This competition is part of a strategic partnership between Buildner and ArchDaily that aims to explore "The Contemporary Home".
Learn moreThe contemporary home
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Introduction
COMPETITION ORGANISERS
It may not be your first instinct when entering a building to consider how it makes you feel, but architecture has always had a big impact on emotions. Different spaces are designed to make their inhabitants feel different things; offices can make you feel energised and productive, art galleries can make you feel thoughtful and curious, and museums can make you feel calm and intrigued. Each of these spaces is completely different from each other and is far more than just a building.
As part of a series of annual architecture competitions, the Museum of Emotions competition is tasking participants with using architecture as a tool to bring out different emotions. They are asked to design a museum that includes two separate exhibition halls that bring out contrasting emotions – one inducing negative emotions, and the other inducing positive emotions.
Participants are free to choose the specific emotions they incite with their designs – fear, anger, anxiety, love, happiness, laughter, etc. The purpose of the Museum of Emotions is to use architecture as the primary tool to create emotional states, through consideration of the scales of the spaces, the journey through the space, colour, lighting, and material choice.
As this is an ideas competition, participants are free to choose any site location, real or imaginary, as well as the size of their structure.
Museum of Emotions / Edition #7 is one of Buildners' silent competitions, in which participants must communicate their ideas without the use of any text. The design concept and thinking behind it must all be communicated solely through the use of visuals.
Download full competition brief for more information!
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.
Brief
The full competition brief can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information will be provided after registration.
Full Competition Brief
Prizes
Prize fund
10,000 €
1ST PLACE
5,000 €
2ND PLACE
3,000 €
3RD PLACE
1,000 €
6 Honourable mentions & certificates
Buildner will acknowledge the outstanding performance of all winners and honourable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.
Publicity campaign
Buildner's publicity campaign offers extensive exposure to the architectural community, ensuring that the results of the competition are seen by a vast audience:
Buildner's two million
The results are published on buildner.com, a leading website in the architecture industry, attracting over one million unique visitors annually. Additionally, the campaign extends to Buildner's social networks, which boast over 800,000 followers combined, and through newsletter campaigns reaching over 200,000 subscribers.
Feature in a book
Winners will be featured in the book.
Interview and movie
Winners will have the opportunity to submit a movie and an interview, boosting their recognizability and helping to build their name in the industry.
Extensive media network
Buildner leverages an extensive network of media industry leaders to publish the competition results. This broadens the audience further, ensuring that participants' work is showcased across multiple platforms known for their influence and reach in the architecture and design sectors.
Publicity
ArchDaily feature
As part of the collaboration between Buildner and ArchDaily, the competition winners will be showcased on ArchDaily, a leading architecture news platform.
This feature will greatly boost the winners' visibility to millions of architecture professionals and enthusiasts worldwide, increasing their chances for new opportunities, attracting new clients, and establishing their reputation in the industry.
Read more about Buildner and ArchDaily partnership
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Meet your jury
Extended list of jury biographiesJury 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]
Stephanie Deumer
Visual Artist
USA
José Luis Pérez Hermo
Coop Himmelb(l)au
Austria
Bartosz Haduch
NArchitekTURA
Poland
Françoise N’Thépé
Françoise N'THEPE - Architecture & Design
France
Andreas Profanter
Architect
Austria
Nuno Pimenta
NUNO PIMENTA
Portugal
Charles Tashima
Studio Tashima
United Kingdom
Yunchao Xu
Atelier Apeiron
China
Key dates
Send remindersClosing date for registration
27 November 2025
Competition Q&A deadline
4 December 2025
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
Closing date for project submission
12 January 2026
23:59 (LONDON TIME)
Announcement of the winners
3 March 2026
Competition Q&A deadline
4 December 2025
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
Registration fees
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 ([email protected]) a request from your university email address and basic information about yourself and your university/school. Only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.
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Architecture competitions newsletter
As this is an ideas competition, participants are free to choose any site location, real or imaginary.
Participants are asked to dedicate one exhibition hall to negative emotions and one to positive emotions. The exact type of emotions for each hall is not defined. Participants may propose multiple positive and negative emotions for each hall.
The exhibitions can be proposed in an outdoor context.
As this is an idea competition, participants may propose alternative approaches to the competition brief, however, we would recommend participants to follow the defined rules asking them to dedicate one exhibition hall to negative emotions and one to positive emotions.
For this competition, participants are not allowed to use any text, including but not limited to concept description room tags (e.g.: reception, exhibition hall, etc.) view names (e.g.: floor plan, section, etc.) scale (e.g.: M 1:500, etc.) or project title. The purpose of the “no text” requirement is to ask participants to communicate their design using only images (sketches, 3D perspectives, diagrams, etc.).
For this competition, participants are not allowed to use any text, including but not limited to concept description, room tags (e.g.: reception, exhibition hall, etc.) view names (e.g.: floor plan, section, etc.) scale (e.g.: M 1:500, etc.) or project title. The purpose of the “no text” requirement is to ask participants to communicate their design using only images (sketches, 3D perspectives, diagrams, etc.).
There are no set rules on how both halls should be separated/connected.
Participants may propose additional functions, however, it is not required.
Artwork may be proposed as part of the exhibition, however, the main project focus should be on the power of architecture to evoke emotional responses.
Celebrate your idea.
Register today!
