Portugal
Olive Guest House

The Contemporary Home

This competition, is part of a strategic partnership
between Buildner and ArchDaily, that aims to
explore “The Contemporary Home”.
Learn more here.

Competition introduction

Competition organisers

Olive farming and olive oil production have been an important part of civilization since the ancient Greeks, and the liquid gold that is produced has been a staple of wealthy societies for centuries.

The Portugal Olive Guest House competition is run in partnership with the Verde family, tasking participants with presenting designs for a guest house to be constructed on their property. The guest house would be centered around a multipurpose space that would mainly function as an olive oil tasting room.

Portugal is one of the largest producers of olive oil in the world, providing the warm and dry climate that is necessary for olive trees to flourish. And while olive oil production has changed dramatically in the past few years, it's been seen to date back as far as the Bronze Age.

As Portuguese olive groves have recently modernized from traditional groves into modern, efficient, and competitive ones, production has boomed and exceeded 150% of consumption.

Portugal is one of the largest producers of olive oil in the world, providing the warm and dry climate that is necessary for olive trees to flourish. 

As Portuguese olive groves have recently modernized from traditional groves into modern, efficient, and competitive ones, production has boomed and exceeded 150% of consumption.

This has been due to the construction of the Alqueva dam, which allowed for more intensive groves, and the modernization of olive oil mills that allowed for more production than ever before.

The Verde family has long had its roots in central Portugal, tracing its origins back to two families of farmers and construction workers. Through generations of hard work, the family is now successfully producing homemade olive oil that relies on traditional methods and put their heart and passion into every drop.

The Portugal Olive Guest House competition is run in partnership with the Verde family, tasking participants with presenting designs for a guest house to be constructed on their property. The guest house would be centered around a multipurpose space that would mainly function as an olive oil tasting room.

As winning designs will be put forward for consideration for construction, the Verde family is asking participants to offer solutions that will best reflect the spirit of utilitarianism while also being a prolific example of green building practices and sustainable design.

Download the full competition brief for more information!

The 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