Simon, the renowned manufacturer of designer electrical accessories, has announced the winners of the prestigious Living Places - Simon Architecture Prize. The fifth edition of the competition recognized realizations designed to respond to contemporary social and environmental challenges. This year, a record number of realizations were submitted to the competition - as many as 425 nominations and 235 projects coming from 25 countries, which testifies to the growing esteem of this prize worldwide. Interestingly, the largest number of entries came from Poland. This underscores the growing ambition of domestic architects' desire to participate in international competition.
Granting Ceremony 5th Living Places 2025
© Contact Simon
The Simon Architecture Prize not only draws attention to the importance of responsible design, but more importantly signals to the industry the importance of cooperation between manufacturers and the architectural community. The example of the 2024 edition shows that architects can support the creation of spaces that respond to the needs of local communities, while promoting sustainability and a better quality of life. After an intensive evaluation process, the jury decided to select projects that stood out for their creativity, sustainable approach and attention to the aforementioned social issues. Communication of the competition in Poland was handled by the OKK! PR, which specializes in serving interior design brands and architectural studios. It supported the organizing process at every stage, from communication with participants, through promotion of the event, to the final announcement of the winners. Close cooperation with the organizer Kontakt-Simon, the Polish member of Simon Holding, contributed to the huge success of the entire edition, for which many Polish studios entered.
Personal Spaces category - winner: "Kontigo" by Manuel Cervantes Estudio.
The jury appreciated, among others, "Kontigo," a project that was created after Hurricane Otis hit the coast of the state of Guerrero in Mexico. The realization responded to the urgent need to build new modest homes for those in economic distress. The natural disaster prompted the architects to rethink infrastructure improvements in the hardest hit areas in order to restore normal life to the communities living in the area. The high temperatures and constant wind gusts blowing from the coast were elements to which both the architecture of each house and the entire settlement responded. Movement, activity and the creation of living spaces that foster integration with the community were key elements of the design. In order to understand the dynamics of each family, a system was designed to understand the needs, activities and problems of each family, while maintaining harmony with the urban structure. A prefabricated panel system was chosen to build the houses. The simple aesthetic, which emphasizes mainly functionality, won the jury's praise for its empathetic approach to each family's needs.
Kontigo Manuel Cervantes Estudio
Photo by Maíra Acayaba
Collective Spaces category winner: the Coconut Harvester Center by Estudio Flume of Brazil.
The Colective Spaces category, on the other hand, recognized projects that respond to the collective needs of society and foster dialogue and cooperation. The winner of the category was Brazil's Estudio Flume, whose video entered in the competition showed the interdependence between a community of women, architecture and the natural ecosystem to which they belong. In the village of Sumaúma, 35 kilometers from the nearest town, a site was created for women harvesting babassu nuts. The project relied exclusively on local materials and construction techniques.
Coconut Harvester Center Estudio Flume
Photo by Maíra Acayaba
In the region chosen by Estudio Flume, there are still many single-family homes built from clay. Depending on the season, transportation is mainly by water, as the village, located in the Mearim River basin, is often flooded, making land transportation impossible during the rainy season. Due to geographic conditions and difficult access to building materials, it was decided to use rammed earth blocks, consisting of clay, water and a small amount of cement, rammed by hand using a mechanical press. A self-supporting structure delineated the working space, while an independent structure is designed to support the roof, providing better thermal comfort and protecting the site from rains and the sun. It is a project embodying the idea of collectivism, based on the reuse of local materials and the integration of women from different generations living in the village.
Granting Ceremony 5th Living Places 2025
© Contact Simon
Global impact and diversity
The Living Places - Simon Architecture Prize competition continues its mission to promote projects with significant socio-environmental impact. For the fifth edition of the prize, entries came from different regions of the world, including Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Poland, Germany and France, highlighting the diversity and broad cultural contexts of the competition. The award ceremony took place in February 2025 in Barcelona, and the design community is already looking forward to the details of the 6th edition, which will be special due to Simon's 110th anniversary.
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