'Human City Design Award' Grand Prize Awarded to 'Dream House' Cave Community in Henan Province, China

'Dream House' Transforms Abandoned Cave in Dengfeng Village, China into Community Space
This Year's New Safety and Security Award Goes to 'Goyohan Taxi (Goyohan M)' for Disabled Riders, and the Citizen Award to 'Ujuro 1216'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the community space "House of Dreams" in Dengfeng (Zhoushan) Village, Henan Province, China, was selected as the grand prize winner of the 3rd "Human City Design Award," an international design award given to organizations and individuals contributing to sustainable urban development. This design project transformed an old cave abandoned in the village into a community space accessible to everyone.

What stands out most is that about 100 villagers near the cave gathered to directly participate in waste collection and building construction. The interior space consists of guest rooms, convenience facilities, a shared kitchen and dining area, and exhibition spaces. For the exterior wall construction, household waste previously used by each resident was utilized, embedding the stories of the villagers into the building.

Charles Landry, chair of the Human City Design Award judging panel, commented, "This is a very thoughtful project where residents can learn new skills." Judge Rachel Troy praised the project, saying, "Unskilled residents created and developed the model through genuine collaboration and community. The result is also outstanding aesthetically."

The Seoul Design Foundation held an online awards ceremony at DDP the day before. The 11 award-winning works, including the grand prize and special awards, can be viewed free of charge through photos and videos using media devices at the D-Sup on the first floor of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) until April 29. They are also available for viewing on the Human City Design Award website.

Additionally, the newly established special award for Safety and Security went to the team "Coactors, SK Telecom" for their design "Goyohan Taxi (Goyohan M)." The Citizen Award was given to the team "IUS Plus Architecture" for their design "OOZOORO 1216." The "Goyohan Taxi (Goyohan M)" is a taxi equipped with mobile service technology that enables communication between hearing-impaired drivers and passengers. "OOZOORO 1216" is a community space for twin generations aged 12 to 16.

Besides the grand prize and special awards, the selected projects serve as examples that inspire cities worldwide and demonstrate the role of good design. The Turkish team "No Barrier" created "Accessible Beaches," a project that installed decks for easy access to the sea for wheelchair users and the elderly, and designed all facilities including changing rooms and showers to be barrier-free. The Spanish team "Nomad Garden" developed "Gardens in the Air-Neighbourhood Lights" in Seville, a dry and hot city with an 82.6% air conditioner penetration rate, by reusing about 2 liters of water produced from running an air conditioner for one hour to create a garden. The Korean team "Trash Busters" operates a circular system that rents reusable tableware at festivals, events, and cinemas where disposable products are heavily used, collects and cleans them, and rents them out again.

This year’s Human City Design Award ceremony was held online (live-streamed on YouTube) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Judges and operating committee members attended the ceremony to announce the reasons for selecting the winners and to congratulate them. The grand prize winner "House of Dreams," the Safety and Security Award winner "Goyohan Taxi (Goyohan M)," the Citizen Award winner "OOZOORO 1216," and teams awarded honorable mentions also participated online to share their acceptance speeches.

Lee Kyung-don, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, said, "Following last year, many excellent projects from around the world have been submitted this year as well." He added, "Going forward, the Human City Design Award will continue to seek out and encourage designers who create creative solutions with citizens so that people can live better lives at the center of a changing world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.