Funes House: Designing a Home in Two Construction Phases

Funes House asks for a family residence near Rosario, Argentina, that can grow from a complete ground-floor home to a larger dwelling with an upper storey. TerraViva’s call makes phased construction, rather than simply flexible rooms, the core design challenge.

Five key facts

Brief: a complete first phase and later upper-level expansion. Eligibility: worldwide, age 18+, individuals or teams. Next fee change: 29 January 2027. Fees and awards: €89/€109/€139; advertised US$6,000 cash plus coupons. Submission: two horizontal A1 boards and a short text, due 30 April 2027.

Programme, dates and costs

Garden, pool, barbecue and shaded transitions belong to everyday residential use. Standard registration begins on 29 January, late registration on 26 March; submission and registration close on 30 April at the published 15:00 CET. Results are scheduled for 31 May. Single-entry prices include VAT. The promotional discount dated 9 November has expired as of this review.

Jury and rights

Jurors are Franco Schiaffino (Estudio Schiaffino), Maria Virginia Theilig (FAPyD, Rosario), Davide Corti, Vanshika Bhaiya (GLUCK+) and Chen Yang (Olson Kundig). Local practice and academic representation are relevant to the context, but affiliations are not proof that technical phasing receives a specific scoring weight. General rules require English and anonymity.

Participants retain intellectual property, but the general terms separately grant extensive publication and modification rights. For finalists, they claim exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual worldwide economic exploitation rights, including adaptation and implementation. Keeping authorship is therefore not the same as keeping unrestricted commercial control. Competition-specific rules may modify the general terms. Confirm the applicable scope before entry.

Document discrepancies and financial detail

The page describes a 72-hour extension but also says it runs until 1 September, which does not reconcile with 30 April. Treat that extension date as unresolved and work to the main deadline. A maintenance notice appears in the upload section. April’s CET label also needs clarification because Italian summer time differs by one hour.

The US$8,000 headline includes US$2,000 of coupon value. The cash awards shown are US$3,000/2,000/1,000, while the footer states payment in euros at a fixed 1 EUR = 1.25 USD. Arithmetic therefore gives €2,400/€1,600/€800, or €4,800 total; these are calculated equivalents, not newly quoted euro awards. Confirm the payable sums with the organiser.

ArchUp Competition Committee assessment

A strong response should show two independently coherent states, including how the stair, structural capacity, services and temporary roof anticipate expansion. It should explain how residents remain safe and comfortable during later work. A second-storey outline on a final rendering does not demonstrate phased buildability. The topic has practical architectural value, but the inconsistent extension text and broad finalist-rights clause deserve resolution before committing substantial effort. No guaranteed construction appointment is established.

Review scope: the official announcement and general terms were read and compared on 13 November 2026. The PDF brief and preview package lead to an email form; neither full file was obtained. Dimensional constraints, complete drawing requirements and project-specific amendments remain unverified. This review does not certify buildability or guarantee payment.

Related: Courtyard Stories and residential adaptive reuse. Sources: TerraViva competition announcement and general terms. Official visual: TerraViva.