IN 2004 a $10-million challenge?the Ansari X-Prize?dared anyone or any outfit to privately build a vehicle that could safely haul a pilot and the equivalent weight of two passengers to the edge of space and then repeat the feat within two weeks.

This unusual competition, which SpaceShipOne eventually won, was organized in the hope of spurring the development of commercial space flight.

In a way, the competition that the University of the Philippines? College of Architecture has recently conceived together with cement manufacturer, Lafarge Cement Services (Philippines) reminds us of the the Ansari X-Prize.

While the prize money involved is nowhere near the Ansari X-Prize, the chair of the ?Ang Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Lupa (the most beautiful house on the face of the earth)? competition believes those who are registering value more the honor of being able to be an industry catalyst.

European and American

?Most of housing designs here have been patterned after European and American models which are in a way don?t fit our tropical climate. The resulting houses may be beautiful to look at but they are just copies of the original. Moreover their design may even require high energy and operating costs for the household. The organizers feel it is time to challenge the aspirations of Filipinos through a redefinition of the concept of beauty in houses,? explained Prof. Nicolo del Castillo, the competition chair.

The ?Ang Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Lupa? is open to registered architects and architecture students who will be required to come up with a complete architectural design of a low- to medium-income housing unit that could be constructed on a 200-sq-m lot.

There will be six winners?three from the professionals and another three coming from the students.

Aside from the P100,000 (professional) and P75,000 (student) prize money for the first prize winner, their work will be used as basis for the actual houses that will be constructed inside UP-Diliman.

Lafarge will be in charge of constructing the houses, which will eventually be donated to the college.

He added that even developers are now interested because the winners would give them an idea on what house model would provide them more savings while still providing beautiful homes that best reflect the Philippine culture.

Energy efficiency

?We now find ourselves needing to address the rising energy prices and revising our homes for energy efficiency has become one of the more important aspects that should be addressed,? he said.

Del Castillo said that to be efficient, a lot of homes have to utilize expensive technologies or design.

?Who knows, one or two of these entries would present an innovative way that may be cost efficient while great to look at. We have a large talent pool and this competition is sort of tapping some of them,? he said.

To enter the competition, participants must fill out and submit the registration form, and pay a nonrefundable P500 fee.

Registration ends in January 2009 with the winners to be announced in March 2009.

The entries must provide complete architectural design of a low- to medium-income housing unit that could be constructed on a 200-sq-m lot.

?The house should be within the range of P750,000?the maximum affordable economic housing loan of Pag-Ibig?and should have a design that would serve the needs of a family of a maximum of five household members,? Del Castillo said.

He also added that the entries should also incorporate locally available and sustainable, green systems and/or materials (other requirements are outlined at http://www.upd.edu.ph/~ca/).

?Alternative building materials or construction systems should have the potential for application to both low-cost and upscale construction scenarios,? he added.