Hospice - Home for the Terminally ill #5 competition 1st Prize winner - Maximilian Mehl

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 1st Prize winners of our Hospice - Home for the Terminally ill #5 competition – Maximilian Mehl from Netherlands!

Maximilian Mehl

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.

I did my Master of Science in Architecture at TU Delft in the Netherlands. During my studies, I specialised in architectural psychology, learning about the effect that buildings have on human emotions, behaviour, and social interactions. I was fascinated by understanding the impact architecture really has on our lives, beyond functionality or aesthetics. In my current role, I work on projects that range from architecture to interior design, with a focus on concept, materiality, and human experience. I love working on projects where details really matter and where design decisions have a real impact on society.

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?

I have mainly worked on mid-scale projects, because I enjoy being able to keep an overview of most aspects while the project is still complex enough to be an interesting challenge. In my current role, I work at the intersection of architecture and interior design on international projects, focusing on concept development, competitions, material selection, and design development and detailing.

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

Architecture, to me, is not only about function. It is about how a place holds human experience. It can calm us down or overwhelm us, it can support dignity or take it away, and it can make people feel included or excluded. I believe architecture matters most in moments when life is fragile, because it can offer stability, privacy, and connection at the same time. The role of the architect in society is to create frameworks for a better daily life. Architects work between people, politics, budgets, and climate realities, and they have a responsibility to design spaces that are realistic, sustainable, and emotionally intelligent. For me, it is about building environments that respect human scale, reduce unnecessary complexity, and give people the freedom to live with more ease.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

I participate in architecture competitions because they allow me to freely explore and research different topics and to deepen my conceptual and technical skills. I like to use competitions as a tool to experiment with solutions that are difficult to explore in day-to-day practice, and to push myself to be precise under a clear deadline. Competitions also help me build a stronger personal design voice and improve how I communicate an idea in a clear and simple way. For me, it is not just about the result, but about learning through doing and to just enjoy the process.

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

I would advise people to just start. Before I signed up for a competition, I waited for a long time for the right moment when I would have enough time and inspiration, but, to be honest, that moment never really came. One day I simply decided to sign up for my first Buildner competition and figure out the rest along the way, and it worked just fine. Even though it ended with a bit of deadline stress towards the end, I had a lot of fun during the process and I learned a lot, not just about the topic itself, but also about managing my own time and trusting my own skills. Once you finish, you can be proud of yourself, and you may have a great and very personal project that takes you a step further in your career.