Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
The Home of 
Shadows

Buildner is excited to announce the results of its second annual Home of Shadows international architecture ideas competition. 

The competition series is designed to focus on the vital interplay between light and shadow in creating functional and inviting living spaces. It highlights the importance of natural light in home design, essential for creating comfortable, inviting, and practical environments. 

Light is viewed as a language through which architects communicate emotions in their designs, with shadows playing an equally significant role in influencing the ambiance of a space. The balance between light and shadow allows for the creation of spaces with depth and texture, setting different moods for various purposes. Often, this balance can be achieved through the strategic placement of windows and doors.

For this edition, participants were tasked with designing a home for a hypothetical couple, adhering to one primary rule: no artificial light within the home. The jury sought designs that demonstrated how natural light could shape architectural decisions. Participants could select any theoretical site for their Home of Shadows and propose a fully functional building, incorporating essential amenities such as a kitchen, bedroom, living room, bathroom, and a small courtyard.

Buildner worked with a dynamic jury panel boasting a wide range of experiences and expertise: Sarah Broadstock is an architect at London-based Studio Bark; Ophélie Herranz is a Director of Nomos Architects in Madrid; Robert Hutchison is an American practitioner, researcher, and educator whose interests and practice overlap the fields of architecture, art and photography; Roxanne Kaye is a Principal at Cape Town-based SAOTA; Nikita Morell is a specialized copywriter for architects and Founder of Architects WordShop: an online shop dedicated to helping architects with their words; Andrew Maynard is Principal and Architect at Melbourne-based Austin Maynard Architects; Blake T. Smith is an architectural designer and educator based in Brooklyn, New York, where he works as an Associate and Senior Designer at BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group; Daniel Toole is Founder and Principal at Portland-based Daniel Toole Architecture; and Patcharada Inplang and Thongchai Chansamak are the founders of Chiangmai, Thailand-based Sher Maker.

Buildner and its jury panel extend their congratulations to the winning teams and thank all participants for submitting proposals.

We sincerely thank our jury panel
for their time and expertise

Ophélie Herranz

Director, Nomos Architects

Spain

Robert Hutchison

Robert Hutchison Architecture

United States

Roxanne Kaye

SAOTA

South Africa

Nikita Morell

Founder, Architects WordShop

Australia

Andrew Maynard

Principal and Architect, Austin Maynard Architects

Australia

Daniel Toole

Founder and Principal, Daniel Toole Architecture

United States

Blake T. Smith

BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group

United States

Patcharada Inplang

Sher Maker

Thailand

Thongchai Chansamak

Sher Maker

Thailand

Sarah Broadstock

Architect at Studio Bark

United Kingdom

Enter the next competition edition
The Home of 
Shadows

Design a home with no artificial lighting

The light studies. Edition #3 ideas COMPETITION

1st Prize Winner

Project name

Dancing Flow

There are several reasons why participating in architecture competitions is valuable. First, architecture competitions provide a great opportunity to showcase creativity and test innovative ideas. They are appealing because they allow for experimenting with new design approaches and advancing innovative architectural techniques. Additionally, competitions serve as platforms to actualize projects and receive evaluations from experts. This feedback is essential for understanding how one's work would function in real-world environments and for making improvements. Lastly, architecture competitions offer networking opportunities. They connect participants with various professionals such as architects, designers, and interior decorators, providing opportunities for collaboration and enhancing professional expertise. Because of these reasons, architecture competitions are highly regarded and beneficial for architects and professionals in the field, which is why there is significant interest in participating in many competitions.

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Authors
Haneul Kim
Sayun Park
Eunbi Lee
Country
South Korea
  • 9/10 Linework
  • 10/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 9/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 6/10 Annotation
  • 6/10 Text
  • 8/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

2nd Prize Winner +
Buildner Student Award

Project name

The Dance Of Shadows

As an architecture student, I believe that the design opportunities we encounter in school are limited. Architectural competitions, however, push me forward, helping me explore what design can be like under extreme conditions. Additionally, the impact of natural light on architecture is a theme I have always wanted to explore further.

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  • 8/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 9/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 7/10 Text
  • 8/10 Clarity of story
  • 8/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

Shamash - The Shade Of The Sun

We see architecture competitions as an opportunity to push the limits of our thinking and test our strengths in every aspect of working as a group.

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Authors
Mladenka Doric
Miroslav Lukic
Kristina Pajic
Aleksandar Tesic
Country
Serbia
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
  • 8/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 9/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 8/10 Hierarchy
  • 6/10 Annotation
  • 7/10 Text
  • 8/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 8/10 Quality of overall presentation

Buildner Sustainability Award

Project name

Komorebi House

What motivated us to participate in this competition was the proposal: connecting with light as a material of visibility and knowledge. Light-based design questions the design process, inverting the idea of habitat, intimacy, and protection, and challenging the choice of materials and the scope of the technical aspects of elements.

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Author
Natalia Belén Marino
Country
Australia
  • 7/10 Linework
  • 7/10 Quality of drawings
  • 8/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 6/10 Annotation
  • 7/10 Text
  • 7/10 Clarity of story
  • 8/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 7/10 Quality of overall presentation

Honorable mentions

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Project name

Gardens Of Shadows

Competitions provide an opportunity to explore and share innovative ideas. For instance, this competition allows me to investigate the concept of a "Stonehenge house" - an idea I've been curious about and eager to develop beyond just a personal project.

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Author
Quy Phu Nguyen
Country
Germany
Project name

Around the Atrium

Participating in architectural competitions is a form of expression. It gives me the opportunity to explore and develop concepts that excite me while honing skills in design and representation. Especially as I dive deeper into professional practice, competitions can be a breath of fresh air that allows me to keep engaged with my inquisitive side.

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Author
Jeremy James Iannucci
Country
United States
Project name

Follow the Light

We believe that participating in architectural competitions offers several key benefits. It allows us to gain new experience and practice teamwork, which are crucial for our professional development. Competitions also provide an opportunity to add innovative projects to our portfolios, showcasing our skills and creativity. Furthermore, we acquire valuable skills that will be useful in our future work and studies, making us more attractive to potential employers.

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Authors
Daria Zhelizna
Sofiia Tatarkina
Country
Ukraine
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
Project name

Young Street House

Ironically, we take part in architecture competitions to create more opportunities for us to design. The majority of our time spent in practice requires us to deal with the pragmatic aspects of architecture. While that is fulfilling in its own way, competing allows us to be freer in our designs.

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Authors
Gerald Yi En Low
Bo Yi Low
Johnson Ho
Country
Australia
Project name

The story of shadow box

Author
Tae Seong Kim
Country
South Korea
Project name

Home of Shadows

We firmly believe in the importance of exploring new frontiers in design and construction, which drives us to actively participate in various competitions. These competitions offer us a unique platform to experiment and develop innovative approaches that challenge traditional norms and enrich our architectural proposals.

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Author
Denisse Gómez, Oscar Barajas Bga
Country
Mexico

Shortlisted projects

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Light Trap

Linnea Norr
Fredrika Kjällquist Viberg
Rebecka Göransson

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Sweden

Barcelona House

Camil-Antonio Vinasi
Romania

Kibbutz Patio House

Abigail Benouaich
Israel

Komorebi House

Natalia Belén Marino
Australia

Shamash - The Shade Of The Sun

Mladenka Doric
Miroslav Lukic
Kristina Pajic
Aleksandar Tesic

Fakultet Tehničkih nauka u Novom Sadu

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
Serbia

Domus Umbrarum

Thomas Matthew Parker
United Kingdom

Garden Retreat

Aleksa Marinkov
Dragana Kitanovic
Aleksa čuljak
Nikolina Paldrmić

University of Novi Sad - Faculty of Technical Sciences

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Serbia

Dancing Flow

Haneul Kim
Sayun Park
Eunbi Lee
South Korea

Shadow In Shadow

Yaxin Sun
Chenglu Xue
Zijie Wei
United States

Follow the Light

Daria Zhelizna
Sofiia Tatarkina

Warsaw University of Technology , Politechnika Warszawska

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
Ukraine

Introspection

Patrick Petr Ryszard Vesely

Delft University of Technology, TU Delft , Technical University Delft

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Netherlands

Pursuing Light

Justin Beaulieu
Gael Haddad
Canada

KAJO-house

Jatta Hepola

Studio HM Oy

Finland

The Layer Home

Romeu Guimarães
Portugal

FILM - house of moving shadows

Arthur Hamelers
Netherlands

HOUSE OF CURTAINS

Joosep Agu
Jüri Saluste
Ruth Kübard

TTK Univeraity of Applied Sciences

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Estonia

ECHOES OF LIGHT

Ali Arasil
Laveena Sureshkumar
Sarp Tascioglu

Polytechnic of Turin, Politecnico di Torino

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Italy

The Dance Of Shadows

Yufei Dong

Southeast University, China

+142 points Buildner University Rankings!
China

Shadow Shelter

Kim Mark Eum
South Korea

HOUSE FOR A CASTAWAY

Francesco Lovato
Arturo Russo

Politecnico di Milano / Polytechnic University of Milan

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Italy

Penombra

Nils Van Der Velden
Camilla Meloro
Hannah Novotny
Ali Nazari

Politecnico di Milano / Polytechnic University of Milan

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Italy

Contrast

Stefan-Viorel Stoian
Calin-Valentin Chiva

Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism - UAUIM

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Romania

The Canopies

Jae Hyun Yoo
New Zealand

Home of Shadows

Denisse Gómez, Oscar Barajas Bga
Mexico

SHIMMER

Seung Eon Kim
Seungho Cha
Sungmo Choi
South Korea

FOR READERS

Jung Junlee
Minjin Kwon
Chang Woo Lee
South Korea

The story of shadow box

Tae Seong Kim
South Korea

House of Timber and Light

Hala Muntaser Fawzi Al Khrishi
Kanzi Bassam Dahman

American University of Sharjah

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United Arab Emirates

REVERSE CONE

Ahreum Yun
South Korea

Primary House

Shane Michel Joyce
United States

THE MISTY HOUSE

Yifan Jiao
Wanying Liu
Xinyuan Cao
Xin Fang

西安建筑科技大学

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
China

The home of light

Pablo Landeo Mochcco
Peru

SUNDIAL

Angelica Mijancos YÉbenes

Valencia Polytechnic University (Universitat Politècnica de València UPV)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Spain

EL PATIO

Elisa Irastorza Perez
Iker Aizpuru Ortega
Ane Dominguez Cortabitarte
Spain

Καθαρσις , [catharsis]

Vasilis Eliopoulos
Cyprus

Young Street House

Gerald Yi En Low
Bo Yi Low
Johnson Ho
Australia

Around the Atrium

Jeremy James Iannucci
United States

Gardens Of Shadows

Quy Phu Nguyen
Germany

Komorebi Kaleidoscope House

Yasmine Hafza
Turkey

The Diaphane House

Ming-Ang Hsieh
Tsz Yu Choi

The University of Sydney

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Australia