The Aleutian region isn’t exactly known for being a hotbed of architectural innovation. Getting materials out here is difficult and expensive. Then, there’s the wind and rain to deal with. All of that means that most of the buildings along the chain are more pragmatic than daring.

The International Living Future Institute is making Atka the site of its green building contest not in spite of these challenges, but because of them. They’re inviting teams to design an affordable, fuel-efficient home with a minimal environmental footprint that makes sense for the Aleutian Islands. So far, nearly 200 teams from across the globe have signed up to participate.

Eight of those teams are based here in Alaska. Garrett Burtner works for McCool Carlson Green, a design firm based in Anchorage. He grew up in this state, and he says that’s just one of the reason he’s excited to be a part of this competition.

It seems like an opportunity to tackle what’s probably the most pressing challenge of my time in terms of building design, which is really to bring our built environment back into balance with the natural environment,” says Burtner.

The goal is to build a house that Atka resident Jimmy Prokopeuff can live in without spending any money on fuel. Right now, he spends about $600 a month heating his home during the winter. Burtner says that his team hopes to find way to bring that bill down to zero using wind.

“We looked at some wind data, and it looks like it basically all the time,” says Burtner. “That’s great for energy production with wind turbines, for instance.”

In addition to take advantage of the natural environment, Burtner also plans on drawing from the region’s cultural history for their design. He says that his team has studied baraberas, traditional Unangan, for inspiration.

“I hope it will look really beautiful,” says Burtner. “I would like it to look of the place. I would like it to look like it’s of the place, not so much a spaceship that just landed but something that looks like it grew out of the land.”

The top design will be chosen in May, and the winners will receive $35,000. Additionally, their design will be used as a model for the Aleutian Housing Authority, and could pop up in communities across the region.