Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Framing Views with Sloping Walls in a Cliffside Retreat

Authors:
Yaniv Hatiel, Alex Berciu Vladaia, Dean Hedman, Tina Tharrouniati
Framing Views with Sloping Walls in a Cliffside Retreat
Explore the full project presentation!
Subscribers only
With sloping walls that create intimate spaces and frame dynamic views, the design emphasizes a strong connection to the surrounding landscape while serving as a comfortable guest retreat.
5 key facts about this project
01
Sloping walls echo natural landforms, enhancing user comfort and safety.
02
Dynamic light patterns shift throughout the day, creating a unique indoor atmosphere.
03
Framed views encourage engagement with the surrounding cliffside landscape.
04
The design prioritizes emotional connection, balancing shelter and openness.
05
Strategically shaped spaces foster a sense of intimacy and tranquility.

The design is positioned in a landscape that highlights its relationship with nature. It incorporates sloping walls and thoughtful use of light, fostering a feeling of safety while connecting to the surrounding environment. The structure aims to enhance user experience, allowing occupants to engage with the location in a meaningful way.

Design Concept

Sloping walls are central to the overall design. They create an inviting atmosphere that makes individuals feel secure. By mirroring the natural contours of the landscape, these walls establish a connection with the environment. This design choice emphasizes the sensation of being at the edge of a cliff, allowing users to appreciate their surroundings while ensuring structural strength.

Light Interaction

Light plays a significant role in shaping the interior spaces. As it passes through the sloping walls, natural light creates changing patterns that enhance the character of the space. This variation in lighting influences how occupants perceive their environment. The design harnesses the quality of natural light, enabling it to evolve throughout the day, which adds depth to the user experience and promotes a closer relationship with the outdoor setting.

View Framing

The design carefully frames views to encourage interaction with the surroundings. Specific sightlines are created to guide the eye, drawing attention to the natural landscape. This intention allows users to feel more connected to the outside world. By enhancing the visual connection, the architecture promotes an immersive experience that deepens appreciation for the site.

Spatial Dynamics

Another important consideration is the changing temperature of light based on orientation. This variability enhances the spatial dynamics, offering different experiences as daylight progresses. The architecture responds to sunlight, creating a dialogue between the interior and the exterior. This interaction enriches the user's experience and reinforces the relationship between architecture and nature.

A noteworthy detail is the potential choice of materials that may complement the design's intent. Materials could be selected for their ability to diffuse light and support the sloping structure. Such choices would enhance aesthetic value and strengthen the connection to both light and landscape, reinforcing the project’s integration with its setting.

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

Enter an open architecture
competition now

The Home of 
Shadows
The Home of Shadows
The light studies. Edition #4
The Next House: USA
The Next House: USA
20,000 USD Prize
The Architect's 
Chair
The Architect's Chair
Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #5
Kinderspace
Kinderspace
Architecture for Children’s Development #3
The Architect’s 
Stair
The Architect’s Stair
Take a step and make a statement! Edition #3
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2026
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2026
100,000€ Prize / 2026

The Next House: USA — A Global Call to Reimagine the American Suburb

`
Competition organisers

Buildner is launching The Next House: USA, a global architecture competition that challenges architects, designers, and thinkers to reimagine the American suburban home for the 21st century. For decades, the suburban house has symbolized comfort and stability, but today it often reflects excess, isolation, and environmental strain. This competition asks: how can the American home evolve to address climate urgency, economic pressures, and shifting social values?

Participants are tasked with designing a prototype home of no more than 1,500 sq ft (≈140 m²) for a household of two adults and one child. The design should be compact yet generous, adaptable, sustainable, affordable, and replicable across diverse U.S. contexts. More than a design exercise, the competition aims to spark a conversation about how homes can support healthier, smarter, and more connected communities.

The total prize fund is $20,000 USD. The final registration deadline is May 20, 2026, and winners will be announced on September 22, 2026. The Next House: USA invites architects, students, and visionaries worldwide to redefine what the American home means today—and what it should mean tomorrow.

The Next House: USA

Design the next suburban home for the USA

20,000 USD Prize ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 19 November 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
The Next House: USA

Design the next suburban home for the USA

20,000 USD Prize ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 19 November 2025
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 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
Kinderspace

Design a kindergarten of tomorrow

Architecture for Children’s Development #3 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
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
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
Advance registration deadline 15 January 2026
new
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2026

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

100,000€ Prize / 2026 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 €
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 26 February 2026

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