Competition introduction
Competition organisers
Light is one of the most important factors when designing homes, and the use of natural light is vital in creating a space that feels both comfortable, inviting and practical. It could be said that lighting is a form of language that architects can use to communicate emotions in the spaces and structures they design.
As such, shadow plays as much a role in influencing the feel of a space as light. The harmony between light and shadow allows architects and designers to create spaces with depth and texture, creating different moods for different purposes. In many cases, it could come down to the simple placement of a single window or door.
For the Home of Shadows competition, participants are asked to design a home for a hypothetical couple with just one rule - there can be no artificial light within the home. The jury will be looking for designs that study how natural light can influence and shape architectural decisions.
Participants may select any theoretical site for their Home of Shadows and propose a design solution for the fully functional building.
Download the full competition brief for more information!
The competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum). Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English; All information submitted by participants must be in English
Full competition brief
The full competition brief can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information will be provided after registration.
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- (!) FULL COMPETITION BRIEF
- Règles de compétition
- Reglas de la competencia
- Regolamento del concorso
Prizes
7,000 €
Total Prize Fund
1st PRIZE
3,000 €
PublicationsCertificate of Achievement
2nd PRIZE
1,500 €
PublicationsCertificate of Achievement
3rd PRIZE
1,000 €
PublicationsCertificate of Achievement
BUILDNER STUDENT AWARD (more details)
1,000 €
+ 50 € ARCHHIVE BOOKS Gift Card + 50 Points BUILDNER Architecture University Rankings
Publications
Certificate of Achievement
+ 6 HONOURABLE MENTIONS
CERTIFICATE:
Buildner will also acknowledge the outstanding performance of all winners and honourable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.
Publicity campaign
The Buildner’s extensive global publicity campaign for the competition winners:
- "SEEN BY" ONE MILLION Results published on buildner.com - one of the leading websites in the industry and is visited by over one million unique visitors each year.
- "SEEN BY" 800 000 MORE Publications on Buildner's social networks (over 600,000 followers) and newsletter campaigns (over 200,000 subscribers).
- INTERVIEW Exclusive interview published with the results and shared on Buildner's social networks.
- MOVIE The competition winners will be granted and opportunity to submit a movie about themselves. The video will be published on the Buildner's website and social networks.
- MEDIA PARTNERS The competition results will get international art and design media coverage and will be featured in the world’s leading architecture media outlets.
Jury panel
Jury members shall under no circumstances be contacted by competition participants or their representatives. Participants who attempt to contact jury members, shall be disqualified.
All jury members are involved in the evaluation based on their availability at that time. All communication regarding the competition should only be carried out with Buildner staff. For any questions please contact us on [email protected]
Aleksander Saša Ostan
Atelier Ostan Pavlin
Slovenia
Flora Lee
Associate Partner of MAD Architects
USA
Geoff Nees
artist
Australia
Patcharada Inplang
Sher Maker
Thailand
Robert Hutchison
Robert Hutchison Architecture
USA
Thongchai Chansamak
Sher Maker
Thailand
Wu Ziye
co-founder of Mix Architecture
China
Yu-Hsiang Fu
founder and Design Director of fws_work
USA, Taiwan
Guillaume Aubry, Cyril Gauthier, Yves Pasquet
FREAKS
France
Peter Newman
artist
UK
Key dates
Closing date for registration
18 April, 2023
Closing date for project submission
30 May, 2023 (11:59pm London time)
Announcement of the winners
04 July, 2023
Competition Q&A deadline: 24 April, 2023
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants,
no new questions will be answered after this deadline!
Email me reminders about The Home of
Shadows deadlines
Shadows deadlines
Registration fees
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Registration Deadline25 January - 18 April
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Architects / Enthusiasts / Companies145 €Full award package
This registration provides a complete set of prizes, including certificates of achievement, monetary rewards, and potential construction benefits.110 €No monetary award This registration offers a comprehensive set of prizes, including recognition through publicity, certificates of achievement, and potential construction-related benefits, without any monetary awards. -
Students115 €Full award package This registration provides a complete set of prizes, including certificates of achievement, monetary rewards, and potential construction benefits.80 €No monetary award This registration offers a comprehensive set of prizes, including recognition through publicity, certificates of achievement, and potential construction-related benefits, without any monetary awards.
+4.5% VAT
STUDENT REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
Contact us to receive special student rates for group registrations (discount applies for 3+ registrations from one university/school) and to receive further information and support for getting your students involved in architecture competitions. Send us request from your university email address along with basic information about yourself and your university/school. Please note that only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.
Enter the competition!
Register NOWCompetition results in media
F.A.Q.
Competition related questions
In the context of this competition, any light sources besides the sun, moon, and stars are considered artificial light.
In the context of this competition, fire is considered an artificial light source.
The purpose of this competition is to explore the relationship between our built environment and the use of artificial light sources. Participants are encouraged to submit proposals that not only address lighting solutions but also consider the overall functionality of the home and its potential impact on the inhabitants' lifestyles. Since the only permissible light source is natural light, the challenge is to think creatively and come up with solutions that can make the home functional and livable even during nighttime hours. The competition aims to push boundaries and explore new ways of designing homes that are sustainable, functional, and livable with the use of natural light only.
General questions
Click on "register now", fill in all the required fields, choose your payment method and submit your information. You will be forwarded to Paypal or CPS secure payment gateway, to cover the competition fee. Once we receive your payment, we'll send you an email with your username and password to upload your submission directly to the website.
You can add/remove/edit team member information as often as you want in the upload panel, up until the submission deadline.
Only one proposal per registration is permitted. Participants are entitled to register multiple times if they wish to participate in the competition with several proposals.
Yes we are in the process of negotiating with multiple international industry-related media representatives. The list of media partners is constantly updated on our website, please check it regularly to find latest updates.
Yes. If the jury panel selects a Student award's submission for the top 3, it will automatically be awarded both prizes.
Yes. If the jury panel selects a Sustainability award's submission for the top 3, it will automatically be awarded both prizes.
No. Competition entries are evaluated anonymously. The participant registration type is only revealed upon the announcement of the results.
Please contact us – [email protected] and we will address the problem directly.
As AI-generated images may be based on pre-existing work or generated using proprietary algorithms, it is best to check the specific terms and conditions of the AI tool used to generate the image to determine its ownership status. It may also be necessary to seek legal advice to fully understand the ownership rights and any restrictions that may apply. In general, it is not recommended to consider AI-generated images as your sole work or intellectual property unless you have obtained explicit permission to do so.
