Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Rainwater Harvesting and PET Wool Insulation in a Radial Layout Music School Residence

Authors:
Maria Fernanda Fracassi Pietrobelli, Maria Victória De Oliveira Penteado
Rainwater Harvesting and PET Wool Insulation in a Radial Layout Music School Residence
Explore the full project presentation!
Subscribers only
Incorporating a central Araucária and utilizing rainwater harvesting alongside PET wool insulation, the design merges environmental sensitivity with a radial layout to serve as a functional residence and music school for children.
5 key facts about this project
01
Central Araucária serves as a focal point, enhancing the connection to nature.
02
Radial layout promotes interaction between living and educational spaces.
03
Walls incorporate PET wool for thermal and acoustic insulation.
04
Rainwater harvesting systems are integrated into the design.
05
Outdoor patios provide interactive areas for both students and residents.

The design centers around a residence and music school for Cecília, who teaches music to children. Located in Curitiba, Brazil, the design responds to the specific challenges of the area, including its cold climate and ongoing water crisis. The layout employs a radial form to connect living and working spaces, allowing for easy movement and interaction between these different functions.

Design Concept

The layout features a radial organization, creating a relationship between the areas designated for living and working. This arrangement encourages connection while providing practical functionality. Outdoor patios are integrated into the design, offering a space to connect with nature. By including these elements, the design promotes interaction and engagement, which is particularly valuable in an educational setting.

Site Selection and Context

The chosen site is in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, a location that provides access to necessary services while maintaining a mainly residential atmosphere. Surrounding low-rise buildings help reduce noise and allow sunlight to enter the home. A prominent feature of the site is a medium-sized Araucária tree, significant both functionally and symbolically, as it connects the design to the local environment and culture.

Structural Organization

The structure incorporates two curved arch segments inspired by the shape of the Araucária and Casa Oswaldo Navarro. This choice helps to define the spaces while maintaining an organized layout. The roof is designed with beams arranged at 10-degree intervals, creating a pattern that supports the spaces below. Private and social areas are clearly distinguished, allowing for different uses without compromising flow. A defined path promotes accessibility through the home and school, guiding movement throughout the spaces.

Environmental Integration

Design strategies address local environmental challenges, focusing on thermal and acoustic comfort. The walls consist of two sheets of reforestation wood filled with PET wool, a recycled insulating material. This choice illustrates a commitment to sustainability and honors local materials. To further address water scarcity, the design includes a system to collect rainwater through the roof gutters.

A wind chime is hung near the Araucária, providing an auditory landmark that enhances the connection with nature. This detail adds an element of sensory experience to the environment while inviting interaction with the surroundings.

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