Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Illuminated Acrylic Rods Commemorate Lives Lost in A Memorial Landscape

Authors:
James Stevens, Ergys Hoxha
Illuminated Acrylic Rods Commemorate Lives Lost in A Memorial Landscape

Project in-detail

Seventeen thousand eight hundred illuminated acrylic rods collectively represent lives lost in documented genocides, forming a contemplative landscape that invites reflection and remembrance.
5 key facts about this project
01
Seventeen thousand eight hundred acrylic rods illuminate the memorial at night, creating a dynamic visual experience.
02
The design features inverse subtraction in the hardscape, symbolizing the many unaccounted lives lost.
03
Each rod's illumination represents a life lost, collectively totaling 17,800,000.
04
Visitors navigate a perforated path that encourages personal contemplation and reflection.
05
The arrangement focuses on chronological events, guiding visitors through a narrative of historical tragedies.

The COLLECTIVE PROCESSION interprets the human tragedy of genocide and serves as a memorial and space for reflection. Located in a carefully designed landscape, it aims to provide visitors with an immersive experience that conveys the gravity of historical events tied to the loss of life. By engaging the audience in a physical and emotional journey, the design seeks to illuminate the scale of such tragedies and their impact on humanity.

Conceptual Framework

The core of the design features 17,800 acrylic rods, each representing one life lost, totaling 17,800,000. These rods are arranged methodically to correspond with key genocides, establishing a chronological narrative that allows viewers to grasp the enormity of these events. The layout guides visitors along a dedicated path, fostering a sense of awareness and prompting contemplation about the past.

Material Application

Clear acrylic is used for the rods, promoting a sense of uniformity and equality among those commemorated. Each rod includes a light source at its base, which enables it to light up at night. This illumination brings the memorial to life after sunset, creating a shifting atmosphere that invites visitors to engage with the space under different conditions throughout the day.

Spatial Arrangement

The design incorporates a feature of inverse subtraction in the hardscape, symbolizing the many lives lost that remain unknown or unaccounted for. The paths within the memorial lead to recessed areas in the landscape, providing quiet spots for reflection. These spaces encourage visitors to pause and think about the historical significance of what they are experiencing.

Interaction and Experience

As people walk through the installation, they encounter a dynamic play between light and form. The illuminated rods glow against the darkness of night, serving as reminders of the lives memorialized. This interaction enhances the emotional connection to the space, allowing individuals to engage with the profound themes of collective memory and human suffering.

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

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

Enter an open architecture
competition now

Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025
Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025
100,000€ Prize / 2025
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
Kinderspace
Kinderspace
Architecture for Children’s Development #3
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