WA Starter Home Plan’s Townhouse Design Competition
Calling all architects, building designers, and builders: If you’re passionate about shaping the future of housing in Washington state, this is your chance to be creative and make a lasting impact.
Submissions are now open for the WA Starter Home Plan’s (SHP) Townhouse Design Competition, an ideas competition seeking innovative floor plans that leverage offsite methods, including use of volumetric modular construction.
The competition aims to generate usable floor plans that will expedite and increase the production of affordable starter homes in Washington state. Up to 10 floor plans will be selected for further development with the ultimate goal of gaining pre-approval from the WA Department of Labor & Industries.
Submissions will be blind juried by a panel of architects, engineers, local jurisdiction planning officials, and housing professionals with direct experience in this housing typology and judged by categories based on number of bedrooms.
Submission deadline is May 22, 2026. Full competition rules and submission from available here and below.
The Townhouse Design Competition is an early step in the WA Starter Home Plan’s effort to build thousands more affordable starter homes in Washington state. Funded by the state legislature in 2024 and completed by Civic Commons through a contract with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, the Starter Home Plan includes a robust multi-year strategy to build quality starter homes affordable to low- and moderate-income Washington households.
Eligibility
Competition is open to any and all – architects, building designers, students, manufacturers, construction companies. Floor plans and designs that have been previously built may be submitted. And multiple submissions from one entity are also welcome.
Up to 10 winning plans will be selected. No cash prizes will be awarded as a form of recognition, but winning designs will be featured widely online and at numerous events. Funding is being sought to support development of winning designs to the point of pre-approval.
Key Dates:
March 16: Design Competition Guidelines released
March 25: Competition Q&A Session. 10-11am PDT (virtual, to be recorded) Register here.
Registration closes at 9am PDT Wednesday March 25 (one hour before start of Q&A)
March 31: Q&A Session Recording & written responses posted on SHP website.
May 22: Submissions due 11:59pm PDT
June 19: Winners announced
Evaluation Criteria:
Livability: does the plan offer enough space and maximize livability and reduce circulation for the number of occupants indicated? Is there adequate storage provided?
Efficiency / Cost consciousness: does the design make efficient use of structure and consider cost implications of design choices and water tightness of building envelope?
Site Adaptability: does the floor plan work well in a variety of configurations when repeated on a lot?
Design variation: does the floor plan offer enough variation of exterior “styles” that it might be appropriate for a variety of neighborhoods in any city across the state?
Modular-friendly design: how well did the submission consider manufacturing of the home in a factory environment?
Design innovation: does the design offer volume or open spaces that defy the conventional perceptions of modular construction?
Full information and submission details for the Townhouse Design Competition available here
The WA Starter Home Plan and Playbooks are available for download at the Civic Commons site: https://www.civic-commons.org/starterhomeplanwa