A concept based on the restorative qualities of “forest-bathing” has been named the winner of the first Davidson Prize, an ideas competition asking entrants to consider the impact of the pandemic on how we live and work.

Buildings.

HomeForest addresses how the pandemic has muddied the distinction between home and work, and draws on biophilia – particularly the wellbeing and relaxation practice of forest bathing, in which you immerse yourself sensorially in a wooded setting – as a means of bringing nature into the home.

Their proposal is a digital tool – the HomeForest. It involves creating a digital twin of the home and tapping into home technology to create a “digital ecosystem” that infuses wellbeing into an individual’s routine – from the sound of birdsong to a projection of a forest canopy that reminds you to take a break, or the chance to connect with someone likeminded on the network.

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“Working from home has its particular challenges as virtual meetings follow virtual deliverables in hours spent hunched over a screen. HomeForest aims to trigger the body’s healing mechanisms through ‘simulating’ the sensory effects of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing),” said the team behind HomeForest, who won £10,000 for coming first in the competition.

“It is both digital and physical, a bespoke forest in the home to be tended and shaped, and which in turn nurtures and looks after the occupant – nudging them to switch off, take breaks, re-engage with their senses and imagination and reconnect with their homes.”

The team came together during the pandemic, and have met only virtually. The team comprises Alice Britton and Eleanor Greenleaf of creative studio Squint/Opera, alongside Agnieszka Glowacka, Tracy Shum, Agnete Winsnes Astrup, Janicke Sæther from the practice Haptic Architects, the poet LionHeart, Will Worsley of sound studio Coda to Coda and interdisciplinary designer Yaoyao Meng.

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Two runners-up were also selected – a proposal for a pop-out window workstation called Com-View-Nism by New Normal (comprising Pliarch, Studio Yume, Whitby Wood, the graphic designer Mirko Nardecchia, Crowd Control, Idea Design) and The Antipody by Origin 3 Studio, which proposed car-free neighbourhoods.

The winner and runners-up were picked from a shortlist of 18 concepts by judges, the architect Alison Brooks, designer Thomas Heatherwick, presenter and editor Michelle Ogundehin, Museum of the Home director Sonia Solicari and Foster + Partners senior partner Narinder Sagoo. These three finalists were awarded £5,000 to develop their ideas before the overall winner was selected.

“Like us playing music which feeds our soul, HomeForest brings a more immersive, sensory connection to nature which I find super interesting,” said Alison Brooks of the winning concept.

The judges also commended the accessibility of the project, which uses a a range of spoken word and visual tools that communicate the idea to everyone, not just architects and designers. “This isn’t all about us talking to eachother,” said Narinder Sagoo during a virtual presentation hosted by the London Festival of Architecture.

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Finalist: Com-View-Nism by New Normal

The Davidson Prize was set up in honour of the late architect and visualiser Alan Davidson, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and died from the condition in 2018. He set up the Alan Davidson Foundation to help those living with Motor Neurone Disease, but also to support architecture initiatives – like The Davidson Prize ideas competition set up in his memory.

“Alan would have been super proud of the energy and commitment from everybody,” said Sagoo

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Finalist: The Antipody by Origin 3 Studio