To live in a world surrounded by the constant rise of new challenges calls for adaptability, resilience and continuous learning. As a response, design competitions encourage architects to think outside the box to create innovative solutions. Both for theoretical and practical projects, these competitions provide a collaborative platform to promote innovation and creativity to solve contemporary challenges. Such is the case of Buildner, which develops a space for showcasing open architecture competitions to discover new architectural possibilities.
A tool for driving progress by fostering groundbreaking ideas that promote the discussion of critical topics such as affordable housing, sustainability and small-scale architecture, Buildner architecture competitions are key for addressing global challenges. These competitions aim to inspire the next generation of designers to challenge the status quo.
New ways of living
The rise of new lifestyles inevitably brings about an increase in contemporary architectural challenges. As more people move to cities, facing housing and affordability crises –and the fact that the construction industry is seriously harming the planet– it becomes more necessary to seek new ideas for living at a smaller scale and more efficiently.
The exploration of housing innovation can take different paths, such as adaptable reuse, circular building strategies, 3D printing, modular structures, approaches to co-living, new forms of transit oriented development, revised zoning laws to permit higher densities, or reformed tax codes. However, beyond revising residential design, transforming our way of living requires challenging systemic norms.
By asking non-traditional questions –such as how can we rethink our highway and railway infrastructure, our industrial waterfronts, or our factories, to support new ways of living– architecture competitions create a space for transforming how we live by developing new technologies, environmental concerns, and changing needs and values.
Buildner’s pursuit of housing innovation
In response to contemporary ways of living, competitions aim to conceive innovative housing solutions and new strategies for how we live in cities.
Through the annual MICROHOME event, architects are challenged to design an off-grid modular home sized no greater than 25m2. From all around the globe, it delves into ideas for modularity and reduced material use; for floating home communities to combat poverty and climate change in Bangladesh; for homes designed to maximize flexibility for work-from-home professionals; for environment-specific homes that take advantage of hydroponic gardens for energy requirements, and many others.
Seeking ideas for global cities with limited housing supplies, the Affordable Housing competition series has focused on different cities such as Berlin, London, Melbourne, Paris, Sydney, Toronto and Vancouver. The proposals inquire into transforming baseline housing conditions particular to these cities by considering spaces below highways, by building atop and within underutilized infrastructure, designing within urban voids, reworking laneways between existing residential developments, and by building new buildings that mix commercial, office and residential programs to increase the dynamism of empty downtown business districts.
Ten years of design competitions
Covering two types of competition –ideas and projects– Buildner has for ten years fostered the development of concepts focused on specific themes while also seeking solutions for potential projects. With a diverse international and interdisciplinary jury, each competition evaluates every entry based on their response to a specific brief, together with the recognition of outstanding examples of graphics, means of communication, and distinctive innovative thinking. It is a space that aspires to be a resource, and a source of inspiration for this generation of designers to propose solutions.
Since the dawn of architecture, design competitions have been a tool for finding innovative solutions. Used for different purposes, they have yielded groundbreaking movements, building breakthroughs, as well as creating some of the most valued built heritage, such as the St. Louis Arch, the Pompidou Center, the Tribune Tower, and Parc de la Villette. Along with encouraging innovative architecture projects, these competitions also yield ideas that have changed architecture, pushing the industry forward. Just like reading books to expand one’s knowledge, competitions are a creative exercise that allows architects to test ideas without real-world limitations.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: The Contemporary Home, proudly presented by BUILDNER.
BUILDNER celebrates architecture competitions as an effective tool for achieving progress by fostering groundbreaking ideas that push the industry forward. Through academic and project competitions, we are building an inclusive and diverse community of architects and designers, by promoting critical topics such as affordable, sustainable and small-scale housing to address global challenges. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of designers to propose innovative solutions and challenge the status quo.
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To stay up to date on open architecture competitions, visit Buildner’s webpage.
