Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Reflective Metal Canopies over Elevated Play Platforms in a Forest Setting

Author:
Wanyu Yang
Reflective Metal Canopies over Elevated Play Platforms in a Forest Setting
Explore the full project presentation!
Subscribers only
Suspended above the forest floor, elevated platforms with reflective metal canopies create engaging play spaces that seamlessly integrate with the natural environment, serving as a visitor center for recreational and educational activities.
5 key facts about this project
01
Elevated platforms designed for various functions enhance visitor engagement with the forest.
02
Reflective metal canopies provide sunlight and visual harmony within the landscape.
03
A multi-level layout allows for diverse viewpoints of the surrounding national park.
04
Interactive columns serve both as structural supports and play features for children.
05
Open playground spaces are incorporated within the visitor center layout for recreational use.

The design titled "Forest in The Forest" is located within a national park, offering a blend of artificial structures set against the backdrop of nature. This project serves as a visitor center that embodies the idea of an artificial forest, mimicking the growth patterns of trees. The structure resembles a tree house and is elevated, providing visitors with varying heights and perspectives to engage with the surrounding landscape.

Design Concept

The overall design is organized into a multi-level arrangement with four distinct sections, each designated for different functions. This layout supports diverse activities, whether for families or educational groups, and offers spaces for leisure and interaction. The differing elevations of the platforms enhance visitor experience, allowing people to connect with the park from various viewpoints while encouraging exploration.

Spatial Organization

The project incorporates three platforms that feature enclosed spaces, while a fourth platform serves as an open playground. This arrangement ensures plenty of room for children to play and for families to enjoy camping. Columns within the artificial forest serve both structural and interactive roles. They provide support for the building while also inviting engagement from visitors, blurring the lines between architecture and play.

Pathway Connectivity

Providing access between the platforms is a carefully planned one-way path. Visitors can navigate easily while experiencing the contrasts between the natural and artificial elements of the site. The varied outlines of the roofs, platforms, and houses create a lively visual effect, offering a mix of enclosed and open areas that engage visitors in different ways.

Materials

Materials chosen for construction include glossy metal, highly reflective metal, and glass. These selections lend a modern touch, creating a contrast with the natural surroundings. The reflective surfaces interact with sunlight, adding a dynamic quality to the spaces.

Large windows on the elevated platforms frame expansive views and allow natural light to fill the interiors, creating a sense of being enveloped by nature. The design encourages visitors to appreciate the balance of the artificial and the natural, inviting them to explore and engage with the environment.

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

Enter an open architecture
competition now

Mujassam Watan Urban Sculpture Challenge #8

Mujassam Watan Urban Sculpture Challenge #8

Design iconic urban sculptures for the prestigious Mujassam Watan competition and compete for 50,000 €

50,000 € PRIZE project COMPETITION
Prize 50,000 + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 28 May 2026

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
Rome 
Rain Rooms

Design rain rooms for Rome

ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 28 May 2026
Mujassam Watan 
Urban Sculpture Challenge #8

Design iconic urban sculptures for the prestigious Mujassam Watan competition and compete for 50,000 €

50,000 € PRIZE project COMPETITION
Prize 50,000 + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 28 May 2026
new
Portugal Long Table 
Restaurant

Design a slow-living restaurant in Portugal

project COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 8 July 2026
Pavilion Atlas 2026

Design a story of your country

ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 16 September 2026

Recurring architecture competitions

MICROHOME 2026

Design a new concept of small-scale home and share a prize fund of 100,000€

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #11 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 €
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 27 May 2026
Museum of 
Emotions

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Edition #8 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 18 June 2026
new
Kinderspace

Design a kindergarten of tomorrow

Architecture for Children’s Development #4 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Early bird registration deadline 18 June 2026
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 #3 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 2 July 2026
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
Advance registration deadline 9 July 2026
Underbridge #2

Design housing in underutilized bridge spaces

Affordable Housing Edition #20 ideas COMPETITION
Prize Monetary award
Eligibility Open to all
Advance registration deadline 16 July 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