A new global design competition seeking creative solutions for sustainable and regenerative energy and water systems in Marou village, Fiji, has launched.
LAGI 2025 Fiji is a global design competition that has been co-created by the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) and the residents of Marou – a village comprising 67 households that is located on the southeast coast of Naviti Island in the Yasawa Group archipelago in the western Ba Province of Fiji.
The competition brief invites participants to design “a work of art in the landscape that will supply clean and reliable electricity and water, support sustainable tourism and help to build a resilient future for generations to come.” Coastal island communities are especially vulnerable to climate change. Stronger cyclones, rising sea levels, warming waters, biodiversity loss, prolonged droughts and major flood events threaten their existence. Marou village is one such community.
From the entries, two teams will be shortlisted to advance their design proposal, receiving a stipend of USD $100,000 to develop a functioning prototype of their concept in Fiji. Based on the success of these prototypes, one team’s design will then be chosen for implementation at full-scale as a pilot project. The objective of the competition is to develop a replicable model for implementing and operating renewable energy and water systems for island communities.
LAGI co-founders Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry said once constructed, the pilot program will give back to the community in many ways. “LAGI 2025 Fiji will help shift the paradigm of the energy-water nexus for island communities by creating innovative and aesthetic design solutions — with people and place at the center of the process,” they said.
The competition is free to enter and open to all disciplines. Entries can be submitted until 5 May 2025. Visit the LAGI 2025 Fiji website to find out more.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
