Recently, the General Office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the "Notice on Hosting the National Better Housing' Design Competition". The National "Better Housing" Design Competition, hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and organized by the Architectural Society of China and China Engineering and Consulting Association(CECA), has officially launched. Below are answers to frequently asked questions:

 

I. Registration Questions

 

• Q: How many competition categories can one lead designer participate in?

 

  ◦ A: One lead designer can participate in both competition categories: Existing Housing Renovation and New Housing Construction. However, only one entry per category is allowed. For the New Housing Construction category, the designer must select one specific floor area type for their entry.

 

• Q: What are the requirements for the lead designer in the Professional Group?

 

  ◦ A: As stated in the notice, participants in the Professional Group are domestic and international professionals in architecture, interior design, and related fields. Participants must have an educational background in architecture, interior design, or related fields and be working in design. During registration, participants must upload copies of their academic degree certificates and their employer's business license.

 

• Q: For the Student Group, it's difficult to get the school's seal during the summer holiday. What should we do?

 

  ◦ A: For students facing difficulties obtaining the official school seal on their registration forms during the holiday period, we will first verify student identity; the stamped registration form can be submitted later. Please call 010-88082242 for specific procedures.

 

II. Competition Category Questions

 

• Q: For the New Housing Construction category, is neighborhood planning design required? Can rural housing designs be submitted? For the Existing Housing Renovation category, is the focus on renovating a single unit type or all unit types in a building? Do renovations need to include specific details like plumbing and electrical circuits?

 

  ◦ A: Entries for the New Housing Construction category must fulfill requirements specified in the category description and entry guidelines. This includes unit design, interior design, and building design. Participants should consider community landscaping and public areas within the residential complex as appropriate, but detailed neighborhood planning is not mandatory. As per the competition notice, rural housing designs are not eligible for either category; both categories specifically target multi-story or high-rise residential buildings. The Existing Housing Renovation category focuses on renovating one specific dwelling unit as the design object. The requirements include optimizing the unit's spatial layout and the overall arrangement of furniture, appliances, and equipment, which includes upgrades to plumbing, electrical circuits. Drawings should meet at least the schematic design level.

 

III. Competition Entry Questions

 

• Q: Can design proposals for residential projects currently under construction be submitted? Can affordable rental housing projects be entered if they comply with hotel building codes? How can we participate if the new construction floor area exceeds 180 square meters?

 

  ◦ A: This is a design competition, not necessarily tied to specific built projects. Project names must not appear in submitted entries. For the New Housing Construction category, participants select one city. Entries must comply with the "Residential Building Project Code" (GB55038-2025), relevant current national standards and codes, local standards of the chosen city, and the entry requirements. Design descriptions must clearly state compliance with these standards and relevant policy documents. The New Housing Construction category offers three distinct floor area types:

 

    ▪ 70 square meters and under (≤ 70 m²)

 

    ▪ 70 to 140 square meters (70 m² < Area ≤ 140 m²)

 

    ▪ 140 to 180 square meters (140 m² < Area ≤ 180 m²)

 

Entries exceeding 180 m² are not eligible for this competition.

 

Thank you for your engagement! We look forward to your participation in the National "Better Housing" Design Competition.

 

 

The Architectural Society of China

 

China Engineering and Consulting Association(CECA)

 

August 13, 2025