Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
The Legendary 
Highway 14 Tower
Official partner
The Legendary 
Highway 14 Tower

Buildner is excited to announce the results of The Legendary Highway 14 Tower competition, organized in partnership with the city of De Smet, North Dakota, USA!

Participants were tasked with designing an observation tower and landscape features fitting the natural and historical context of the area, on a site which offers an ideal vantage point for viewing the area's historic natural features while remaining easily accessible for visitors. The project's goal is to enhance visitor experiences and promote local and regional tourism, while also prioritizing accessibility, safety, and sustainability. By focusing on creating a design solution that facilitates a user experience that enables movement, observation, and contemplation of the Silver Lake and Big Slough ecosystem, this project has ambitions to create a harmonious balance between natural beauty and innovative architecture.

Buildner and its jury sought design solutions that are iconic and promote local, regional, and statewide tourism, while adhering to budget recommendations and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. The brief called for proposals using materials, systems, and techniques with low embodied energy and resistance to natural decay, as well as those considerate of modular designs or configurations that facilitate assembly and repair by volunteers. The competition program was flexible, open for modifications and improved development strategies. The design solution should ensure safe visitation during hot summers and freezing winters. Landscape elements with trails and the observation tower will ideally form a paired system and be designed in tandem. The maximum visitor capacity of the viewing platform is 15 people, and the maximum visitor capacity of the entire tower structure is 30 people. Finally, the observation tower should feature one or more observation platforms, each with a floor space of 8 - 12 square meters.

Buildner worked with local and international jury with experiences designing observation towers and other small-scale projects in similar natural contexts: Nina Aalbers is a cofounder of the Rotterdam-based studio, Architectuur MAKEN; Xuanru Chen is a lead architect at Shanghai-based ZJJZ Atelier; Tue Foged is an architect and founding partner of the Copenhagen-based architecture studio EFFEKT; Anne Cecilie Haug is the director of staffing, senior architect, and member of the research and innovation team at the Oslo office of Snøhetta; Kyle Lee is Kingsbury County Commissioner and involved in community projects in De Smedt, South Dakota; Euan Millar is co-founder and director of Icosis Architects, a Scottish design practice specializing in bespoke buildings using natural sustainable materials often set within remote landscapes and locations; Rok Oman co-founded OFIS architects in 1996 where runs a team is based in Ljubljana, Slovenia and Paris, France while also teaching at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design; Tom Schroeder is a senior architect with Patkau Architects and a guest critic / adjunct faculty at the University of British Columbia; and Jan Vondrák Is a cofounder of the renowned Czech studio Mjölk and a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at TUL in Liberec.

Buildner and its jury panel would like to thank all participants for their work and to congratulate the winners and shortlisted participants for their outstanding ideas.

We sincerely thank our jury panel
for their time and expertise

Nina Aalbers

Cofounder at Architectuur MAKEN

Netherlands

Xuanru Chen

architect at ZJJZ Atelier

China

Tue Foged

Founding Partner at EFFEKT

DENMARK

Anne Cecilie Haug

Senior Architect, Snøhetta

Norway

Euan Millar

Cofounder, Icosis Architects

Scotland

Rok Oman

OFIS Architects

Slovenia

Tom Schroeder

Patkau Architects

Canada

Jan Vondrák

Mjölk

Czechia

Kyle Lee

Kingsbury County Commissioner

USA

1st Prize Winner

Project name

Highway 14 Observation Tower

Author
Jordan Paul Scheuermann
Country
United States
  • 9/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 8/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

Karavan historical views

Competitions serve as a platform for us to explore fresh ideas, challenge ourselves, and experiment with cutting-edge design concepts. They grant us the freedom to think creatively and approach problems in unconventional ways, which fosters a culture of innovation within our team. This environment also enables us to continuously refine our skills as we engage with diverse design briefs and problem-solving scenarios, offering a sense of growth and development. Moreover, competitions provide an opportunity to inspire others and, in turn, increase our visibility and recognition within the architectural community and beyond. This exposure can significantly enhance our presence and reputation, amplifying our impact on the field. In essence, participating in architecture competitions resonates with our commitment to innovation, collaboration, social responsibility, and historical preservation. It empowers us to stretch the boundaries of our creativity, advance professionally, expand our professional network, gain acknowledgment, and contribute positively to our society.

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Company
Authors
Roxana-Andreea Irimia
Mihai Bogdan Ionită
Country
Romania
  • 9/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 8/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

Tower 14

I participate in architecture competitions to showcase my design skills and challenge myself with project types I wouldn’t typically see in my day-to-day work. With unconventional programs and unique competition sites that encourage designers to embrace complete creative control, I can explore innovative design ideas and systems that have the potential to transform a project and its community.

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Author
Nicholas Devin Ryan
Country
United States
  • 9/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 8/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

Buildner Student Award

Project name

Archiving Decay : Institutionalization of the forgotten

Before being a competitive space, an architecture competition is a hub where stories and possibilities can be shared. As a student, this competition was an opportunity to expand my understanding of the current situation, in a site that I might never have a chance to work with. The competition brief was our studio brief, and it was an excellent project to explore the unknown, yet, to propose the most sitespecific response as possible for this site. I now learned a lot about a place that I did not know before, and my project is an interpretation of all what I learn about South-Dakota. I really enjoyed to try in resolving issues that I could find and analyses, and I am now very happy to share my opinion with the people who are closely concerned by these issues.

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Author
Natthaphat Chotananwut
Country
Thailand
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
  • 9/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 8/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

Buildner Sustainability Award

Project name

A Tower for Humans and Birds

Architecture competitions are a fundamental tool for experimenting, exploring concepts, and possibilities that allow us to discover new worldviews. They are a true playground where it's possible to build step by step one's identity as an architect and develop a personal design approach.

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Authors
Nicolas Piazza
Nicola Romagnoli
Country
Italy
  • 9/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 8/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

Honorable Mentions

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Project name

Belvedere by Big Slough

I participate in architecture competitions as they can be a rewarding experience and offer me opportunities for professional growth, networking, portfolio enhancement, exploration of ideas and receiving feedback from jury members and peers in the industry.

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Author
Peter Byrne
Country
United Kingdom
Project name

By The Shores of Silver Lake

For us, architecture competitions are a way to work on a project without the constraints or limitations that are often present in a profession setting, which allows us to push and expand the ways we are thinking and making.

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Authors
Isaiah Scharen
Maura Mcdaniel
Country
United States
Project name

De Smet Canvas

As students, participating in architecture competitions gives us a glimpse of how our proposed design can become a reality. It puts us in the mindset of designing something that has a certain potential to be built, which is exciting. It also helps us think uniquely and keeps us constantly improving our skills and designs.

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Authors
Stela Szaboova
Rohit Raman
Country
United States
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
Project name

Passing through

Esteban Alvarez Ruiz: In my debut competition experience, my main aim is to venture into uncharted ideas and cultivate a distinctive thought process. At the same time, I view this as an opportunity to enrich my portfolio with diverse projects, recognizing the inherent value they bring to both personal and professional development. Ilia Aladov: Participating in architecture competitions helps you see things from a different perspective, opens up various opportunities to experiment, and allows you to try something you have not attempted before. By doing so and navigating through the process, it encourages you to find your own approach. This experience helps expand your skills and insights by providing a platform to express yourself. Additionally, it serves as excellent practice for teamwork and leadership.

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Authors
Esteban Alvarez Ruiz
Ilia Alexandrovich Aladov
Country
Netherlands
Project name

Salience

I believe architecture competitions are important to push us as designers and also see how our own skills compare with those around us. Less about competition and more about improving ourselves as designers.

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Author
Micah John Swedeen
Country
United States
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
Project name

Aura tower

It's a great exercise for ingenuity, it promotes thinking differently and it’s a great way to express design philosophy.

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Author
Juan Carlos Anton Garcia
Country
Mexico

Shortlisted projects

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LP001

Pascal Patrick G Simoens
Pierre Guy B Lemaire
Mohamed-anis Gallas
Victor S. H. Willems
Karl Cohen Solal
Belgium

Horizons Edge

Dawson Alexander Broman

North Dakota State University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

Highway 14 Tower, Project Competition

Callum Richardson
United Kingdom

Project ID 191183

Levi Gauge Pfeil

Co-Op Architecture

United States

Heartland Memorial Trail

Tobias Rabold
Anna Lisa Senius
Germany

DE SMET OBSERVATION TOWER

Davide Fabietti

Politecnico di Milano / Polytechnic University of Milan

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Italy

Silver Lake Tower

Fredrik Sletner

Aarhus School of Architecture - Arkitektskolen Aarhus

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Denmark

Archiving Decay : Institutionalization of the forgotten

Natthaphat Chotananwut

Chulalongkorn University

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
Thailand

Salience

Micah John Swedeen

North Dakota State University

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

Transit & delay

Luis Felipe Vasquez Palacios
Gerardo Arturo SÁnchez Figueroa
Rodrigo Pena Macip
Mexico

TOWER 14

Sevag Kourounian

SCI-Arc, Southern California Institute of Architecture

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

Ascension

John Stack Ross

Mississippi State University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

Pathway Posts

John Stack Ross

Mississippi State University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

The Cycle

Behzat Emir Acar
Gizem Yuruk
Turkey

Tower grid hub

Ali Ahmadi
Denmark

Silver Lake Tower

Rafael Ives Ribeiro Fischer
Jordan Perry
Naafiah Miah
United Kingdom

Middle of Somewhere

Zishen Pan
United States

Observation Tower

Manuel Enrique Mendoza Zarate
Nicole Giovanna Rivera Torres
Ecuador

Highway 14 Observation Tower

Jordan Paul Scheuermann
United States

Aura tower

Juan Carlos Anton Garcia
Mexico

By The Way Tower

Karolina Domanska

Lublin University of Technology, Politechnika Lubelska

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

SILO

Ethan Dowling Wu
Adam Elliott Bergman
Joshua Thomas Weber
United States

Conestoga

Andrew Michael Devares
United States

De Smet Canvas

Stela Szaboova
Rohit Raman

Washington State University

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

By The Shores of Silver Lake

Isaiah Scharen
Maura Mcdaniel
United States

Silver Lake, Silver Sky

Vincent Van Leeuwen

Studio Vincent Architecture

Netherlands

Homestead Heights; The Prairies on Reflection

Brandon Bergem
Canada

Tower 14

Nicholas Devin Ryan
United States

Highway 14 Nature Tower

Jeff Jordan
United States

ACROSS DAKOTA

Sapir Faust
Sophie Isabell Krauss
Germany

Leading Your Way

Shuyang Fang
Tianjian Cheng
China

Promenade Tower

Hadi Koohihabibi
Pariya Shahbazi
Parsa Kavosi
Kimia Salimzadeh
United States

Marsh Outpost

Mason Miles
United States

Belvedere by Big Slough

Peter Byrne
United Kingdom

Transition of place

Juseok Park
South Korea

A Tower for Humans and Birds

Nicolas Piazza
Nicola Romagnoli
Italy

Karavan historical views

Roxana-Andreea Irimia
Mihai Bogdan Ionită

AEK LTD srl

Romania

Passing through

Esteban Alvarez Ruiz
Ilia Alexandrovich Aladov
Netherlands

Little Path on the Prairie

Angelina Andriani Putri
Eugene Ong
United States

Aether

Elan Jordan Ergas Lenett
Sigrid Anna Joubert
Canada