Congratulations to Chunsheh Teo of Ratio Architects for his first-prize winning submission, Nexus et2: A Smart Telescopic Garage.

The Design Concept

The inspiration for the design concept was derived from the notion of transforming the nostalgic iconic form of a hay roll into the Nexus e+t 2 – a smart telescopic garage that merges and links the e (environment) and t 2 (transportation + technology) by creating a smart and flexible hybrid design for its users. The telescopic skin movement is connected to a sensor and runs on tracks on the floor; it will expand and contract the garage either automatically or with user settings. This feature provides the flexibility of housing for up to three vehicles. With the flexibility of the design, the system can also be customized to a one- or two-car garage.

The skin design is supported by a steel tube system, which contains a slotted and panelized program consisting of a green wall, recycled glass, metal panels, and indoor / outdoor light fixtures. The solar panels on the roof will harness and provide the power needed to charge electric cars, to operate the motorized automatic telescoping skin and door, and to power the lighting for the garage (with the potential to harness the power for the main house, as well, when needed).

The pathway was designed as a green drivable grid, a pervious concrete surface promoting permeability, that allows groundwater to percolate through, filtering out impurities and limiting runoff. In addition to enhancing the design, the surface also maintains a 50 percentile of green area.

Our Judges

Sam Grawe, Dwell's Editor-in-Chief: "I liked how the telescoping design was executed. The addition of solar panels, a green wall, and recycled materials was also thoughtful."

Kevin Sintumuang, Associate Editor at GQ: "The number of cars that a person owns at any given time over can change frequently. I like that this garage can account for up to 3 cars yet it has an adjustable footprint for those times when you only need to store a single vehicle. And the organic hay-roll shape is inspired. I picture it blending in nicely with greener landscapes. If I was fortunate enough to own a home in the country this is the garage I’d go for."

Brett Nave, Architect: "This submission is well thought out, it's detailed but pretty simple, and it's compatible with most landscapes and regions. The design is versatile, it looks nice, and it's probably marketable. Also, the structure is meant to be small and when retracted to house only one car, it still has a nice form and foreground."

Congratulations again to Chunsheh, who will receive $1,000 for designing the garage of the future. To read about other great ideas for tomorrow, make sure you pick up the December/January 2010 issue, on newsstands now.

Many thanks to every person that submitted an entry—and please keep your eyes peeled for Dwell's next design competition! To see a collection of other top submissions, please visit our slideshow.