Competition introduction

Competition organisers

Milan Affordable 
Housing Challenge

Milan may not be Italy’s capital city, but it stands out as being the most expensive in terms of housing. According to a report by Italian real estate brokerage Tecnocasa Group, if you want to buy a property in Milan, you need the equivalent of 166 Italian salaries. So even if you were magically able to pay no other bills or costs or spend any other money, it would still take the average Italian 13 years to pay off their mortgage in Milan.

 


Often referred to as the economic capital of the country, Milan’s property market is far from economical. It takes an average of 12.8 years to purchase an apartment in Milan, compared to the national average of just 6.9 years.

 


Over the decades, Milan has transformed from a working-class area, to one operated almost entirely by the Milanese mafia, to a cultural and economic hub. However, that transformation has come with some serious consequences. Renovated buildings and a more mixed population has regenerated some neighborhoods and gentrified others, causing house prices to soar and making Milan unaffordable for those in weaker economic and social circumstances.

Buildner architecture competitions is launching its 15th affordable housing competition – “The Milan Affordable Housing Challenge” – tasking architects and designers with creating a concept for affordable housing that can be adapted and located throughout the city. Participants should consider designs that are flexible enough to accommodate different sizes for various inhabitants (families, single professionals, couples, etc) and their varying requirements.



As there are no specific requirements, participants are encouraged to be as creative as possible in the solutions they design, challenging typical ideas of housing, design, and the community at large, while at the same time maintaining a practical element that could potentially see these designs realized.

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.

  • - (!) FULL COMPETITION BRIEF
    • Règles de compétition
    • Reglas de la competencia
    • Regolamento del concorso

Prizes

7,000 €
Total Prize Fund
1st PRIZE
3,000 €
Publications
Certificate of Achievement
2nd PRIZE
1,500 €
Publications
Certificate of Achievement
3rd PRIZE
1,000 €
Publications
Certificate of Achievement
BUILDNER STUDENT AWARD (more details)
1,000 €

+ 50 € ARCHHIVE BOOKS Gift Card  
+ 50 Points Buildner Architecture University Rankings 
BUILDNER SUSTAINABILITY AWARD (more details)
500 €  

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] 

 

Find the extended list of jury panel biographies here!

Andrea D'Antrassi Associate Partner of MAD Architects Italy
Gian Luca Barone Associate Director of Zaha Hadid Architects UK
Tommaso Principi architect and co-founder of OBR Italy
Paolo Brescia architect and co-founder of OBR Italy
Grazia Comai Townshend Landscape Architects United Kingdom
Piermattia Cribiori co-founder of Atelierzero Italy
Søren Leth partner and co-founder of SLETH Denmark
Francesca Perani founder of Francesca Perani Enterprise Italy
Maria Alessandra Segantini founding partner and director of C+S Architects Italy
Michele Rossi Partner and Co-founder of Park Associati Italy

Key dates

Closing date for registration

20 April, 2023

Closing date for project submission

01 June, 2023 (11:59pm London time)

Announcement of the winners

06 July, 2023

Competition Q&A deadline: 26 April, 2023

In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants,
no new questions will be answered after this deadline!

Registration fees

  • Registration Deadline
    27 January - 20 April
  • Architects / Enthusiasts / Companies
    145 €
    This registration provides a complete set of prizes, including certificates of achievement, monetary rewards, and potential construction benefits.
    110 €
    This registration offers a comprehensive set of prizes, including recognition through publicity, certificates of achievement, and potential construction-related benefits, without any monetary awards.
  • Students
    115 €
    This registration provides a complete set of prizes, including certificates of achievement, monetary rewards, and potential construction benefits.
    80 €
    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.

 

Competition results in media

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F.A.Q.

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 Green 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.
The short answer is yes, you may submit a previously published design concept as long as you are the author. Before re-submitting your project, please carefully read the following clarification points listed here - architecturecompetitions.com/resubmit-your-design
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.
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