International Architecture Competition

Berlin Affordable
Housing Challenge

Affordable Housing Series #12

Results

Foreword

Competition organisers

Berlin Affordable 
Housing Challenge

Official Partners

Berlin Affordable 
Housing Challenge

The Berlin Affordable Housing Challenge is part of Bee Breeders’ Affordable Housing competition series. Run in partnership with ARCHHIVE BOOKS, this competition tasked participants with submitting innovative design proposals for tackling Berlin’s housing crisis.

Germany’s new government, formed in 2021, has vowed to make affordable housing a centerpiece of its agenda. Berlin, the capital city and the country’s center of gravity for entrepreneurship and new business, is in particular feeling extreme housing market pressures. According to an article published by NPR during the period of this competition, eight out of 10 city residents are now renters, where rent has increased 42% since 2016, and where an average of 40,000 new residents arrive each year.

Bee Breeders’ Affordable Housing design series posits that there is no one right answer to making housing affordable. Today, a host of new ideas and platforms are enabling people to own or purchase homes. These creative methods include everything from community co-living facilities, to 3D-printed homes, stackable modular homes and new forms of transit-oriented development.

There were no specific design or site requirements for this competition. Proposals were requested to be flexible, enabling accommodations for a variety of inhabitant types: single professionals, couples, families, or group living. The brief sought designs for a pilot-phase concept for affordable housing, which could be carried out within Berlin to increase its housing stock.

Bee Breeders collaborated with a regional and international interdisciplinary jury panel. The full panel included: Enlai Hooi, the Head of Innovation at Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects in Copenhagen, Denmark; Samuel Gonçalves, founder of SUMMARY, an architectural practice based in Porto, Portugal; Maya Mahgoub-Desai the Chair of Environmental Design at OCAD University and a practicing Urban Designer and Planner with Moriyama Teshima Architects; Alexander Sacharow of Berlin-based Penthaus à la Parasit, a political advisor, activist and artist whose fields of expertise are housing, economics and foreign policy; Andreas Tjeldflaat, Norway-based founder of Framlab and a member of the Real Estate Market advisory group for UNECE; and Jakob Wirth of Berlin-based Penthaus à la Parasit, an artist, activist and sociologist whose work focuses on public space.

Selected winning designs will be featured in ARCHHIVE BOOKS’ next issue of its publication series What is Affordable Housing? Bee Breeders and its jury panel thank all individuals and teams that submitted proposals.

Enter the next
competition edition!

ideas COMPETITION
Los Angeles Affordable Housing Challenge
Affordable Housing Series #16

Design affordable housing solutions in Los Angeles

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 07
Sep 07
Nov 01
Register now

Berlin Affordable
Housing Challenge

Affordable Housing Series #12
1st Prize Winner

Project name

Roofs of Berlin

Authors

Moritz Maier
Ruonan Wang

Germany

Jury feedback summary

According to the jury, Roofs of Berlin is a “compelling and considerate proposal with the potential to infuse new life and character into existing buildings. It demonstrates the potential of using existing building structures in Berlin to create additional housing, and it shows a deep insight into the challenges of the specific site in question (roofs) and illustrates how the idea of self-help still can play a role despite ever increasing technical demands. It presents a unique proposal for combining a creative building design with a potentially viable associated ownership model. The flexible and adaptable expanding unit system caters to diverse family units and the potential for those families to expand or contract. The functional programming is well-considered as is the provision of some outdoor respite. The compelling visualizations present the spaces as pleasant and uncompromised by the height and scale of the proposal. Although the proposal proposes a thoughtful strategy for construction, there would be various additional complexities to building on such a large, existing, and centrally located structure and providing a safe and desirable means of circulation to and from the rooftop units would also need to be carefully considered. Additionally, there may be several complexities to managing a communally-owned property as well as mitigating the risk of such units becoming highly desirable premium penthouses over time.”

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

EXTRA - In the light of shadows

Authors

Ana Richter de Arce
Jakob Fischer

Germany

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Competitions usually have fewer design restrictions than other types of architectural work. It gives you the liberty to look at things from a different angle and you have the chance to come up with unconventional solutions. We belief this practice is important to generate innovation and we enjoy being part of it.

Jury feedback summary

EXTRA - In the Light of Shadows addresses a ubiquitous class of post WW2 buildings which deserve a deeper consideration for the question of addressing the housing crisis in Berlin. According to the jury: “These buildings are often in urgent need for improving energy efficiency and renovation. The proposal demonstrates how this can be combined with creating additional housing and thereby combining the challenges of affordable housing with the need to improve housing stock in the fight against climate change.  The plans and visualizations demonstrate comfortable and spacious interiors and rational spatial organization that would cater to various living situations. However, it is in need of a more convincing argument as to why current residents would desire to so completely alter their homes. Challenges that may arise could be related to the complexities of modernizing and retrofitting an existing space, structure and design. Difficult to verify in terms of practicality, it is an interesting provocation nevertheless.”  

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

Shaking hands

Authors

Alexander Starikov
Evgeniy Chebyshev
Evgeniy Goman
Anna Isaeva

Company

Syntaxis

Russian Federation

Jury feedback summary

Shaking Hands proposes a building typology in the form of a long-span bridge that pairs ground level commercial shopping facilities with three or four levels of residences - a hybrid to promote urban connectivity. The choice of material is half-timbered construction, often used in Germany, in which walls are constructed of timber frames and the spaces between the structural members are filled with various other materials. The staccatoed series of sloped roofs are meant to provide surfaces for solar panels, while also establishing a dynamic urban skyline that references the human scale. According to the jury: “The building design allows its implementation in unconventional areas, without any cost to the municipality, while working at the same time as public space connectors. Considering the cost of the land in Berlin, even if these buildings become more expensive in terms of structural components, the solution remains smart and economically friendly.”

BB GREEN AWARD +
ARCHHIVE STUDENT AWARD

Project name

EPAL Haus Berlin

Authors

Hyosik Kim

University

Dongguk university
+122 points Buildner University Rankings!

South Korea

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

I think competition is a stage for the young architect. As an architecture student, I want to prove myself and measure my designing level through worldwide competition.

Honorable mentions

VIEWclose HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Project Name

Wall Living Stations

Country

Germany

Project authors

Monika Rudnicka

Project Name

3S HOUSING

Country

South Korea

Project authors

Yun-jeong Na
Park Kahyun
Seo Eunji

Project Name

Dwelling: Intertwined

University

Lunds university
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

Sweden

Project authors

Kaylee Lamb
Alexander Johnsson
Palina Siarheyeva
Kristina Striewe

Project Name

Urban Shelf

Country

Turkey

Project authors

Asli Aydin
Yining Cong
Karla Citlalli Contreras Marin
Liujun Chen

Project Name

W-Bahn living

Company

Dialectica (spectrum group)

Country

Russian Federation

Project authors

Michail Davydov

Project Name

FROM COMMERCIAL TO COMMON

Country

Germany

Project authors

Maura Schmitt
Mascha Creutz
Jenny Neubig

Shortlisted projects

VIEWclose Shortlisted projects

Australia

University of Canberra

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
daniel connors

Australia

University of Canberra

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
paulo sembrano

Russian Federation

Dialectica (spectrum group)

michail davydov

Bangladesh

rifat mahzabin
md nazmul hossain

Turkey

asli aydin
yining cong
karla citlalli contreras marin
liujun chen

Germany

mohammadreza abbaspourmeskin

Finland

The Technical University of Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, TU Berlin

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
ossi kunnas

Spain

Polytechnic University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
nouhaila zergane
maia villanueva

Germany

maura schmitt
mascha creutz
jenny neubig

China

hanyu zheng

United States

Draw architecture + urban design

tianyi han
prajakta thipsay
jenny morrill
madison irwin

Germany

Technische Universität Darmstadt, TU Darmstadt

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
vanessa jansen

United Kingdom

Cardiff University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
christina hristova
macourley james
dan gibbons

Germany

ana richter de arce
jakob fischer

United Kingdom

University of Edinburgh

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
ioanna peponi

United Kingdom

University of Edinburgh

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
sophie ho
mhairi dickie
runqian lu

United Kingdom

University of Edinburgh

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
geon yeong kim
poyen huang
ching en lin

Russian Federation

Syntaxis

alexander starikov
evgeniy chebyshev
evgeniy goman
anna isaeva

Sweden

mutaz alabtah
mariia khalimon
batool alkheder

Germany

moritz maier
ruonan wang

Italy

Gate architects

antonella marzi
viviane viniarski
jose gerardo ponte

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
max strömberg bååth
alva stenlund
alexis chastain
leonard florian anton

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
raphael börlin
sara mohtadi
oscar kylmä

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
kaylee lamb
alexander johnsson
palina siarheyeva
kristina striewe

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
carlota de haan
amanda lagerkvist
johanna schweitz fåhraeus
amir ebrahimian

Russian Federation

ivan kozyrenko
arina kim
anastasia manjak

Canada

joseph loreto
ramsey leung

Spain

rubén ortega gonzález
alejandro rausell olivares
bernardo esquembre hernández
cristina sequero barrera

Germany

monika rudnicka

United Kingdom

University of Bath

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
alex cook

Vietnam

Hanoi Architectural University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
the quang ngo
hoang minh tran
ngoc anh chu thi
viet anh pham

United States

Lawrence Technological University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
douglas furia

Netherlands

Derksen windt architecten

david windt

South Korea

yun-jeong na
park kahyun
seo eunji

South Korea

Dongguk University

+122 points Buildner University Rankings!
hyosik kim

Iran

ali andaji garmaroodi

Iran

Islamic Azad University of Khorasgan Branch

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
erfan shakibaei
ali shakibaei
mohammadhossein salmani
avaa ranjbar

United Kingdom

zifeng ye
zixuan xiong

Iran

mehrave mokhtarian
hanie norouzi

Australia

peter willett
yuelei (lorraine) li
cindy lin
 

Open architecture competitions

  • Closest Deadline first
  • Project competitions first
    Selected winning projects have the potential to be constructed
  • Ideas competitions first
    Experimental competitions with the focus on pushing the boundaries of creativity
ideas COMPETITION
The Architect's Chair
Edition #1

Take a seat and make a statement!

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 06
Sep 06
Nov 01
ideas COMPETITION
Beyond Isolation: Senior Housing
Senior living. Edition#2

Reimagine senior living spaces

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 08
Sep 08
Nov 02
project COMPETITION
The Legendary Highway 14 Tower
South Dakota, USA

Design an iconic tower for De Smet, South Dakota, USA

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + POTENTIAL TO BE REALISED
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 09
Sep 12
Nov 03
project COMPETITION
Iceland Beer Spa

Design a beer spa in Iceland's captivating landscape

Prize: MONETARY AWARD + POTENTIAL TO BE REALISED
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 14
Sep 14
Nov 08

Reccuring architecture competitions

ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
Museum of Emotions
Edition #4

Use architecture to create different emotional states

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Sep 27
Nov 28
Jan 30
ideas COMPETITION
Silent contest
For this competition, NO DESCRIPTION TEXT is allowed. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals.
The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial
Edition #3

Design a memorial that speaks to the cause of ending all nuclear weapons programs

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 26
Sep 03
Nov 05
ideas COMPETITION
Workplace Reimagined
Edition #3

Redefine the future of workspaces

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Sep 14
Nov 16
Jan 18
Run repeatedly
Los Angeles Affordable Housing Challenge
Affordable Housing Series #16

Design affordable housing solutions in Los Angeles

Prize: MONETARY AWARD
Eligibility: OPEN TO ALL

registration deadlines

Remind me
Jun 07
Sep 07
Nov 01
Register now

Please enter your email address to receive download link

Thank you!

The download link will be sent to your email shortly

please check the spam folder
in case you can not find it
OK

Competition results

MICROHOME

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #4
Hong Kong 
Pixel Homes

Hong Kong Pixel Homes

Affordable Housing Series #2
To access competion downloads please enter your email address:
OK
To access competion downloads please enter your email address:
OK
This website uses cookies for enhancing the user experience and tracking usage statistics.
More information is available in our Privacy Policy.