Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Integrating Public Courts with Flexible Living Spaces in Slab Structures

Author:
Frank j Tottingham
Integrating Public Courts with Flexible Living Spaces in Slab Structures

Project in-detail

The design incorporates a three-level volume alongside an existing slab, creating an engaging street environment while offering flexible living spaces that adapt to diverse community needs.
5 key facts about this project
01
Integration of public courts promotes community interaction.
02
Three-level volume enhances the connection between private and communal spaces.
03
Flexible living units adapt to changing household needs.
04
Bridges link new and existing structures for seamless transitions.
05
Design incorporates small play areas and micro-orchards within the urban setting.

The recent design focuses on reimagining slab housing in Berlin, aiming to improve efficiency, flexibility, and community connections in urban environments. The intervention seeks to change the conventional slab-type housing, which is practical but often fails to connect with the surrounding streets. By integrating a vibrant street within the structure, the design creates a harmonious relationship between living spaces and communal areas.

Embedding Community Spaces
A new three-level volume is added next to the existing slab, forming an engaging environment that encourages social interaction. Carving into the existing structure creates a lively street at the lower levels. The ground and first floors serve multiple purposes, providing spaces for medical specialists, co-working environments, and kindergartens. This layout helps blend various activities and invites residents to engage with one another.

Connecting Volumes
A key feature of the design is the way the new and existing structures are interconnected through small bridges on the first and second floors. This approach enables apartments to share spaces across different levels, allowing for variations in size and configuration. Families can easily transition between units as their needs change, reflecting a responsive design that accommodates diverse lifestyles.

Framework for Flexibility
The design includes a structural framework in the new volume that supports studio extensions, allowing for adaptable living spaces. This flexibility enables units to grow or shrink as required, making the architecture responsive to the ongoing demands of its residents. Such a design aspect highlights the project’s focus on resilience, serving as a model for future developments in urban housing.

Public Realm Integration
Attention to public spaces is central to the design. The inclusion of courts and alleys at ground level fosters small play areas, gardens, and micro-orchards, bridging personal and shared spaces. This relationship with green areas promotes accessibility and enhances community engagement, inviting residents to interact with both nature and each other.

The layout results in a thoughtful combination of private and shared living, featuring a flow between spaces that encourages both interaction and tranquility within the urban setting.

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