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Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Shell House,  | International Design Awards Winners

Shell House

Lead DesignersNicoló Bini, AIA
Prize(s)Honorable Mention
Project LinkView
Entry Description

Our submission, Shell Home is the world's first to use a unique construction approach, leveraging air pressure to form and shape an architecturally dynamic, structurally effective and environmentally efficient building envelope.
Our approach deploys a re-usable air form secured to a foundation and inflated to a specified air pressure. Steel reinforcements and concrete are added onto the inflated air form. The resulting home provides a new approach to design and construction. The building literally and figuratively emerges from the landscape, providing flowing living spaces tied to views, framed by generous openings.
The building silhouette is as sinuous aesthetically as it is efficient structurally, acting monolithically to distribute forces along its perimeter. The building shell not only contains 1/2 the embodied energy of a similarly sized traditional building, but also cuts energy use by 75%.
Our submission articulates a totally new architectural approach which elegantly synthesizes design with resilience and sustainability.