This competition is part of a strategic partnership between Buildner and ArchDaily that aims to explore "The Contemporary Home".

Learn more

Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Museum of Emotions

It may not be your first instinct when entering a building to consider how it makes you feel, but architecture has always had a significant impact on emotions. Different spaces are designed to evoke different feelings in their inhabitants; offices can make you feel energized 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 the others and is far more than just a building. 

As part of a series of annual architecture competitions, the Museum of Emotions competition tasks participants with using architecture as a tool to evoke different emotions. They are asked to design a museum that includes two separate halls that elicit contrasting emotions—one inducing negative emotions and the other inducing positive emotions.

Participants are free to choose the specific emotions they wish to evoke through their designs—fear, anger, anxiety, love, happiness, laughter, and more. The purpose of the Museum of Emotions is to use architecture as the primary medium for creating emotional states through careful consideration of spatial scale, circulation, color, lighting, and material choices. 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 #9 is the ninth edition of Buildner's silent competition series, in which participants must communicate their ideas without the use of any text. The design concept and the thinking behind it must be conveyed solely through 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 competition brief is available for download at any time in the following languages: English, Italian, French and Spanish

FULL COMPETITION BRIEF [ENG] [FR] [IT] [ES]

Download brief

Prizes

Prize fund

8,000 €

1ST PLACE

4,000 €

2ND PLACE

2,000 €

3RD PLACE

1,000 €

Buildner Student Award

1,000 €

(more details)

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
&

Jury

The jury panel for Museum of Emotions / Edition #9 Architecture Competition has not yet been published. Buildner is committed to selecting the most qualified industry professionals to comprise its jury panels. These panels include architects and experts from related fields to ensure fair and objective evaluation of all entries. All communication regarding the competition should be directed exclusively to Buildner staff. Explore some of the names featured in previous Buildner competition jury panels:

Norman Foster

Norman Foster Foundation

Spain

Philippe Starck

Creator

France

Farshid Moussavi

Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA)

United Kingdom

Alison Brooks

Alison Brooks Architects

UK

Lyndon Neri

Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

China

Nathalie De Vries

MVRDV

Netherlands

Amanda Levete

Founder, AL_A

 

Francine Houben

Founding Partner, Mecanoo

Netherlands

Ben Van Berkel

Founder and Principle, UNStudio

Netherlands

Lucy Tilley

Adjaye Associates

UK

Fernanda Canales

Fernanda Canales

Mexico

David Gianotten

OMA -Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Netherlands

Gordon Gill

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

United States

Ece Calguner Erzan

Interiors Principal, SOM

USA

David Basulto

Founder, ArchDaily

Germany

Will Plowman

Partner at Foster + Partners

UAE

Patrik Schumacher

Director of Zaha Hadid Architects

UK

Manuela Gatto

Director, Zaha Hadid Architects

UK

Melodie Leung

Director, Zaha Hadid Architects

UK

Paulo Flores

Director, Zaha Hadid Architects

UK

Charles Walker

Director of Zaha Hadid Architects

UK

Michael Maltzan

Michael Maltzan Architecture

United States

Steven Rainville

Olson Kundig

United States

Roberto Bannura

Steven Holl Architects - SHA

China

Andrew Whalley

Grimshaw

United Kingdom

Eli Synnevåg

Snøhetta

Norway

Jette Hopp

Director, Snøhetta

Norway

Julia Murphy

Managing Partner at SOM

USA

Stefan de Koning

Partner at MVRDV

Netherlands

Doriana Fuksas

Studio Fuksas

Italy

Winy Maas

Founder, MVRDV

Netherlands

Flora Lee

Associate Partner, MAD Architects

USA

Martin Voelkle

Partner at BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group

USA

Thomas Christoffersen

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group

Denmark

Carlo Ratti

Director, MIT Senseable City Lab

USA

Micael Calatrava

Calatrava Grace and Calatrava International

UAE

Christina Seilern

Studio Seilern Architects

UK

Bertrand Schippan

Partner, MVRDV

Netherlands

Beatriz Colomina

Director of Graduate Studies, PhD Program, School of Architecture, Princeton University

United States

Anupama Kundoo

Architect and Professor at TU Berlin

Germany

Moshe Safdie

Safdie Architects

USA

Silvana Ordinas

Founder and Partner, Peter Pichler Architecture

Italy

Vishaan Chakrabarti

Practice for architecture and urbanism: PAU

USA

Deborah Berke

TenBerke Architects

USA

Julien De Smedt

JDS Architects

Denmark

Michael Meredith

Princeton University, MOS

USA

Christele Harrouk

Editor in Chief, ArchDaily

Lebanon

607 jury members

Ask questions to the jury panel directly!

This option is available to registered participants only.

If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.

Ask to all.
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Ask questions about

The brief

Interpretation and intent of the competition brief

Your task

Key themes, priorities, or values considered during evaluation

Design help

General design approach or conceptual direction

Register now — don't fall behind.

  • Ask the jury direct questions
  • Read questions and answers from
    other competition participants

If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.

Personal design assessment

Request an in-depth design assessment of your project after results are announced.

The design assessment highlights each project’s strengths and areas for improvement, giving participants valuable insight into their work. It helps them better understand their submission, compare it to other entries, and identify opportunities for growth in future projects.

Key dates

Send reminders
Closing date for registration
21 January 2027
Competition Q&A deadline
26 January 2027

In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.

No new questions will be answered after this deadline.

Closing date for project submission
22 February 2027
23:59 (LONDON TIME)
Announcement of the winners
13 April 2027
Competition Q&A deadline
26 January 2027

In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.

No new questions will be answered after this deadline.

Registration fees

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EARLY BIRD

22 Jun - 10 Sep

110 €

90 €

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ADVANCED

11 Sep - 12 Nov

120 €

110 €

LAST MINUTE

13 Nov - 21 Jan

140 €

120 €

EARLY BIRD

22 Jun - 10 Sep

110 €

90 €

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ADVANCED

11 Sep - 12 Nov

120 €

110 €

LAST MINUTE

13 Nov - 21 Jan

140 €

120 €

EARLY BIRD

22 Jun - 10 Sep

110 €

90 €

Register now
ADVANCED

11 Sep - 12 Nov

120 €

110 €

LAST MINUTE

13 Nov - 21 Jan

140 €

120 €

+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 ([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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FAQ

Contact us for more questions

Ask questions to the jury panel directly!

This option is available to registered participants only.

If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.

Ask to all.
One collective jury answer
Ask a
specific jury member
Ask questions about

The brief

Interpretation and intent of the competition brief

Your task

Key themes, priorities, or values considered during evaluation

Design help

General design approach or conceptual direction

Register now — don't fall behind.

  • Ask the jury direct questions
  • Read questions and answers from
    other competition participants

If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.

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.
Absolutely not! You’ll always keep full ownership and authorship of your project. Submitting to a Buildner competition doesn’t mean giving up your rights — it simply gives us permission to share and promote your work as part of the competition. We may feature your project on our website, social media, newsletters, books, or exhibitions — all to celebrate your creativity and inspire others. This permission helps us give your work the visibility it deserves, without needing to ask you each time we publish it.
You can add/remove/edit team member information as often as you want in the upload panel, up until the submission deadline. Learn more here - https://architecturecompetitions.com/how-to-add-team-members-after-april-2023
To register, simply click on “Register Now,” fill out all necessary fields, select your preferred payment method, and submit your details. You will be redirected to PayPal or a card payment gateway to settle the competition fee. Upon confirmation of your payment, we will send you an email containing your Unique Identification Code (UIC). You must then log in to your Buildner account using your architecture.info credentials and validate your UIC to complete the process. Learn more here - https://architecturecompetitions.com/how-to-enter-a-competition
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.
Yes. If the jury panel selects a Student award's submission for the top 3, it will automatically be awarded both prizes.
The short answer is yes, you may submit a lpreviously 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.
Will you publish the best projects in any international architectural resources/web-sites/blogs, if so which are they?
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Architecture competitions are a great way to explore subjects we are passionate about, continue developing our creativity and enjoy working on ideas that we might not have the opportunity to address in everyday practice. They are also an excellent way to keep practicing, experimenting, and improving as designers.

HONORABLE MENTION
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Milan Marko M Engström and Benoit Lagarde from France!

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From our point of view, architecture competitions are an opportunity to step outside the routines of everyday practice and explore ideas with greater freedom. They encourage experimentation, challenge us to test our own design approach, and allow us to engage with places, cultures, and architectural questions that we might not encounter in our daily work. The Iceland Slow Sauna competition was particularly appealing because of its unique setting and intimate scale, inviting a thoughtful response to both landscape and atmosphere. Competitions also provide a valuable space for collaboration. As this is our first competition as a team, it allowed us to develop ideas together, combine our individual perspectives, and discover how we complement each other throughout the design process. At the same time, competing alongside participants from around the world motivates us to continuously improve and learn from different ways of thinking about architecture. Regardless of the outcome, we believe every competition is worthwhile. Each project strengthens our design process, sharpens our ability to communicate ideas, and teaches us something new about architecture and ourselves. Every challenge becomes another step in our professional development, giving us greater confidence and a deeper understanding that we can carry into future projects. We see competitions as an essential part of our growth as architects and hope to continue participating regularly in the years to come.

HONORABLE MENTION
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Ilira Salihu and Julius Maria Meier from Switzerland!

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For me, architecture competitions are more than a way to win projects. They are opportunities to challenge my own limits, refine my thinking, and continuously develop as an architect. Competitions are also an open platform for engaging with society, cities, the media, and the public through architecture. They allow us to respond to contemporary issues, communicate ideas, and explore new possibilities for architecture and the public realm.

HONORABLE MENTION
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Park Juseok from South Korea!

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Competitions allow us to continue an ongoing design dialogue beyond the constraints of commercial practice. They provide a space to experiment, test ideas and develop our own architectural voice. While recognition is rewarding, the process of exploring a clear idea from brief to proposal is what we value most.

HONORABLE MENTION
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Samuel Kearney Caplice and Patrick Doyle from Ireland!

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One of the reasons I enjoy architecture competitions is that they allow me to explore ideas that don't always fit within everyday practice. They allow designers to work with greater freedom, respond to unfamiliar contexts, and place their ideas within an international architectural conversation. The Iceland Slow Sauna competition was especially interesting because the program was small, but it involved many different elements: heat, water, vegetation, weather, privacy, and landscape. Receiving an Honorable Mention was very encouraging, but I also valued the design process itself. It gave us the chance to think carefully about how such a small building could still create a rich spatial experience.

HONORABLE MENTION
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Yizhao Li, Rundong Ying and Michelle Wang from United States!

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I participate in architecture competitions to be able to explore topics or develop skills that I am not currently otherwise working on.

HONORABLE MENTION
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Luke Yaeger Mcdonell from United States!

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Architecture competitions give designers the freedom to explore new building types, challenge conventions, and test ideas that may not be possible within the constraints of commercial projects. They create opportunities to experiment with new concepts, materials, and ways of thinking, pushing both the designer and the discipline forward.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Jordan Paul Scheuermann from United States!

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We participate in architecture competitions because they offer a space for experimentation, research and reflection, beyond the constraints of a conventional commission. They allow us to test ideas, question our methods and develop architectural proposals with a strong conceptual and material focus. This competition is particularly meaningful to us because it deals with micro-architecture and the program of the sauna, two subjects that strongly resonate with our practice. We are interested in small-scale architectures where every decision becomes essential: the relationship to the site, the use of materials, the construction process, the atmosphere, and the experience of the body in space. The sauna is a program that we find especially rich, as it connects architecture to ritual, climate, materiality and sensory experience. It is a place where heat, light, texture, intimacy and landscape can come together in a very direct way. For us, this type of project is an opportunity to explore architecture at a concentrated scale, where simplicity, precision and sensitivity are fundamental.

3RD PRIZE
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Marty Ilievski and Clément Vignes from France!

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Architecture competitions are an opportunity to collaborate, conduct research, and contribute to architectural discourse. They allow architects to explore questions that may not emerge within conventional commissions and to develop ideas that push beyond established norms. Often, speculative and unbuilt proposals become a means of revisiting, refining, and expanding upon ideas that emerge from longstanding interests and research. Even when a proposal is not realised, the concepts developed through competitions can continue to evolve, generate conversation, or find their way back into projects down the line.

2ND PRIZE
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Jeremy T Anderson and Pascal Henle from Australia!

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We decided to participate in this architecture competition as an opportunity to challenge ourselves, think freely, and grow as future architects. As we approach graduation, it felt like the right moment to apply what we have learned in a real design context, explore ideas beyond the academic framework, and begin sharing our work with the architectural community.

1ST AND STUDENT AWARD
Competition Iceland Slow Sauna
Authors

Prusha Kadir, Joel Jansson and Emil Sandström from Sweden!

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