Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

Learn from past Buildner architecture competition participants through our extensive project library, curated over more than 15 years!

Cypress-Focused Rest Area with Reflective Water Mirror and Personal Niches

Author:
Anton Orlovic
Cypress-Focused Rest Area with Reflective Water Mirror and Personal Niches
Explore the full project presentation!
Subscribers only
An inverted dome filled with greenery crowns a pathway of 512 personalized niches, complemented by a reflective water mirror and cypress tree, creating a serene environment for remembrance.
5 key facts about this project
01
The complex includes an inverted dome filled with greenery as a focal point.
02
Personalization options allow visitors to place mementos in 15 cm gaps between niches.
03
Abstract sculptures resembling angelic forms end each row of niches.
04
Water features include narrow canals that symbolize tears.
05
A circular water mirror surrounds a centrally planted cypress tree.

The design presents a small complex oriented on a northwest-southeast axis, set in a peaceful area that encourages reflection. Covering 351 square meters, the space serves as a place for remembrance with a layout that includes a total of 512 niches. The overall concept highlights order through symmetry, creating an environment that is both calming and personal for visitors.

Niche Arrangement

The complex includes 496 niches, with the option to add 16 more for better symmetry. These niches are arranged into four rows, each containing 31 columns with four niches per column. Each niche measures 45 by 45 centimeters, accommodating urns that are 18 by 27 centimeters in size. This thoughtful arrangement allows individuals to personalize each niche in a meaningful way.

Entrance and Pathways

Visitors enter through a prominent gate made up of six wall planes that are symmetrically placed. Above it is an inverted dome filled with greenery and flowers, making the entrance a welcoming focal point. After entering, pathways branch out, each 225 centimeters wide, guiding visitors past rows of niches and to benches positioned for quiet reflection. The lack of canopies sets the complex apart, creating a direct connection between the visitors and the space around them.

Sculptural and Water Features

At the end of each row of niches, abstract sculptures gracefully rise from the ground. These forms resemble angelic figures and are created from intersecting planes that look like flower petals or pages from a book. They add depth to the design and support the theme of remembrance. In addition, fountains are strategically placed at corners, providing peaceful spots for visitors. Narrow, shallow canals for stormwater drainage run alongside, symbolically representing the tears shed in moments of loss.

Rest Area Design

The complex includes a special rest area designed like an oasis. Here, a circular water mirror lies at the center, surrounding a semicircular bench where visitors can sit and reflect. A cypress tree, planted in the middle, symbolizes life and memory. The shallow water allows its roots to grow freely, highlighting the blend of nature and design. The lighting throughout the complex is gentle and warm, enhancing the intimate atmosphere and allowing each visitor to find a space for personal thoughts and memories.

Noticed a mistake?
Highlight the text and click on
Noticed a mistake

Enter an open architecture
competition now

The Architect’s 
Stair
The Architect’s Stair
Take a step and make a statement! Edition #3
Kinderspace
Kinderspace
Architecture for Children’s Development #3
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025
100,000€ Prize / 2025
The Home of 
Shadows
The Home of Shadows
The light studies. Edition #4
The Architect's 
Chair
The Architect's Chair
Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #5

The Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2025: Celebrating Architectural Creativity and Visionary Unbuilt Designs with a Total Prize Fund of €100,000

`
Competition organisers

The Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2025 is an international architecture competition dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the value of unrealized architectural designs. It invites architects, designers, and students worldwide to submit visionary projects that have not yet been constructed, highlighting the power of ideas and the creativity behind the design process. By focusing on unbuilt work, the competition aims to bring forward concepts that shape the future of architecture and push the boundaries of the profession. 

Participants can compete in three categories based on project scale: Small Wonders (up to 100 m²), Medium Marvels (101–999 m²), and Large Visions (over 1,000 m²). Each category winner will receive €20,000, and additional prizes include honorable mentions, student awards, and a special Best Presentation Award. Winning projects will gain significant international exposure through Buildner’s publicity campaign and a feature article on ArchDaily, providing a unique opportunity to showcase creative ideas to a global audience. 

The Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2025 encourages entrants to submit any type of unbuilt project, from conceptual visions to detailed designs, celebrating bold innovation without the constraints of realization. Important deadlines: registration closes on October 30, 2025; submissions are due by November 20, 2025; winners will be announced on December 17, 2025.

Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025

Celebrating your unbuilt architecture visions with a €100,000 prize

100,000€ Prize / 2025 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 €
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 30 October 2025

Open architecture competitions

  • Closest deadline first
  • Project competitions first
    Selected winning projects have the potential to be constructed
  • Ideas competitions
    Experimental competitions with the focus on pushing the boundaries of creativity
new
Iceland 
Slow Sauna

Design slow sauna in Iceland

project COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 26 November 2025
Concrete 
Pavilion

Design a concrete pavilion

Edition #3 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 27 November 2025
new
Pavilion Atlas 2026

Design a story of your country

ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 21 January 2026

Recurring architecture competitions

new
The Architect’s 
Stair

Take a step and make a statement!

Take a step and make a statement! Edition #3 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 15 October 2025
Kinderspace

Design a kindergarten of tomorrow

Architecture for Children’s Development #3 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 16 October 2025
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025

Celebrating your unbuilt architecture visions with a €100,000 prize

100,000€ Prize / 2025 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 €
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 30 October 2025
new
The Home of 
Shadows

Design a home with no artificial lighting

The light studies. Edition #4 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility OPEN TO ALL
Early bird registration deadline 5 November 2025
The Last 
Nuclear Bomb Memorial

Design a memorial that speaks to the cause of ending all nuclear weapons programs

Edition #6 ideas COMPETITION SILENT CONTEST For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 13 November 2025
new
The Architect's 
Chair

Take a seat and make a statement!

Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #5 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 20 November 2025
Hospice - 
Home for the 
Terminally ill

Design a safe and supportive space to those struggling with a terminal illness

Edition #5 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 10,000 €
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 26 November 2025
Museum of 
Emotions

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Edition #7 ideas COMPETITION SILENT CONTEST For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 27 November 2025
Re:Form - 
New Life 
for Old Spaces

Choose a site—used, abandoned, or forgotten—anywhere in the world, and give it a new purpose

Edition #2 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 3 December 2025

Media, partners and clients

To view this project in detail,
please log in with your
Architects’ Network Plus account.
Subscription instantly unlocks all the architecture projects plus other member-only benefits:
  • Access the 17,725 Concept Library
  • Professional tools including file transfer, email, portfolio management, and more
Register now
Already a member? Log in

This website uses cookies to improve user experience and gather usage statistics.

More information is available in our Privacy & Cookie policy