Better Homes and Gardens of the Apocalypse

Who among us hasn’t wanted to own a home? It’s part of the American dream and one you should be able to enjoy even after that American dream has turned into a hellish nightmare from which there is no waking. It is in this spirit  that  Architects Southwest started the Zombie Safe House Competition (ZSHC). The goal is simple: design a house that can easily repel zombies for extended periods of time while sustaining life (food, water, sanitation, etc.).  The exact rules for this contest are as follows (courtesy of the Zombie Safe House Competition website):

Program Issues to Address:
1.  How many people can you fit in your safe house?
2.  How are you handling power, potable water, and waste?
3.  How are you handling access to your safe house?
4.  How many days do you plan to stay in your safe house, and how much food and water are you providing?
5.  How will you escape in the event of a zombie intrusion?
6.  How will you keep zombies out of your safe house?

Site:
The site selection is open ended and up to you.  (the world is your canvas)

Budget:
No budget restriction is applied.  Your safe house is human civilization’s last hope!

It’s worth noting this contest presupposes that zombies are of the slow, shambling Romero type vs some of the quicker Resident Evil, 28 somethings later variety. Yes, yes I know: 28 Days Later is not a zombie movie, but in a world where people are actively eating each other’s faces,  you may want to account for this possibility. [Economist]

The contest has been running for three years now. The winners of this most recent contest can be seen here.

There you go. Think you have what it takes to design a zombie proof house? Maybe you’re an architect (or architecture student) looking to pad your portfolio in a really interesting way. Or maybe you just think you’re smarter than everybody else going through the apocalypse. That’s it isn’t it? Think you’re better than me? Huh?! Well…here’s your chance to prove it. Strap on your thinking cap and go all Mosquito Coast on this (hopefully without the horrific fallout; also kudos to you if you actually got that reference).

While the 2012  rules have yet to be announced, you can keep up with all the latest and greatest via ZSHC’s Facebook page.

Good luck to all of you in the coming zombie apocalypse! We won’t meet unless I’m trying to take over your shelter or steal your resources, in which case your design probably failed because you forgot Kirkman’s truism: We are the walking dead.

Top image via The Economist