable spaces . Open to “design enthusiasts” anywhere in the world, the proposals will be evaluated on the basis of their potential to contribute to a greater social cause, creativity, the inclusion of sustainable construction techniques, and whether or not the plans are realistic.
Airbnb is looking for “unusual shapes, unexpected locations, immersive concepts, spaces with a story,” the company said on its website. “The wilder the better. A successful entry will be full of surprises, inside and out.”
The judging panel includes MVDRV, the Dutch architecture and urban design practice co-founded by Nathalie De Vries, Winy Maas and Jacob van Rijs, as well as actor Billy Porter and Airbnb “superhost” Kristie Wolfe, who rents out a number of properties via the service.
“The Unique Airbnb Fund is a great initiative that makes hospitality exciting. It will empower people to create new spaces with daring, imaginative and fantastic architecture,” said MVRDV partner Fokke Moerel.
The prize will provide 10 successful entrants with $100,000 each to “build the most unconventional Airbnb they can dream up.”
Entries are open until 15 April. To submit, click here.
In a statement provided to ArchitectureAU, Airbnb listed a number of examples of successful homes with the required level of uniqueness that included Maguire and Devine Architects’ off-the-grid Bruny Island Cabin. Other examples include a house shaped like a boot and a house floating on a lake.
