Introduction
Buildner is pleased to announce the results of its fourth annual Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial competition.
This competition is held each year to support the universal ban on nuclear weapons. In 2017, on the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which claimed the lives of over 100,000 people, the United Nations adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In recognition of this significant treaty, Buildner invites conceptual designs for a memorial to be located on any known decommissioned nuclear weapon testing site. As a ‘silent’ competition, submissions are not allowed to include any text, titles, or annotations.
Buildner collaborated with a distinguished international jury panel, featuring Flora Lee, Associate Partner of MAD Architects' Los Angeles office; Olha Kleytman from SBM Studio in Kharkiv, Ukraine; Paul Monaghan of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris | AHMM in London; UK artist Peter Newman; Vincent Panhuysen, co-founder of KAAN Architecten in the Netherlands; British architect James Whitaker; and Wu Ziye, head of Mix Architecture in China.
Buildner and the jury congratulate the winning and shortlisted teams and extend their gratitude to all participants for their time and dedication to this exceptional competition.
We sincerely thank our jury panel
for their time and expertise
Flora Lee
Associate Partner, MAD Architects
USA
Olha Kleytman
Founder of SBM studio
Ukraine
Paul Monaghan
Executive director and Head of Design Studio AHMM
United Kingdom
Peter Newman
artist
UK
Wu Ziye
co-founder of Mix Architecture
China
Vincent Panhuysen
KAAN Architecten
Netherlands
James Whitaker
Founder of Whitaker Studio
United Kingdom
Enter the next competition edition
Design a memorial that speaks to the cause of ending all nuclear weapons programs
1st Prize Winner
Hidden Forest
Architectural competitions are an open field to share ideas and rethink with an optimistic view the future in which we want to live. Every competition is like a celebration, a new opportunity to learn and to challenge your own ideas together with other architects.
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Germany
Jury feedback summary
The project showcases a crater filled with a forest, where trees are arranged in concentric circles along the stepped slopes of the crater. At its center lies a body of clear water, with the stepped terrain extending into it. The forest creates the impression of a hidden oasis, contrasting sharply with the surrounding brown, arid, almost desert-like landscape.
I appreciate the duality of the designs - its sustainability and its ever changing growth.
Flora Lee / Buildner guest jury
Associate Partner, MAD Architects, USA
The contrast with the desert provides the necessary potential to the desire to explore this abyss, following the winding road all the way down to the lake. It is great that one is able to interact with the memorial, making thousands of steps and observing new breathtaking views with every step, and which will vary throughout the year with the changing leaf colors. The way to implement this project is crystal clear and its sustainability and eco-friendliness are absolute.
Olha Kleytman / Buildner guest jury
Founder of SBM studio, Ukraine
Perhaps the simplest concept in all the entries but a wonderful oasis in an otherwise desperate landscape. The spiral walkway cascading down the crater's sides would provide a wonderful experience. The scheme is an achievable and sustainable intervention.
Paul Monaghan / Buildner guest jury
Executive director and Head of Design Studio AHMM, United Kingdom
An appealing and optimistic transformation. A statement with a positive outlook and the prospect of renewal.
Peter Newman / Buildner guest jury
artist, UK
Simple and effective, making people pay attention to post-disaster peace and beautiful nature. The subtle changes and directional guidance of the trail landscape need to be further refined and optimized.
Wu Ziye / Buildner guest jury
co-founder of Mix Architecture, China
This project raises the question of how could this work? But if it could, if it was possible to grow this oasis in a crater in the desert, it would be magnificent. Would it be too magnificent though and make a nuclear explosion seem like almost a good thing?
James Whitaker / Buildner guest jury
Founder of Whitaker Studio, United Kingdom
Buildner's commentary, recommendations and techniques review
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The use of vegetation is always effective in adding depth, warmth, visual balance, and complexity to a presentation. This is particularly true here, where the relatively simple concept of filling a cavity with rings of trees conveys a strong message. The contrast between the large aerial image in the top left and the smaller, human-eye perspectives in the bottom right works well.
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9/10 Linework
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10/10 Quality of drawings
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9/10 Balance of color
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9/10 Layout
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10/10 Hierarchy
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N/A/10 Annotation
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N/A/10 Text
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10/10 Clarity of story
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10/10 Clarity of diagrams
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10/10 Quality of overall presentation
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2nd Prize Winner +
Buildner Student Award
Buildner Student Award
The Lightness
Mexico
Jury feedback summary
An atmospheric and emotive installation. Dramatic and sensitive at the same time. It brings to mind the paper lanterns that are released onto the river in Hiroshima on the anniversary each year.
Peter Newman / Buildner guest jury
artist, UK
The project is philosophical, but it will not be clear enough during the daytime. It is not clear what the people peeping through the crack will see. Using solar energy and a low environmental impact are definite advantages. On the whole, the images are well-articulated.
Olha Kleytman / Buildner guest jury
Founder of SBM studio, Ukraine
The design is simple yet intriguing with a strong effect.
Flora Lee / Buildner guest jury
Associate Partner, MAD Architects, USA
Among several schemes that use lighting, this one is the most concise and effective, and after careful consideration, it can also have more meanings and interpretations. However, the concept lacks expression for the daytime stage. Although nighttime can be the main display time, the use of materials and overall effect during the daytime cannot be ignored.
Wu Ziye / Buildner guest jury
co-founder of Mix Architecture, China
Buildner's commentary, recommendations and techniques review
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The project focuses on the contrast between lightness and darkness, and it achieves this effectively through the use of a warm, yellow-orange light that resonates on both a human and geological scale. The visuals present a balanced mix of distant aerial perspectives and close-up details of the design's light fixture 'unit.' However, including a human figure for scale would make the size of the fixture clearer.
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8/10 Linework
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8/10 Quality of drawings
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7/10 Balance of color
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9/10 Layout
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8/10 Hierarchy
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N/A/10 Annotation
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N/A/10 Text
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8/10 Clarity of story
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8/10 Clarity of diagrams
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8/10 Quality of overall presentation
3rd Prize Winner
The Scrutiny
Competitions provide a unique opportunity for us to engage in design beyond our regular work, keeping our curiosity and creativity alive as we explore projects outside our usual scope. They also serve as an outlet for us to share our design perspectives and ambitions with the industry. Additionally, by engaging with a broader audience, competitions allow us to address important societal questions through the architectural lens.
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United States
Jury feedback summary
This project envisions a monument situated on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Similar to the iconic Vietnam Memorial, it cuts into the landscape, creating a wound-like structure that serves as an internal viewing gallery. Its sloped design acts as a surface where the elongated shadows of visitors are cast, eerily projecting human forms onto the vast landform.
Through a formal language, the expression of landscapes, spaces, and deeper meanings is formed, which is also a more effective and feasible urban commemorative space. Unfortunately, another effect - one seen from the perspective of the city, has not been presented and expressed.
Wu Ziye / Buildner guest jury
co-founder of Mix Architecture, China
I like this bold idea, but implementation can be difficult. The idea of working with hypertrophied shadows is interesting, but it will only work at night. The image is a catchy one, it encourages the spectator to engage. A lot of concrete-covered surfaces means that this project cannot be considered an environmentally-friendly one.
Olha Kleytman / Buildner guest jury
Founder of SBM studio, Ukraine
Buildner's commentary, recommendations and techniques review
Order your review here
The single-sheet presentation effectively communicates the project's scale, materiality, and the impact of lighting. The combination of line drawings and well-rendered images from various perspectives offers a balanced mix of visuals that are both engaging and informative. The project excellently uses a primary bold render which is powerful and memorable.
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9/10 Linework
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8/10 Quality of drawings
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7/10 Balance of color
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8/10 Layout
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8/10 Hierarchy
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N/A/10 Annotation
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N/A/10 Text
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9/10 Clarity of story
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9/10 Clarity of diagrams
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8/10 Quality of overall presentation
Honorable Mentions
Shortlisted projects
Atoll Sarcophagi
Floating Sanctuary of Light
IS THERE, ALWAYS THERE - REMEMBRANCE IN AIR
house of the absent
Heart of the Mountain
Pendulum
Silent Echoes
Ephemeral
A Lost Message
who sit in memoir
a new beginning
WAVES
Beneath the Surface
SynthetiCrater
Reflection
Earth Ripple
Critical Masses
The Scrutiny
CRACKED EARTH
Pressure Point
Big Boom!
Metamorphosis
peace as a collaborative exercise
Buried Whispers
VESTIGE
JMZDMH
The Sphere
Fireflies
When I say I love you and hug you
DÉCOUVERT
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
They Became Stars After Life
Hidden Forest
Exposing
Shadow Sanctuary
Indelible Trace
Trigger
Echoes of Oblivion
Lacerations
The submission presents a light installation featuring what appears to be thousands of spherical fixtures embedded in the sloping soil of a bomb crater. The result is a space that glows from within at night, evoking the imagery of a volcano.