Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Steel Grid Pathways Enhancing Meditation in a Green Retreat

Authors:
Piotr Pańczyk, Magda Palczowska
Steel Grid Pathways Enhancing Meditation in a Green Retreat

Project in-detail

A protective steel grid coupled with ramps invites visitors to engage with a historical barn while promoting contemplative experiences within a meditation retreat surrounded by nature.
5 key facts about this project
01
The design incorporates a lightweight steel structure that wraps around a preserved historical barn.
02
Accessible ramps provide varied perspectives and engage visitors in exploration.
03
A protective grid inspired by an abstract brick motif supports climbing plants and enhances the landscape.
04
Visitor rooms are arranged around shared galleries, promoting solitude without enforced interactions.
05
An automated parking solution minimizes environmental impact while blending into the natural surroundings.

The design known as Touch the Barn is located in a tranquil landscape where it focuses on enhancing the experience of meditation through careful design choices. It preserves a historical barn while introducing a new lightweight steel structure. The overall goal is to encourage a deeper connection between visitors and the environment, creating a space that invites contemplation and reflection.

Concept and Structure

The concept centers on the creation of accessible ramps that wrap around the barn. This arrangement allows visitors to explore the building from different perspectives, engaging with its history while promoting a sense of discovery. The barn undergoes necessary repairs and preservation, ensuring that its original character is maintained and respected within the updated design.

Functional Layout

The meditation camp consists of two main components: the barn and a pension designed for accommodation. The barn includes essential facilities like outdoor meditation spaces, an event hall, a silence chamber, and restrooms. In contrast, the pension is constructed as a single-volume structure, which helps to streamline functionality and reduce maintenance requirements. This layout creates a comforting environment for relaxation and mindfulness.

Visitor Experience

The pension features guest rooms situated around shared galleries. This layout offers direct access to rooms while allowing for solitude, supporting personal reflection. By minimizing enforced social interactions, the design aligns with the intent of creating a peaceful atmosphere ideal for meditation. The thoughtful organization encourages guests to find their own space for contemplation without distractions.

Natural Integration

To lessen environmental impact, an automated parking solution with a compact footprint is incorporated into the design. This parking area is intended to be gradually covered by vegetation, helping it blend into the natural scenery over time. The integration of green elements highlights the relationship between the constructed environment and the landscape, enhancing the overall harmony of the site.

The protective grid, inspired by an abstract brick motif, serves both functional and aesthetic purposes. It ensures the safety of visitors while supporting creeping plants that add life to the landscape, creating a vibrant connection between the architecture and nature.

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