Kaira Looro 2024

Architecture Competition

Maternity Centre

Kaira Looro Architecture Competition is a design contest open to students and young architects with aims to discover new talents and to adopt sustainable architecture models for humanitarian purpose to improve life conditions in developing countries. Cash prizes, Internship and construction are provided for winners, selected by an international jury made up of pregistous architectural firms.

The challenge of 2024's edition is to design a ‘Maternity Centre’ in Southern of Senegal. We are looking for a ‘Maternity Centre’ facility where women can feel safe, receive essential medical care, and enjoy optimal sanitary conditions as well as the presence of qualified medical staff.



Awards

1st Prize:
5.000€ + Construction + Internship at Kengo Kuma
2nd Prize:
2.000€ + Internship at EMBT Architects
3nd Prize:
1.000€ + Internship at SBGA Blengini Ghirardelli
2 Honourable Mentions 100€
5 Special Mentions
20 Finalists
20 Top 50

Calendar

Early registrations : 12nd Jan - 29th Febr 2024
Normal registrations : 1st March - 8th Apr 2024
Late registrations : 9th Apr - 14th May 2024
FAQ answer deadline : 1st June 2024
Submissione Deadline: 11st June 2024
Jury evalution : 23rd June - 29th June 2024
Winners announcements : 9th July 2024

Download

Guidelines languages:
en | fr | it | es | pt | pl | tr | zh | ar | ja | el | hi
[Download all languages]

Documents about competition theme
[Download]

All Materials (available after registration):
Building materials & datas, Photos, Frameworks, Layouts

The Jury

Kengo Kuma competition jury

Kengo Kuma

KKAA
Japan, China, France

Kengo Kuma is a globally acclaimed Japanese architect whose prodigious output possesses an inherent respect and value of materials and environment, often creating a harmonious balance between building and landscape.KKAA projects are currently underway in more than 30 countries. Kengo Kuma proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology, and human beings. In 2021 he received the “The Most Influential People of 2021” award from Time Magazine.

Benedetta Tagliabue competition jury

Benedetta Tagliabue – EMBT Architects

Spain

She studied architecture at the Istituto di Architettura di Venezia (IUAV) and currently acts as director of the international architecture firm Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, founded in 1994 in collaboration with Enric Miralles, based in Barcelona, Shanghai and Paris. Among her most notable projects built are the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Diagonal MarPark, the Santa Caterina market in Barcelona, Campus Universitario de Vigo, and the Spanish Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

Mario Cucinella competition jury

Mario Cucinella

Mario Cucinella Architects
Italy

Mario Cucinella was born in Palermo in 1960 and graduated in Architecture at the University of Genoa in 1986. In 1992, in Paris, he founded MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects, an architecture and design firm that has now headquarters in Bologna and Milan, and of which he is also the creative director. In 2015 he founded SOS - School of Sustainability.

Agostino Ghirardelli competition jury

Agostino Ghiradelli

SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli
Italy

Agostino Ghiradelli earned a degree in architecture from the Università degli Studi di Genova in 1999. He has collaborated and has been Partner of several International Firms, has worked in New York and Paris and has supervised construction sites all over the world. He focuses both in the research and the design phase of Architecture and Urban Planning projects. To this end he collaborated with public institutions and he was a lecturer for various international institution.

Tosin Oshinowo  competition jury

Tosin Oshinowo

Oshinowo Studio
Nigeria

Tosin Oshinowo is a Lagos-based Nigerian architect and designer renowned for her expansive residential andcommercial spaces and insights into socially-responsive approaches to urbanism. Grounded in a deep respect for Yoruba culture and history, and coming from a markedly African context. She is also the curator of the 2024 Sharjah Architecture Triennial.

Urko Sanchez  competition jury

Urko Sanchez

Urko Sanchez Architects
Spain / Kenya

Urko Sanchez Architects is an award-¬winning Kenya and Spain-based boutique architectural firm renowned for excellence in design. The projects range in size, complexity and function. In all cases, however, the focus is on the client and the context, with a tailor-¬crafted approach to each unique project. Commercial projects include hotels, office buildings, industrial spaces, and residential developments amongst others.

Raul Pantaleo Kaira Looro jury

Raul Pantaleo

TAM Associati
Italy

Raul Pantaleo is involved with the practice of social communications and graphic design for various Public Administrations and non-profit organizations. Raul Pantaleo is one of the co-founder of “studio TAMassociati” a practice which specializes in socially oriented projects in critical areas. Among the main awards received : the LafargeHolcim Awards Acknowledgement prize (2017), Aga Khan Award (2013), Zumtobel Gruop Award (2014).

Emmanuelle Moureaux Kaira Looro jury

Emmanuelle Moureaux

emmanuelle moureaux INC.
Japan

Born in 1971, France. Emmanuelle Moureaux is a French architect living in Tokyo since 1996, where she established "emmanuelle moureaux INC." in 2003. Inspired by the layers and colors of Tokyo that built a complex depth and density on the street, and the Japanese traditional spatial elements like sliding screens, she has created the concept of shikiri, which literally means "dividing (creating) space with colors".

Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani and Mohamed Amine Siana competition jury

Driss Kettani

Maroc

Born in 1978 in Fes, Driss Kettani studied at the Ecole Nationale d’Architecture of Rabat, Morocco where he graduated in 2003. He has spent his childhood in Côte d’Ivoire before coming to Morocco in 1996. After some collaborations, he opened his office in Casablanca in 2005, working on some housing, office projects and design. He currently teaches at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.

Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani and Mohamed Amine Siana competition jury

Saad El Kabbaj

Maroc

Born in 1978 in Casablanca, Saad El Kabbaj studied at the Ecole Nationale d’Architecture of Rabat, Morocco where he graduated in 2003. During his studies, he had some experiences abroad (Greece, Tunisia and Egypt). He opened his office in Casablanca in 2005 and works on a various range of projects. He currently teaches at the UIR University in Rabat.

Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani and Mohamed Amine Siana competition jury

Mohamed Amine Siana

Maroc

Born in 1979 in Casablanca, Mohamed Amine SIANA graduated from the Ecole Nationale d’Architecture of Rabat, Morocco in 2004. He collaborates since 2000 with different architects and had some abroad experiences before opening his own office in Casablanca in 2005. He works in different kind of projects: interior, housing, health, design. He currently teaches at the UIR University in Rabat.

The Project

The objective of this competition is to select an architectural design for a Maternity Centre, offering healthcare throughout pregnancy. We are looking for an innovative model – an emblematic, cosy and professional place where every woman can feel safe. The building must be designed as a humanitarian operation and for self-construction, i.e., without qualified personnel or construction companies, with the direct participation of the local community, without the use of heavy vehicles, and with sustainable technologies and local materials.

See more Download the guidelines

Architecture Competition brief
Architecture Competition brief
Architecture Competition brief

Join the competition

Register for the competition and submit your project

Kaira Looro Past Editions

Primary School in Africa

South of Senegal

Contest aimed of selectiCompetition for the selection of a new school model in the rural contexts of southern Senegal, to protect the right to education of every children.

Children's House in Africa

Baghere, Senegal

Contest aimed of selecting an architecture as a warm and welcoming place where activities aimed at preventing child malnutrition can be carried out in a rural environment

Women's House in Africa

Baghere Senegal

The objective of the architecture competition is the creation of a “Women’s House” within a symbolic and environmentally friendly structure that is inspired by local traditions, that can promote Women's Empowerment.

Emergency Operations Centre

Sub-Saharian Africa

Competition aimed to design an architecture that will house an EOC (Emergency Operations Center) and that can help to facilitate the humanitarian operations of international organisations.

Peace Pavilion

Sedhiou, Senegal, Africa

Remembering the victims through the universal value of peace can help to lay the foundation for the creation of an inclusive and cohesive society.

Cultural Center

Sedhiou, Senegal, Africa

Hundred-years old cultures give birth to Communities, being transmitted through rhymes of those who are narrating it and interpretating tha past through wisdom. One's accomplishments result from rituals and metamorphosis, bonding the human being to its own roots.

Sacred Architecture

Tanaff, Senegal, Africa

Introspection, spirituality and divinity. These are the elements around which the sacred architecture revolves. The light and the lightness of the materials join sacred and profane, creating an architecture.

Workshop '16

Catania, Italy, Europa

The event represented an international architecture workshop organized in september 2016 together with In/arch Sicilia and CA2Lab from University of Catania, aimed to support the Dam-Bridge project.

Architecture firms in the jury of last years

Kengo Kuma
MIRALLES TAGLIABUE EMBT
Studio Blengini Ghirardelli Architects
Mario Cucinella Architects
TAM Associati
Aires Mateus
Amande Levete Architects
Giuseppe Mazzaglia MVRDV
Sharon Davis Design architect
Mphethi Morojele architect
Architecture sans frontieres international
emmanuelle moureaux architect
 driss kettani
SAAD EL KABBAJ
MOHAMED  AMINE SIANA
Urko Sanchez Architects
Tosin Oshinowo - cmDesign Atelier
African Union WGDD The Women, Gender and Development Directorate
Un Women

All past winners

Artha Krisiantara

Artha Krisiantara

Winner of Kaira Looro 2023
Primary School

Ziyu Guo

Ziyu Guo

Winner of Kaira Looro 2022
Children's House

Juan Pablo Lopez Isabella

Juan Pablo Lopez Isabella

Winner of Kaira Looro 2021
Women's House

 Aleksandra Wróbel

Aleksandra Wróbel

Winner of Kaira Looro 2020
Emergency Operations Center

Kamil Owczarek

Kamil Owczarek

Winner of Kaira Looro 2020
Emergency Operations Center

Agnieszka Witaszek

Agnieszka Witaszek

Winner of Kaira Looro 2020
Emergency Operations Center

Changze Cai

Changze Cai

Winner of Kaira Looro 2019
Peace Pavillon

 Giacomo Spanio

Giacomo Spanio

Winner of Kaira Looro 2018
Cultural Center

Paolo Reali

Paolo Reali

Winner of Kaira Looro 2018
Cultural Center

Sergiu Cernea

Sergiu Cernea

Winner of Kaira Looro 2018
Cultural Center

Nicola Puppin

Nicola Puppin

Winner of Kaira Looro 2018
Cultural Center

Natalia Serafin

Natalia Serafin

Winner of Kaira Looro 2017
Sacred Architecture

Anita Wisniewska

Anita Wisniewska

Winner of Kaira Looro 2017
Sacred Architecture

Paulina Gorecka

Paulina Gorecka

Winner of Kaira Looro 2017
Sacred Architecture