Homes of the Future Design Competition
What is the competition?
Common Roots is launching an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Design Competition! Also known as backyard cottages, carriage houses or in-law suites, ADUs are residential homes. The City of Meadville recently adopted new zoning ordinances to allow ADUs and Common Roots is using this opportunity to design and develop future homes with your help!
Backyard cottages can increase the housing in Meadville and create accessible, affordable options for residents. We believe these cottages play an important role in increasing housing choice and improving housing options for Meadville residents. This competition is designed to encourage a broad vision for the future of homes in our area. Residents of all ages and abilities are invited to showcase their talents and submit their ideas in the competition.
Introduction to the Competition
Common Roots is looking at these challenges and seeing opportunities.
The Homes of the Future Competition invites community members, students, artists, designers, builders, and architects to help imagine new possibilities for housing in Meadville. We need creative thinking, thoughtful designs, and community connections to expand housing choice and explore how Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) fit into creating a more welcoming and successful community.
Whether you are developing a detailed technical design or illustrating a bold new concept, your ideas matter. Every submission contributes to a larger community conversation about how we can create housing that is more accessible, adaptable, affordable, and reflective of the people who call Meadville home.
The concepts and designs generated through this competition will help inform future projects, inspire public conversation, and demonstrate how thoughtful design can improve quality of life for current and future generations.
We are excited to see what ideas you have to share and take these efforts and visions to the next level and build the housing that Meadville wants.
Why Have a Competition?
The goals of the competition are to:
Explore and Design.
Encourage the public to envision new, affordable types of housing for Meadville. We all have a say in our community and this is one way to showcase our ideas.
Create Awareness and Education.
Common Roots will work with the City to develop one of the winning designs into a permit-ready design to help decrease building expenses in building these units.
Affordable Designs and Construction.
Common Roots will work with the City to develop one of the winning designs into a permit-ready design to help decrease building expenses in building these units.
Our team at the competition is happy to help answer any questions or clarify details. If you’d like to discuss specifically about what you may want to submit and how it would fit in the competition you can reach us at FutureHomes@CommonRootsPA.org.
Cottage houses and ADUs are uncommon here. They have potential to transform living environments and create new opportunities for homeowners and tenants.
Competition Guidelines:
Illustrative & Conceptual
The Illustrative and Conceptual Design Category invites participants to explore innovative ideas and possibilities for accessory dwelling units. Experimental, innovative, and visionary elements are encouraged and don’t need to focus on the buildability or practicality of the design.
This category is intended to inspire community conversation, demonstrate a variety of housing possibilities, and showcase how ADUs can support changing household needs, intergenerational living, aging in place, neighborhood revitalization, and creative use of residential properties.
This category will have multiple prizes that highlight various visions of housing in Meadville.
Submissions may include conceptual designs, visualizations, sketches, renderings, or other illustrative materials that communicate a compelling vision for ADUs in Meadville.
Conceptual entries are encouraged to explore themes such as:
- Innovative housing solutions
- Intergenerational and multigenerational living
- Aging in place
- Sustainability and resilience
- Adaptive reuse and garage conversions
- Innovative material use
- Flexible living arrangements
- Neighborhood enhancement and placemaking
While conceptual designs should consider practical constraints, they are not required to meet all building code, zoning, or permit requirements.
This category welcomes participation from students, artists, residents, community members, design professionals, and anyone interested in imagining new housing opportunities for Meadville.
The purpose of this category is to broaden public understanding of ADUs, inspire future housing solutions, and encourage creative thinking about the future of housing in Meadville.
The Illustrative and Conceptual Design category focuses on the narrative and visual elements of an ADU. The required submitted materials are fewer. The narrative component of the submission is designed to illustrate the submission and how it fits into a neighborhood and the benefits the new housing brings with it.
This category will be evaluated primarily on the ‘fit’ and ‘use’ of the design as well as the creativity and innovation displayed.
Competition Guidelines:
Technical Design
The Technical Design Category seeks high-quality, buildable Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) designs that can be further developed into permit-ready and potentially pre-approved building plans for use within the City of Meadville.
Entries in this category should demonstrate thoughtful design, affordability, universal accessibility, and construction feasibility. Designs should be realistic and capable of being constructed by local builders using commonly available materials and building methods.
Submissions should prioritize:
- Affordability and cost efficiency
- Universal Design and aging-in-place principles
- Compliance with applicable zoning and building code assumptions
- Construction feasibility and ease of permitting
- Compatibility with Meadville’s neighborhoods and lot patterns
- Sustainability, durability, and long-term performance
Technical Design submissions are expected to include detailed architectural drawings sufficient to demonstrate the project’s feasibility. Selected entries may be advanced for additional architectural and engineering development to create permit-ready or pre-approved ADU plans for future public use.
This category is intended for architects, designers, engineers, design professionals, students, and interdisciplinary teams capable of producing technically detailed proposals.
The Technical Design category focuses on technical elements of an ADU and the requirements to move the design towards a pre-approved status. Technical Design submissions have a longer list of requirements and a longer list of suggested submission elements.
The Technical Category will be evaluated primarily on the practicality of the design and how well or effectively it can be executed into a physical building. The narrative component of the Technical Category tells more of the story behind the building and its construction.
Prizes
Various award categories will feature cash prizes for the winners.
Within the Illustrative and Conceptual segment, at least three separate awards will be presented. This includes a People’s Choice Award worth $250, which will be decided by the general public. The remaining honors, valued at $350 each, will be determined by the Jury during their official evaluation. Possibilities for these jury-selected categories include Reimagined Spaces, Materials Innovation, and Neighborhood Connector.
Participants are encouraged to submit designs reflecting their own priorities. We want you to submit a design that aligns with what you think is most important. If transforming a garage into accessible housing is what you’re excited about, show us! If using the most innovative and interesting materials is what you want to talk about then tell us! If you want to completely reimagine what housing looks like and develop an idea around shared spaces while maintaining privacy and personal preferences then we’d love to see it!
Within the Technical Design category, one prize will be awarded for $1,500. This winning design will be further developed into plans approved by the City of Meadville and available to the public and builders to decrease the cost of ADU development and building in the future.
Endpoint ADU Floor plan accessorydwellings.org
Important Dates
Resource Library
License & Originality Statement:
Examples of ADUs and Plans:
- Liberty House ADU House Plans
- Learning About ADUs
- ADU Primer – National Home Builders Association
- ABCs of ADUs – by AARP
- More AARP ADU Resources + Information
- AccessoryDwellings.org
- Liberty House Plans
- Site Plan (Simple)
- Site Plan (Simple)
Universal Design Principles:
- What is Universal Design? – National Association of Home Builders
- Cities and Universal Design – National League of Cities
- An Introduction to Universal Design – AARP
The Missing Middle and Diversifying Housing:
- What is the ‘Missing Middle’? – National Association of Home Builders
- AARP Home Fit Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ADU mean?
ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit. Which is a second residence on a parcel or plot of land. In the city of Meadville there are certain requirements for an ADU with regards to square footage, placement in relation to the primary residence or principal structure and various setbacks or ‘boundaries’ between structures, neighboring property, front lawns, side lawns, streets and utilities.
What are Universal Design Principles?
Universal Design Principles is a way of looking at manufactured objects, including homes, that allows for the greatest use for different abilities. In housing Universal Design typically refers to structures or designs that allow for aging-in-place (fewer steps, wider hallways, accessible shelving and safe bathroom and shower designs).
More information about Universal Design can be found in the Resource Library.
What does Habitable Square Footage mean?
Habitable Square Footage or Livable Space is the area inside a home that can be used and occupied by a person. It is the climate controlled, finished areas, typically above ground (not unfinished basements) that also has a height of at least five feet. When calculating habitable square footage you do not include the area used by walls or cabinetry or utility closets.
What is a Site Plan?
A Site Plan or Plot Plan is the layout of the surrounding property and adjacent features for the ADU. It can be very detailed including grading, underground features or utilities. Other plans are less detailed and at the least show the footprint of the structures and their distance from other structures, property boundaries and streets.
There are examples in the Resource Library.
Where can I send my questions?
Reach out to FutureHomes@CommonRootsPA.org with any and all questions. We want to help make this process as clear and fun as possible.
Are teams allowed?
Yes! Teams are allowed for both categories.
Can I submit in both categories? Or submit multiple designs?
You can certainly submit in both categories and multiple designs. The Technical Design and Illustrative and Conceptual Design category require roughly the same components but will be reviewed with a focus on different criteria. We look forward to your submissions!
Can I use other designs and materials as inspiration?
Absolutely. Third-party materials and designs can be adapted or inspire you. Designs and materials not created by the project team need to be cited according to Originality and License agreement. Which can be found in the Resource Library and in the Complete Guidelines.
How do I submit?
All your submission materials can be emailed to FutureHomes@CommonRootsPA.org.
All the required materials should be attached in the email. Place your last name or team name and the category you’re submitting to in the subject line of the email. A full list of required documents can be found in the Complete Guidelines PDF.
Can I draw my design by hand?
Absolutely! We will need a digital copy to print, display and share with our judges but a photo of hand drawn work is acceptable.
Sponsored by AARP
