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Alternate Realities 2022

Results

Foreword

This competition exists in an Alternate Reality. You make the rules in this realm. Does gravity exist? Do humans live on Earth? How far has technology advanced? You decide!

The aim of this competition is to explore wild design ideas – what architecture truly means and what it can achieve without any constraints. Let your imagination run wild and create spectacular designs that grab the world’s attention. The intention is to spark a conversation regarding issues plaguing the world, through design dialogue.

The 2nd edition of Alternate Realities – the world’s most experimentative architecture competition – saw participation from designers all over the world. Scroll down to see the most creative architectural ‘Alternate Realities’.

Jury

KEVIN VEENHUIZEN

Principal & Founder – Kevin Veenhuizen Architects

Robert Hutchison

ROB HUTCHISON

Principal – Robert Hutchison Architecture
Affiliate Associate Professor – University of Washington

Ahu Aydogan

AHU AYDOGAN

Associate Professor
City College of New York

Mond Qu

MOND QU

Founder & Director – United Make (UDMK)
TED Talk

Dr Marie Davidová

DR. MARIE DAVIDOVA

Junior Research Group Leader
University of Stuttgart

Results in Media

10 Unbuilt Projects Submitted to ArchDaily

Results of: Alternate Realities 2022

Results: Alternate Realities 2022

First Prize Winner

Lau Yee Mun    Ang Hui Yi    Melissa Ho Er Shwen  •  Chia Hui Yen
Malaysia
AR2022-8681

Medical Certificate

To Whom It May Concern:

THIS IS TO CERTIFY that Mr. EARTH of Solar System, was examined and treated at the Department of Wild Architecture on 12.12.2065 with the following diagnosis:

  1. Advanced chronic river pollution:
    We have performed DIALYSIS to remove garbage and contaminants. They are diverted to an adjustable floating building to be cleaned.
  2. Marine plastic pollution:
    There is a lot of plastic in the ocean and it affected marine life. We prescribed a MEDICATION to coagulate plastics, ranging in size from large original material, down to microplastics. The larger floc formed will easily be removed and stored securely in the pill.
  3. Deterioration of land surface:
    To help reduce pain and for relaxation, we suggested the ancient form of therapy, CUPPING THERAPY. The suction is used as a type of deep-tissue massage to improve the flow of energy and facilitate healing.
  4. Soil contamination:
    Contaminated land has lost its function to protect the body. To treat, we performed SKIN GRAFT SURGERY to remove the chemically infected parts and replace them with healthy man-made land.

And would need specifically designed medical equipment with close medical attention for barring complications.

Wild Architects
(Attending Physician)

Jury Comments

“… like the sarcastic tone of the project, very creative ideas and well explained by the images.

Second Prize Winner

Lingas Tran    Grant Li
Australia
AR2022-8810

3 Seconds to Midnight

Initializing…

Name = “Archive Bot 5897432”
Version = “10.0.11241, doomsday record entry”
ID = “4188866”

##################################

Log entry: (7295458);
Date entry: (01 – 22 – 2156);

It is now 3 seconds before the clock strikes midnight on the doomsday clock and 70 years after the last ice shelf has melted. The continuous rise of the sea has consumed the remaining cities.

It is hard to say when it all began, first a rise of temperatures then season after seasons of destructive weather patterns, until it became
an established relentless reality that we can no longer adapt to the changing climate, death has passed its sentence.

As we anticipate the end of the world – it is our last effort, that we preserve our human history and what remains of our civilization. In this endeavour to preserve our story, we have designed these machines that will outlive our existence.

Designed as moving vaults, they will collect and archive. In the hope that one day it can be retrieved.

Log end

Jury Comments

“This series of beautifully rendered, albeit dark, images depicts a post-apocalyptic world, one where machines archive the story of mankind, leaving open the hope that our story might be rekindled in the future.”

“Starting with the text was a good decision, the content and typography made us curious. The images support the story in an outstanding way; they are very convincing and really evoke the feeling of dystopia.”

Third Prize Winner

Anik Kumar Chanda   Mohika Proma Sikder   Tanzid Noor Rafi   Md. Tanvir Ahmed Kintu
Bangladesh
AR2022-8595

M.A.N.T.S.

“Whos is this grandpa?” Ana asked while holding her ancestors’ photos. Grandpa replied, “He is your great-grandpa,” Ana looked so amazed, “Then why does he look so different? “The transition, however, has a long history.” Grandpa said smilingly, “Our ancestors didn’t have features like us, but we had to adopt this.” “Grandpa, tell me more!” Ana asks excitingly. “Okay then… let me take you on a journey through our history,” the grandpa starts,

“For at least half a millennium, human technology has impacted elements of our planet. Nature began to exact its revenge on civilization over time. All city survivors tried to find a new survival after witnessing nature arising and taking over cities due to global climate change. About 100 years ago, the human race agreed to live underground while the surface recovered from centuries od human impact. Architects inevitably created new primitive structures, such as Voronoi, out of raw materials and ruins. In order to survive underground, biologists created a combination of ant and human DNA. Thus, they developed M.A.N.T.S., a humanoid body with ant-like survival abilities. People began to live differently as time passed because they were living healthy in the underground, away from the pollution. They began to make more use of underground space. The city has now been abandoned, and humanity lies beneath its ruins. This is a natural punishment that humans are facing, and perhaps we will be eager to return to the surface.” Grandpa gave Ana a hopeful look.

Jury Comments

“The first image is beautiful and explains the concept very well. The idea that humans evolve into (half) animals might not be new, but how the team translated an alternate reality into architecture is convincing.”

Honorable Mention

Ataberk Yılmaz  •  Onurcan Mızrak
Turkey
AR2022-8788

Jury Comments

“An evocative and sobering presentation that attempts to clarify through a compelling visual and written narrative our current and possibly future predicament.”

“Convincing critique on today’s society. Strong apocalyptic images.”

Honorable Mention

Susana Navarrete López  •  Jesús Rivera Pérez
Costa Rica
AR2022-8507

Jury Comments

“A refreshing presentation that graphically stands out amongst the predominant hyperrealistic computer graphic entries.”

“Cool graphical language and nice to see the concept at different scales.”

Honorable Mention

Alex Fox
United Kingdom
AR2022-8604

Honorable Mention

Yi Xu  •  Yifan Xue  •  Xun Ji
United Kingdom
AR2022-8795

Jury Comments

Using the changing section of a ship as a metaphor, and through a series of lavish illustrations, this project utilizes design as a means to comprehend the plight of refugees.

Honorable Mention

Bahrah Mustafa  •  Alice Own
United Kingdom
AR2022-8611

Jury Comments

… this beautifully illustrated story imagines an optimistic future where humans return to harmony with nature.

Honorable Mention

Aloysius Goh Jun De  •  Choy Rui Zhi  •  Ng Wei Liang
Singapore
AR2022-8634

Jury Comments

A beautifully drawn presentation that posits a bleak future of the afterlife.

Honorable Mention

Sam Richman
USA
AR2022-8663

Honorable Mention

Navid Javan Shojamofrad
Austria
AR2022-8701

Jury Comments

Macabre ideas but therefore interesting. The lack of water in the future is truly imaginable, but if the blood centrifuges will become an alternate reality let’s see!

Honorable Mention

Yu-Hao Chen  •  Yeh-Ju Weng  •  Shi-Yen Wu
Taiwan
AR2022-8685

Jury Comments

An interesting futuristic design proposal that reconsiders the ubiquitous crop circle at a completely different scale.

Honorable Mention

D Sribalaji  •  Sandheep Rajkumar
India
AR2022-8796

Shortlisted - TOP 30

Out of all the path-breaking works received for ‘Alternate Realities 2022’, only the choicest 30 could make it to the final round of evaluation. Hit the button below to explore the other shortlisted Top 30 thesis projects with exceptional concepts!

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