C2C HOME COMPETITION
While an international design competition seemed a problematic means to address extremely localized concerns of social and environmental sustainability, Cradle-to-Cradle's daunting design guidelines provided Ecosa students grounds for challenging conceptual explorations.   The design brief inspired by William McDonough and Michael Braungart's revolutionary ecological design manifesto, Cradle-to-Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things , called for entries to address housing on specific sites among the urban neighborhoods of Roanoke, VA, with the potential for more global adaptability.   This tension and few programmatic requirements led the Ecosa teams to two remarkably different approaches for the same site.   While one suggests a minimal single-family dwelling only delicately attached to either site or context, the other proposes multi-family, urban agriculture developments as a means to anchor neighborhoods ecologically and socially.

Vegetative walls and a raised foundation allow the natural site to flow around and through the dwelling in the "a means to no end" entry. (Click on the thumbnail to see the full poster in .pdf format.)	A combination of shared spaces including gardens, greenhouses, and exposed infrastructure engage the public with the life within mutli-family living spaces in the entry.