The SNUG is a complementary dwelling for your back garden - somewhere that can be a home for your children as they adventure out into independent living, a safe place for extended family members, or a work-space to provide an alternative to commuting.
PrefabNZ has delivered design competitions before. In 2015-16, the UNIpod utility pod became the world's first open-source design for a bathroom and kitchen pod. The competition was won by FirstLightStudio and a prototype was built by Stanley Group together with a range of sponsorship partners - thank you! See more about the UNIpod here.
The SNUG competition was launched in March 2018 to open up the conversation about alternative housing options. The end result will be a pattern-book selection of finalists so that prospective homeowners can pick-and-choose the SNUG option that suits them and their backyard. Keep your eyes peeled for the magazine profile later in 2018. Read on for more information about why the SNUG competition is important and importantly, how you can be involved in generating these housing solutions.
The bad news shows that New Zealanders have not got enough affordable housing options. There are record low levels of home ownership. There are a growing number of 1-2 person households. And the market is dominated by large homes with over-inflated average floor areas (250m2) that don't meet our needs. We're also not getting any younger...
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By 2030, New Zealand's social and built environment will change in dramatic ways
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75,000 social and retirement housing units are needed by 2030
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Current delivery rate is up to 3,000 units per annum so a shortage of about 30,000 homes is forecast by 2030
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There is a need for a fit-for-purpose, on-time, on-budget built response
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Key challenges are in bite-sized innovation that can be readily absorbed into business-as-usual
(Source: PrefabNZ Social + Retirement Housing Pipeline, 2015)
The good news shows that we have the potential to address part of the affordability problem with smaller, smarter, answers, such as secondary home options:
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There are 180,000 'hidden homes' in New Zealand - with huge potential to meet our housing needs through partitioning and other Accessory Dwellings
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Almost 11 percent of New Zealand's housing stock is significantly under-utlitised and could be partitioned to deliver 180,000 additional dwellings
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Those additional dwellings could be delivered without impinging on greenfield sites
(Source: CRESA, Report on Accessory Dwelling Units + Partitioning, 2018)
SNUG Winners and Finalists
We were thrilled to recognise the SNUG home design competition finalists, winners and special prize awards together with Mayor Phil Goff of Auckland. Thanks to our fantastic SNUG teams, SNUG competition partners and SNUG commercial partners. See the full list of award recipients below:
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People's Choice Award Winner: Flip SNUG
First Light Studio with Panelwood + Victoria University student Brittany Irvine
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International Judge's Award Winner: Porch SNUG
Studio Pacific Architecture with LT McGuiness + student Oliver Shand
Six SNUG Winners
First Light Studio with Panelwood + Victoria University student Brittany Irvine
Portabuild with Shepherd & Rout Architects + student Charlie Devine
Litegreen with Barry Connor Architect + student Mathew Grayling
Aonui Architects with Red Stag + student Jennifer Koat
Catalyst Homes with Jessamine Fraser Architect + student Juan Blas Pedeira
QuikFab with Alessandro Quadrelli Architect + student Kerryn Elliot
Six SNUG Finalists
Pacific Environments with Tallwood + student Emily Pearce
EasyBuild + student Ged Finch
Makers of Architecture + student Glen Stricot-Tarbotan
Studio Pacific Architecture with LT McGuiness + student Oliver Shand
Sanctum Architecture with Potius + student Caitlin Palmer
Pourakino with NZ SIPs + student Olive Sly
SNUG Overview
In 2015, PrefabNZ, the heart of innovative construction in New Zealand, launched a design competition for an open-source universal bathroom pod, the UNIpod. Now in 2018, we bring you the next round, the SNUG - A Home in My Backyard.
The need for a range of SNUG solutions is backed up by a recent report under the National Science Challenge 11, Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities (BBHTC). This report has identified that New Zealand has potential for 180,000 additional dwellings created through partitioning by refurbishing existing homes and other forms of additional newly-built Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
To add fuel to the fire for the urgency of creating more solutions, we can see that Multi-Generational Housing (MGH) is a growing trend worldwide:
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57 million Americans (18.1% of the United States population) lived in MGHs in 2012 (Fry & Passel, 2014)
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4.3 million Australians (19% of the population) lived in MGHs in 2011 (Liu and Easthope, 2012)
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In NZ since 2001, the number of people living in extended family households has increased by 57 percent to 496,383 people (11% of population) in 2013.
(Source: BRANZ report Meeting the housing needs of multi-generational households)
Please see Competition Outline and Judging Brief here.
SNUG Dates
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The winner of People's Choice will be announced on 15 November 2018
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SNUG Home finalists and winners will be awarded on 15 November 2018