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Competition Rules + Registration

Learn more about the details of the design competition for design professionals and UNM students.

Thanks for your interest in the City's Design Competition for Age-friendly Cottage Development! Please see below for details about the competition components, deliverables, and events.

Age-friendly Housing: Cottage Development

Participants will design a cottage development on a subject property of their choice zoned R-1 in Albuquerque city limits. Sites may be undeveloped or vacant, or a redesign or redevelopment of existing development can be proposed. The site may be one lot or a combination of abutting lots that total at least 10,000 s.f. but no more than 3 acres. 

Albuquerque Zoning Map

The City of Albuquerque has surplus properties that may be sold or leased for housing.

Available City Properties

These available City properties meet the zoning and size requirements for this competition.

The project design must comply with zoning requirements in the City’s Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO).

  • Cottage Development Use-Specific Standards
    • Each dwelling unit must be between 650 s.f. and 1,200 s.f.
    • Each dwelling unit must have a porch. 
    • Dwelling units may be attached to one other dwelling unit (i.e., duplex).
    • Project size must be between 10,000 s.f. and 3 acres.
    • Use a tab in the the Pro Forma by expanding the Financial Feasibility section below for the calculation that determines the maximum square footage for the project that can be split into dwelling units. 
  • Off-street Parking Standards
    • ADA requirements must be met.
    • On properties in a Center or Corridor [i.e., Urban Center, Activity Center, Main Street area, Premium Transit area, or Major Transit area], no off-street parking is required beyond ADA requirements. See the Zoning Map, Button 2 for Center/Corridor boundaries.
    • In other locations, 4 spaces are required for every 5 dwelling units AND 2 additional spaces are required for visitors (per project). 

At least 2 dwelling units must incorporate universal design elements to support aging in place. Universal design helps to accommodate people throughout their lives and abilities.

The pro forma template below will calculate the financial viability of the project or quantify the subsidy needed to construct/finance the project. The pro forma must be completed and submitted with the competition entry. Projects do not need to be financially viable to win.

Pro Forma [Excel Download]

Deliverables

Entries will be submitted electronically and must include all of the following items to be eligible for judging.

  1. Up to 2 PDF posters sized Arch D (24" × 36") that include, at a minimum, all of the following:
    1. Site plan for the cottage development demonstrating compliance with the zoning requirements.
    2. Floor plans and elevations for each type of dwelling unit.
    3. A narrative description of the project, the site, and why the site was chosen.
    4. A visual illustration (e.g., context map or rendering) showing how the project fits into the surrounding neighborhood.
    5. A map or diagram illustrating how the project provides transportation access to nearby services and/or amenities to support mobility for its residents.
    6. A narrative description of how the design fits into the neighborhood context and promotes access / mobility for residents.
  2. A narrative summary and list of universal design elements incorporated into the design of at least two dwelling units to create age-friendly housing and support aging in place.
  3. A completed pro forma [available for download by expanding Financial Feasibility above].

Expand the Deadline to Submit a Competition Entry below for Submittal Portal

To be eligible for awards, all participants must attend the awards event and pin up their entries, including prints of items #1-3 in the entry submittal above, at the participants’ expense.

Awards Event

Timeline

See descriptions of each milestone below. 

The competition began with a summit to provide background on the key drivers for this competition:

  • Demographic Changes in Our Region and Their Impact on Housing Needs
  • Age-friendly Housing Needs
  • Zoning Changes to Meet Housing Needs

Event Details:

  • WHERE: Fusion, 708 1st St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
  • WHEN: Tuesday, September 1, 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

While attendance was not required, those who attended will have the best understanding of the purpose of this competition. 

Overview

The details of the competition were explained during a virtual session and an  in-person session, with time for questions and answers for those considering entering the competition. 

  • VIRTUAL: Zoom Webinar, Tuesday, September 22, 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
  • IN-PERSON: UNM's School of Architecture and Planning, Wednesday, September 23, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Presentations

Q&A Follow-up

  • Q: Are there bonuses in the code for EV parking spots, and do they apply here?
    • A: Yes and yes! 
      • 1 parking space with an EV charging station counts as 2 off-street parking spaces.
      • See IDO 14-16-5-5(C)(6)(a)
  • Q: Is there any “trade w/ the city” for parking spots that we can make as designers for providing, for instance, a ride-share pickup area or something similar?
    • A: Kind of!
      • 1 parking space for shared/car pool parking counts as 4 off-street parking spaces. 
      • See IDO 14-16-5-5(C)(6)(b)
  • Q: Can the patio be in the 10-foot landscape buffer?
    • A: Yes, if the patio is made of permeable materials and no larger than 175 s.f. per dwelling unit. 
  • Q: Does each team member need to register individually?
    • A: No, we prefer 1 team member register and give us contact information for all team members. 
  • Q: Can further questions be emailed as we go? What is the best way?
    • A: Yes, you can email [email protected].  Even better, register to come to the Charrette in October to talk through your question with a subject matter expert.
  • Q: What is the maximum file size for submitting the poster / competition entry?
    • A: We have set up a portal for the submittal to allow large file sizes, so there is no size limit. See "Deadline to Submit a Competition Entry" below for more details.

Registration is now closed. The deadline to register to be part of the competition was Friday, October 2 by 5:00 PM.

By registering, participants agreed to share their entries with the competition partners, and winning entries may be used, with attribution, by the City of Albuquerque for illustration purposes and by AARP for promotional purposes. 

Teams of no more than 3 are allowed for both students and design professional award categories. Each member on a winning team will receive a ULI membership, but the team must share the cash prize.

Student entry bonus: The first 20 students to enter, and later submit a competition entry, will receive a free 1-year membership to ULI NM. 

UNM will host a working space for all competition participants, with experts on site to offer guidance on Thursday-Friday, October 22-23 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Room P130. Refreshments will be provided. 

Attendance is not mandatory, but participants may benefit from feedback from experts.

Space is limited. Please register for the timeslot(s) you would like to work and/or pin-up for feedback.  

Register For Charrette and Feedback Pin-up

For those not entering the competition but still wanting to be involved, sign up to be a subject matter expert: 

  • Housing advocates
  • Neighborhood advocates
  • Age-friendly advocates
  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Financers / bankers

Email [email protected].

Deadline: Upload your complete entry by Friday, November 13 at 5:00 p.m. Late submissions will not be considered for an award.

Before uploading: Make sure your folder is complete. You will not be able to access or modify your submission after uploading. Save all required materials in one folder to upload.

Prepare your submission: Upload your folder with all required materials. There is no file size limit.

Resubmissions: If needed, upload a new folder containing all required materials. The judging panel will review only the most recent folder and will not combine materials from multiple submissions.

Entry Submittal Portal

To be eligible for awards, participants must attend the awards event and pin up their printed entries. Winners will be announced after an open house, and winning participants will have an opportunity to present their entries. Refreshments will be provided.

  • WHEN: Friday, November 20, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
  • WHERE: UNM School of Architecture & Planning – Critique Bridge & Gallery

ULI NM will host an online forum in early 2027 for winners to share their entries with a broader audience, and a panel of experts will discuss what we learned from the competition and potential next steps to encourage age-friendly housing in Albuquerque. Details to come.