About the contest
Our ambition at Saint-Gobain
In everything we do, we are guided by our engaging purpose: Making the world a better home. For all businesses on the construction markets, we translate our purpose into a strategic commitment and concrete actions: We Care about Building Better.
We care about building better means being at our customers’ and partners’ side to innovate and help design, construct and renovate better buildings that reduce impacts on our planet, enhance people’s health and wellbeing and deliver reduced costs and increased value; providing our customers with innovative solutions to improve their performance and support their journey towards more sustainability; advocating for building better to accelerate the market transformation.
Thanks to our 350-year-long history and the synergies between our different businesses, specialist brands and skills, we want to demonstrate our thought leadership and be the preferred partner who cares about building better.
Contest Goal
We believe buildings can and should deliver both improved performance and sustainability. We care about maximizing health and wellbeing for everyone, everywhere – while minimizing impact on the environment over a building’s lifespan.
Universities are preparing future generations, and students are already building the future. Together we can build it better.
The objective of the Architecture Student Contest is to develop a project based on sustainability, both for people and the planet. The buildings will be highly energy-efficient, low-carbon, and provide a comfortable environment for their occupants, in order to create better living, working and leisure spaces everywhere.
How does it work?
Every year Saint-Gobain selects a country with an architectural challenge and works very close with the local municipality to develop a task that will address real social and cultural issues. Students from different universities all around the world are bringing up their best ideas to compete and win one of the prizes of this international contest.
National Stage
Competition against other students from universities of the same country. The best project will travel and compete in the international stage.
International Stage
A 3-day event for winners of National Stages compete against each other with the same contest task, where the following activities take place: welcome ceremony, jury deliberation, city tour, feedback sessions, awards ceremony and gala dinner.
Who can participate?
Types of studies
Students in architecture, design, construction engineering or other related disciplines.
Year of study
All students from the 1st to 6th year of study taking part of the academic year of the contest. Students on scholarship and exchange programs can participate.
Team localisation
Participants represent the university and the country where they are studying at the time of the competition.
Team composition
Students can participate as individuals or in teams up to of 3 members.
Judging criteria
Architecture
Design excellence, functional concept and regional aspects, layout.
Technical criteria
Constructions comply with the Saint-Gobain criteria (carbon & energy, resources & circularity, health & wellbeing) as well as with the fire safety requirements.
Construction details
Quality and consistency of the proposed construction details with regards to building physics (thermal and acoustic bridges, airtightness and moisture management).
Products usage
Correct usage and mentioning of Saint-Gobain products and solutions in the project.
Prizes
1st prize
+ Award Certificate signed by the International Jury members
2nd prize
+ Award Certificate signed by the International Jury members
3rd prize
+ Award Certificate signed by the International Jury members
Special* prize
+ Award Certificate signed by the International Jury members
* This prize is awarded to a project by the jury in recognition of extraordinary ideas or other qualities.
Student** prize
+ Award Certificate signed by the International Jury members
** This prize is awarded to the project which receives the most votes from the participating teams at the International Stage.
Contest Task
Every year the architectural challenge is selected by Saint-Gobain to adress to its participants from all over the world a real task in a chosen city.
Before launching the competition, the contest task is submitted to the approval of professors from participating universities during the Teachers Day event. They have the opportunity to contribute to the creation of the challenge on which students will build their project.
Saint-Gobain brands
