Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Frosted Windows Framing Intimacy in Clustered Community Spaces

Authors:
Mark Chalhoub, Lejla Sejdinovic, Niyousha Ahmadi Naeini
Frosted Windows Framing Intimacy in Clustered Community Spaces
Explore the full project presentation!
Subscribers only
Clusters of rooms framed by frosted windows create a sense of intimacy and community, offering a modern hospitality experience deeply rooted in Portuguese vernacular design.
5 key facts about this project
01
Clusters of hotel rooms resemble traditional calçada stones, enhancing cultural connection.
02
Frosted windows create a balance of light and privacy within communal spaces.
03
Small laneways encourage social interaction and exploration among guests.
04
Design incorporates meeting spaces, fostering community engagement and connection.
05
Natural vegetation influences interior light patterns, enriching the guest experience.

The Monte D'Oiro Hotel showcases a design that reflects the principles of Portuguese vernacular architecture. Located in a natural landscape, the hotel features a layout that balances guest accommodation with communal spaces. This design concept emphasizes the importance of community and interaction while connecting with the cultural heritage of the region.

Spatial Organization

The hotel consists of clusters that include three to four individual hotel rooms, reminiscent of local calçada stones. This arrangement creates an inviting and cozy atmosphere, allowing guests to feel both private and connected. Small laneways between the clusters guide movement through the site, offering different views and enhancing the visual experience as guests navigate their surroundings.

Circulation and Interaction

An important feature of the hotel is its circulation plan. Pathways thread through the building in a way that opens into small meeting spaces. This design choice shifts the typical hotel experience, encouraging guests to gather and engage with one another. These meeting areas foster a sense of community, making interactions feel effortless and natural.

Light and Ambiance

Generous frosted windows are placed throughout the clusters, allowing soft light to wash over the interiors. This strategic placement not only brightens the rooms but also provides privacy. The interplay of light and shadow, created by the surrounding vegetation, adds depth and character to the spaces, making for a pleasant atmosphere at different times of the day.

Functional Diversity

Inside the Monte D'Oiro Hotel, various areas like the spa, dining hall, and event spaces each serve distinct functions while maintaining a connection to local design principals. This functional diversity ensures that the hotel can adapt to different guest needs effectively. Each space contributes to an overall cohesive experience, marrying comfortable hospitality with cultural resonance.

Communal outdoor areas invite guests to relax and enjoy the surroundings, framed beautifully by the architectural form.

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

Enter an open architecture
competition now

Denver Affordable Housing Challenge
Denver Affordable Housing Challenge
Affordable Housing Series 19th Edition
The Architect's 
Chair
The Architect's Chair
Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #4
MICROHOME
MICROHOME
100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10
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

MICROHOME 10: Celebrating Small-Scale Living with €100,000 Prize Fund and Kingspan’s Innovation

`
Competition organisers

The MICROHOME 10 competition invites participants to submit visionary designs for off-grid, modular microhomes that push the limits of sustainable, small-scale living. Organised by Buildner in partnership with Kingspan and Hapi Homes, this tenth edition sets the challenge of designing a dwelling for two people within a maximum floor area of 25 m², encouraging bold solutions adaptable to any urban or rural location. The competition continues Buildner’s mission to foster innovative approaches to compact, energy-efficient housing that can address pressing global challenges.

This year’s edition offers a generous total prize fund of €100,000, including the Kingspan Award for designs that integrate high-performance Kingspan products and the Hapi Homes Award for a project selected for real-world construction. In addition to cash prizes, the winners gain international exposure through Buildner’s media partnerships, publications, and a dedicated MICROHOME magazine, further amplifying their ideas to the wider architectural community.

Key dates for MICROHOME 10 include the closing date for registration on 25 September 2025, the submission deadline on 29 October 2025 (11:59 p.m. London time), and the announcement of winners on 9 December 2025. These milestones ensure participants have clear timelines to develop and present their concepts, with early registration discounts available to support students and emerging designers worldwide.

MICROHOME

Design a new small-scale home concept in the 10th edition of MICROHOME — 100,000 € prize + construction

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 € + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 25 September 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
Denver Affordable Housing Challenge

AIA (American Institute of Architects) invites you to design affordable housing in Denver

Affordable Housing Series 19th Edition ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 18 September 2025

Recurring architecture competitions

The Architect's 
Chair

Take a seat and make a statement!

Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #4 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 18 September 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
Advance registration deadline 18 September 2025
MICROHOME

Design a new small-scale home concept in the 10th edition of MICROHOME — 100,000 € prize + construction

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 € + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 25 September 2025
new
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
Early bird registration deadline 2 October 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
Advance registration deadline 9 October 2025
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
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
Concrete 
Pavilion

Design a concrete pavilion

Edition #3 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 27 November 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