Sleeping Pods
on a Cliff

Competition introduction

Competition organisers

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

The Sleeping Pods on a Cliff competition is the third collaboration with the Vale de Moses Yoga Retreat, located in the remote forests of central Portugal. Featured by the likes of NatGeo UK Traveller, Forbes Magazine and The Guardian as one of the best yoga retreats in the world, Vale de Moses regularly welcomes over 500 people from 60+ countries worldwide.


The Vale de Moses Yoga Retreat located in the heart of the Portugal;
For the Sleeping Pods on a Cliff competition, participants are tasked with creating designs for simple sleeping pods that could accommodate a couple of guests at a time. Each sleeping pod will need to include a basic sleeping zone as well as washing facilities. The pods will be located on the mountain rock slopes of the Vale de Moses property that cannot be used for food cultivation.


The Vale de Moses Yoga Retreat founders Vonetta and Andrew;
The jury will be looking for projects that have green, sustainable construction and operation at the core of their designs. They will need to provide a solution for naturally cleaning the grey water system of the pods so that they can be used to irrigate the forest slopes below. While it’s expected that designs for the sleeping pods be green and self-sustainable, the jury will favour those designs that actually have a positive impact on the environment.

The Sleeping Pods on a Cliff competition is a chance to conceive innovative solutions for turning the impact of a human dwelling from a negative to a positive one. The presence of human habitats could actually benefit the plant and animal life living on the forest slopes with the right sustainable development.


Participants are being asked to create designs for a sleeping pod that could be replicated in any number of spots throughout the retreat

As the competition winners will be put forward for consideration for construction – and the sleeping pods are planned to be located throughout the property – winning designs need to utilise the very best eco-friendly practices for both construction and operation.

Download full competition brief for more information!

Competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum). Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English; All information submitted by participants must be in English