Introduction
With the future in such a state of uncertainty and political relationships more strained than ever, there is one silent threat that could end up being more deadly and dangerous to humanity than a hundred pandemics: nuclear weapons.
In 1945, the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending World War II and killing well over 100,000 people, the majority of whom were civilians. The bombing of Nagasaki was the second and final time a country deployed a nuclear weapon in combat. However, it wasn’t the last nuclear explosion, as testing of controlled explosions continued for years.
[left] The Trinity explosion; [right] Wrecked framework of the Museum of Science and Industry in Hiroshima, Japan 1945 © Everett Collection
On the 75th anniversary of the bombing, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue called on Japanese President Shinzo Abe and the central government to sign and ratify the 2017 United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. However, there has been little if any official progress towards an international ban on nuclear weapons since then.
Data from: Arms Control Association Source: Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Kordas, U.S. Department of State, and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
We support the call for a ban on nuclear weapons and as the threat of nuclear bombs is ever present, we are continuing our annual architecture competition to create “The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial”.
The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial / Edition #3 is the third annual competition in which participants are tasked with creating a memorial located within a decommissioned nuclear weapon testing site. In response to the global silence surrounding the issue of nuclear weapons, participants in “The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial / Edition #3” competition must submit their designs with NO DESCRIPTION TEXT. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals. We are asking participants to design a building or structure in which the architecture would do all the talking.
The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial / Edition #3 competition must submit their designs with NO DESCRIPTION TEXT; Choose a site from the list (available for download below) of top testing sites for the world’s strongest nuclear weapons.
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.
The Full Competition Brief
The full competition brief can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information will be provided after registration.



Prizes
7,000 €
3,000 €
1,500 €
1,000 €
1,000 €
+ 50 € ARCHHIVE BOOKS Gift Card+ 50 Points BUILDNER Architecture University Rankings
6 Honourable mentions & certificates
Buildner will 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 an opportunity to submit a movie about themselves. The video will be published on 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.


























Key dates
Send reminders5 November 2023
6 December 2023
11 November 2023
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants,
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
26 January 2024
11 November 2023
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.
Jury
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]