Get inspired!

17,725 architecture projects

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

Tensegrity Structure Utilizing Recycled Steel and Insulation Fabric for Multifunctional Urban Habitat

Tensegrity Structure Utilizing Recycled Steel and Insulation Fabric for Multifunctional Urban Habitat
Explore the full project presentation!
Subscribers only
Utilizing tensegrity construction methods and recycled materials, the design integrates urban habitats with biodiversity features to support sustainable telecommunications infrastructure.
5 key facts about this project
01
Modular design allows for height adjustments based on local ecological conditions.
02
Tensegrity construction minimizes material use while maintaining structural integrity.
03
Incorporates bird-friendly features to enhance urban biodiversity.
04
Utilizes locally sourced materials to reduce carbon footprint and support regional economies.
05
Integrates solar glass for energy generation within the telecommunications framework.

### Project Overview
The ecoTower initiative is a significant advancement in telecommunications infrastructure, designed to support the European telecom network with a focus on ecological sustainability and biodiversity. The design seeks to fulfill functional requirements while ensuring harmony with diverse European biomes, adapting to local environmental contexts.

### Design & Structural Strategy
#### Modular Configuration
The ecoTower employs a modular design strategy that facilitates scalability and adaptability to different environmental conditions. This system allows for a range of configurations in height and functional capabilities, ensuring that each installation is responsive to the specific biome where it is situated. The modularity also simplifies future modifications and expansions as required by evolving telecommunication needs.

#### Tensegrity Framework
Incorporating a tensegrity structure, the design utilizes isolated components under compression, resulting in a lightweight yet robust architecture. This approach significantly reduces the material footprint without sacrificing stability, enabling the towers to achieve impressive heights while maintaining a minimal environmental impact.

### Material Selection
The selection of sustainable materials is critical to the ecoTower's design, encompassing:

- **Gulam**: An engineered wood product utilized in foundational and structural components for strength and resilience.
- **Steel**: A combination of recycled and new steel underpins the tensegrity framework, enhancing durability.
- **Recycled Fabrics**: Used in the tower’s outer skin, these materials contribute to insulation and waste reduction.
- **Wood Rings**: Locally sourced timber forms aesthetic and structural components of the modular sections.
- **Glass**: Integrated photovoltaic glass allows for solar energy production, supporting the tower's operational needs.

These materials not only ensure structural integrity but also promote environmental sustainability through their eco-friendly characteristics.

### Biodiversity Considerations
Emphasizing biodiversity, the ecoTower integrates design elements that facilitate local wildlife habitation. Features include:

- **Bird Deterrents**: Designed to protect avian populations, these mechanisms are particularly focused on supporting insect-eating bird species.
- **Artificial Nests and Burrows**: Constructed areas within the tower cater to various species, enhancing urban ecological balance.
- **Landscape Mimicry**: The design imitates local landscapes to enrich existing ecosystems, thereby promoting biodiversity.

### Renewable Energy Integration
The ecoTower incorporates renewable energy systems including:

- **Wind Turbines**: Strategically placed units harness wind energy to meet the tower’s energy requirements.
- **Solar Glass**: Transparent photovoltaic cells enable solar energy generation, contributing to decreased reliance on non-renewable energy sources.

### Design Flexibility and Ecosystem Adaptation
Customizable height features allow the ecoTower to adapt based on biome characteristics, with potential configurations ranging from 11 meters to 55 meters. Future iterations of the design will benefit from ecological feedback, ensuring that it remains effective in fostering environmental integration. The holistic approach combines the requirements of telecommunications infrastructure with the imperative of ecological stewardship, reinforcing the role of architecture in supporting both technology and nature.

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