THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGE 2023

Everyone is aware of the fable of the three little pigs. Tasked with building houses to withstand the forces of ‘the Big Bad Wolf’, each of the three little pigs approached the design, material selection and construction of their houses differently. After huffing and puffing, the Big Bad Wolf easily blew down the poorly planned and constructed straw and stick houses leaving two of the little pigs with no roof over their heads. In contrast, the third little pig’s careful planning, design work, building material selection and construction techniques provided him with a house that could sustain all the impacts of the Big Bad Wolf.

Today, our buildings and structures, or ‘built environment’, are faced with a global threat far worse than the Big Bad Wolf – Climate Change. As Architects, we must be able to design buildings, structures and communities that are resilient and sustainable.

As a part of the 2023 Climate Change Challenge, students were asked to plan, design and construct a shelter for their ‘little pigs’. Residing in Northern Ontario, students could choose one of three landscape settings for their littles pigs to live in, including water, wind, and fire, then design shelters to account for the associated climate change impact.