URBAN SCULPTURE
CHALLENGE

Ideas competitions feed the conceptual dimension of my work and extend a practice of installation carried out for contemporary art festivals. Each site becomes the occasion for a new gesture, a new reading of material and landscape. This continuous dynamic of experimentation, research and reflection lies at the heart of my way of conceiving architecture as an open field.

Competitions give me an opportunity to explore ideas that might not emerge within the constraints of a conventional project. They provide a space for experimentation, to question assumptions, test new approaches and develop a strong architectural idea without being immediately constrained by budget, programme or established processes. I also see competitions as a form of creative research. They allow me to explore subjects that genuinely interest me, develop my design thinking and communicate an idea in a very concentrated way. Winning is obviously rewarding, but I don't see it as the only measure of success. The process itself, researching, designing, questioning and refining an idea, is valuable because it continually pushes me to become a better architect.

We participate in the competition to stay informed about the most up-to-date technologies and developments in architecture and to remain actively engaged with the architectural academic community. Although working remotely and not being physically together presented challenges, the experience pushed us to overcome communication barriers, strengthen our collaboration, and develop a more effective way of working together.

We participate in architecture competitions because they are one of the best ways to test our creativity to its fullest potential, often with fewer limitations than conventional professional practice. Competitions give us the freedom to explore ideas, question established solutions, experiment with different scales and approaches, and challenge ourselves to go beyond what we already know. For us, competitions are not only about winning. They are also opportunities for experimentation, learning, creative freedom, and professional growth. Each competition allows us to explore ideas that might otherwise remain only possibilities.

I participate in architecture competitions as a way to experiment in architecture adjacent fields. Because I spend most of my time designing traditional architecture, I typically select competitions which offer me opportunity to explore other areas of design. The Mujassam Watan Challenge was the perfect mix between art, architecture, and urban design.

We participate in architecture competitions because they give us the freedom to wear our wings and fly beyond the limitations of conventional submissions. It is a great way to explore ideas without the usual constraints of practice, while also testing our abilities, challenge our thinking, and design for different purposes, contexts, and scales.

Competitions give us a focused setting in which to pursue questions we care about. A shared brief, a specific site, and a deadline allow us to develop an idea intensively and test how it holds together spatially, materially, and technically. We are particularly drawn to briefs that open a conversation between architecture and other fields. Stone Waymark offered an opportunity to explore how sculpture could also create inhabitable space, and how a roadside landmark could address both speed and stillness. We value competitions when the work produces knowledge that can continue into future projects and collaborations.

I entered this competition because it brings together the fields that have shaped my professional path: architecture, scenography and strategic design. It also invited me to explore these disciplines at a scale I had never worked with before. For me, this was an opportunity to challenge myself, expand my creative process and imagine possibilities beyond the limits of everyday practice.

In our view, engaging in architecture competitions is a means of keeping the creative process active and exploring architectural typologies that are not part of our daily routine.


Competitions create room for freedom and experimentation. They allow me to test new technologies, explore unfamiliar design methods and develop ideas that everyday practice may leave little space for. They also help me understand where I stand as an architect: what I do well, where I need to improve and which direction I want to take next. Recognition matters, but the process itself can sharpen my judgement and reveal assumptions I need to question. When the results are published, I am also curious to see how others have understood the same brief. Their proposals can reveal an unexpected reading of the problem and open up possibilities I would not have discovered on my own.

Architecture competitions give us the freedom to explore ideas, challenge conventional solutions, and develop concepts driven by culture, place, and narrative. For us, they are also an opportunity to explore how local stories, memories, landscapes, and traditions can be translated into contemporary architecture. The process encourages experimentation, collaboration, and continuous development of our design thinking.

We participate in architecture competitions because they give us the freedom to explore ideas beyond the usual limits of a project. They allow us to challenge ourselves, test different design approaches, and think more openly about architecture, culture, and public space. Competitions are also an important way for us to grow as a young studio, develop our design identity, and learn through the process.

Architecture competitions offer an opportunity to engage openly and generously with design questions. They provide a space for experimentation and growth, both through the design process itself and through comparison with the different approaches that emerge once the results are published. It is always fascinating to see how many distinct directions can arise from the same brief.

We participate in architecture competitions because they give us the freedom to explore ideas beyond the constraints of conventional practice. They allow us to question familiar approaches, bring together different perspectives, and develop new ways of thinking about architecture and place.

Competitions are an exceptional way to challenge yourself and to push the limits of your own creativity, free of the constraints that shape commissioned work. Equally valuable is what happens after the entry is submitted. Seeing how other entrants have read the same brief and the same site, and how differently they have chosen to answer it, teaches you more about your own thinking than any single project can. Every competition leaves you a better architect than it found you.

“Try to understand the genius loci & catch the identity of the existing culture”

Competitions are part of our everyday practice. They carry uncertainty, and with it, unknown possibilities. When the site is far away — somewhere you may never have set foot — correctly understanding and interpreting the brief becomes everything. WUA is unusually well placed for this. Our team spans Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and on this project our Saudi summer intern, Lama Sultan, carried out the crucial work of cultural interpretation. Her deep research throughout the design process ensured that our proposal genuinely reflects what this important site means within its local culture. That kind of learning is, to me, a permanent part of the architect's role.