Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025 competition Honorable mention winners - TU Wien

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce the Honorable Mention winners of Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025 competition – Noah Schönfellner and Rami Elkashlan from Austria!

Noah Schönfellner and Rami Elkashlan

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

We are Rami and Noah, architecture students at the TU Wien (Technical University of Vienna). Having already completed our Bachelor’s degree there, we are currently pursuing our Master’s. For quite some time, we have been working intensively as a team to solve architectural challenges and develop designs both within university studios and beyond. This is not the first time we are submitting a project to a competition, as we consider these platforms a source of invaluable feedback.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

We enjoy covering the entire architectural spectrum, from small-scale pavilions to utopian, city-defining concepts. Throughout all our collaborative projects, one common thread stands out: a reference to nature. In doing so, we draw from various aspects, whether it be organic from or biological functionality.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

"What people need in our time is not something which has an interesting form, but something which is in harmony with the forest” – Kengo Kuma

This quote perfectly represents what we believe architecture should strive for. It is not just about striking forms, but about ensuring the entire work, including materiality, the users and the environment, exists in harmony. In our view, achieving this balance is an architect’s most noble duty.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We view competitions as a vital opportunity to critically question our ideas, evolve our designs and contribute to a broader architectural discourse. Looking beyond the “bubble” of our own university and encouraging an international exchange of information is, in our opinion, essential for personal growth and for professionalizing our collaboration.


What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

If you can afford it and feel comfortable with your project, do it. It is an educational experience and an excellent way to gauge your work within a global context while learning from the perspective of others.