Introduction
Buildner is pleased to announce the results of its Painter’s Lake House International Competition!
For this competition, Buildner sought designs for a painters' residence to be located on the beautiful shore of Cernostes Lake, in one of Europe’s greenest countries, Latvia.
The site includes an existing home once inhabited by two brothers with their families. The site owners are now looking to transform it into a temporary home and workshop for painters. It will need to replace the current building and accommodate two painters with their own families for residencies that turn over every three months. The project is intended to be a prime example of sustainability and one which respects its natural environment.
Buildner worked with an international jury whose own portfolios include projects of similar scale, typology and ambition: Sam Brown is Co-founder of Glasgow-based O’DonnellBrown, a studio with a strong social conscience and a mission to bring about positive change: Marta Frazão, Filipe Rodrigues, and Inês Vicente are Partners at Atelier Data, a Lisbon-based office; Benedikt Hartl leads the activist architecture studio Opposite Office, which draws, writes, imagines and builds architectural stories: Marco Lavit runs Paris-based Atelier LAVIT which has completed such projects as a series of floating cabins for a hotel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Marta Maccaglia is Founder of Peru-based Asociación Semillas and a Professor at the architecture department of Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de América Latina (Ucal); Francesca Perani runs Francesca Perani Enterprise based in Bergamo, Italy, and is co-founder and curator of activist project RebelArchitette advocating for equality in architecture; and Tom Schroeder is a senior architect with Patkau Architects and a guest critic and faculty member at the University of British Columbia.
Buildner and its jury panel would like to thank each of the participants and teams from around the globe who submitted proposals for this event.
We sincerely thank our jury panel
for their time and expertise
Marta Maccaglia
Asociación Semillas
Peru
Tom Schroeder
Patkau Architects
Canada
Francesca Perani
Francesca Perani Enterprise
Italy
Marco Lavit
founder of Atelier LAVIT
France
Sam Brown
O’DonnellBrown
Scotland
Marta Frazão
Partners at Atelier Data
Portugal
Filipe Rodrigues
Partners at Atelier Data
Portugal
Inês Vicente
Partners at Atelier Data
Portugal
Benedikt Hartl
Opposite Office
Germany
1st Prize Winner
Trio for Duo
After years of architectural study and subsequent work, the understanding and views of architectural design have gradually accumulated or changed. As a profession between rationality and art, there are many aspects in the design process that can restrict architects from expressing their ideas and showing their unique style. Through architectural competitions, we can better, and to some extent more freely, show our creativity. Even many buildings that are difficult to realize in real life can be boldly attempted in architectural competitions, which also promotes the development of the architectural industry to a certain extent and provides more possibilities for architectural design.
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Germany
Jury feedback summary
Trio for Duo takes a tripartite form that responds to the site’s natural elements - the lake, the field and the country road. The existing house and barn are demolished though their spatial volume is maintained, replicated and rotated as ‘clones’ to fit the triangulated site.
This submission creates an architectural intersection in the landscape. The forces of family life, professional life and social life come together to offer a collaborative space that offers solitude at the far end, with communal living and working in the center.
Tom Schroeder / Buildner guest jury
Patkau Architects , Canada
The project stands out thanks to its impeccable representation and original layout distribution. The only concern is the proximity of the road, which may impact privacy.
Francesca Perani / Buildner guest jury
Francesca Perani Enterprise, Italy
The proposal is connected to the lake and the forest through its paths and views. A harmonious link between private and collective spaces is achieved. The graphics are clear and fit the program requirements.
Marta Maccaglia / Buildner guest jury
Asociación Semillas, Peru
Buildner's commentary, recommendations and techniques review
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The presentation utilizes excellent renderings, plans, axonometric diagrams and sections to tell a clear story and to communicate a truly high-quality project. Its layout takes advantage of a horizontal split which allows for variations on full-span or smaller images. The diagrams describe the project’s simple formal organization relative to the site and brief.
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9/10 Linework
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10/10 Quality of drawings
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10/10 Balance of color
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10/10 Layout
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10/10 Hierarchy
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10/10 Annotation
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8/10 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
Picturesque
Participating in competitions allows me to focus on conceptual thinking. I always try to pick something new, a subject or a programme I haven’t had the chance to approach before, so I learn a lot in doing research this way. It is an excellent way to better your concept approach, learning about new technologies, adding a great project to your portfolio, etc.
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Jury feedback summary
Picturesque’ is a poetic proposal. It aims to be a contemporary solution designed in alignment with Baltic vernacular building practices. The house makes use of a traditional truss structure and organizes spaces for all main functions under a single roof. The layout encourages interaction between guests so that knowledge and ideas can be shared.
There is a wonderful level of restraint and material sensitivity prevalent in this design. The dark timber facades are beautifully proportioned and contrast successfully with the warm, light timbered interior. A beautiful proposal.
Sam Brown / Buildner guest jury
O’DonnellBrown, Scotland
The proposal reinterprets in a very subtle and inventive way the local traditional architecture condensing in one single building all the programs required. The relationship between the construction and the lake is provided by a gentle deck facing the lake, a simple gesture that promotes several possibilities of uses.
Filipe Rodrigues / Buildner guest jury
Partners at Atelier Data, Portugal
The narration of the project is fascinating and life in the common areas generates a sense of community in relation to the shores of the lake. The drawings and graphic documents are very qualitative and accurate.
Marco Lavit / Buildner guest jury
founder of Atelier LAVIT, France
Buildner's commentary, recommendations and techniques review
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The presentation layout makes use of a typical two-part division, with rendered images to the left and supporting drawings and text to the right - an easy-to-read organization for the viewing eye. The project uses autumnal colors with an excellent balance and generally a strong level of hierarchy. The quality of the images and the level of detail they communicate is advanced.
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10/10 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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9/10 Hierarchy
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9/10 Annotation
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9/10 Text
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9/10 Clarity of story
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9/10 Clarity of diagrams
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9/10 Quality of overall presentation
3rd Prize Winner
MUZA HOUSE
Collaboration elevates design quality by fostering a broad range of perspectives and creative problem-solving by integrating the design approach of various architects. Competitions produce demanding programmes that call for these original and comprehensive concepts. By participating in architecture competitions, we hope to promote improved design quality through collaborative design.
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Turkey
Jury feedback summary
Muza House is a proposal for a thatched-roofed timber building organized in a U-shaped arrangement to emphasize a courtyard approach that is warm and welcoming. The project’s namesake is drawn from a short-term shelter of natural and manmade elements. The construction materials embrace the traditions of Latvian vernacular architecture and the building systems include a mass heater and composting toilet.
This submission is a simple and direct union of family and artists that reflects the physical and social environment of Latvia. The mechanics of pivoting walls need not be so complex or orchestrated, but the flexible and transformative nature of the exhibition or canvas walls makes the temporal situation of the artists a tangible experience.
Tom Schroeder / Buildner guest jury
Patkau Architects , Canada
The adaptable layout of the workshop area connected to the lounge is the heart of the entire building, where the view of the lake will permeate the whole space. The layout easily allows residents to gather together and preserve their privacy.
Francesca Perani / Buildner guest jury
Francesca Perani Enterprise, Italy
The morphology of the building, in plan as in section, is particularly suited to the given topic. Indoor and outdoor spaces match perfectly. The modularity of the project is very interesting without becoming excessive.
Marco Lavit / Buildner guest jury
founder of Atelier LAVIT, France
Buildner's commentary, recommendations and techniques review
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The presentation makes use of strong visuals in the form of various interior and exterior renderings, plans, sections and diagrams. It does not, however, have a clear overarching principle for layout or organization. The author would benefit from a more rigorous set of rules to guide the composition of the sheets. While the rules can always be broken for variation, a template should set the visual standard.
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6/10 Linework
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7/10 Quality of drawings
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9/10 Balance of color
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6/10 Layout
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5/10 Hierarchy
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7/10 Annotation
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7/10 Text
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7/10 Clarity of story
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7/10 Clarity of diagrams
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7/10 Quality of overall presentation
Buildner Student Award +
Buildner Sustainability Award
Buildner Sustainability Award
The Ripple
I wasn't entirely satisfied with my academic projects, and so external competitions were both a way of improving my skills in designing, and also served as an act of redemption to prove myself.
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Jury feedback summary
The Ripple is based on a planar arrangement of the art studio and residence based on the composition of the original house, maintaining its footprint. The proposal is for a sustainable project of timber framing and thatched roofs, which are also contextual. The envelope includes timber cladding recycled from the original house, charred for lower future maintenance.
The designs are intelligently considered with a highly successful modest but compelling outcome. The consideration of reuse and retention of material is to be commended , a fundamental consideration for today's architects. The drawings are also seductive in their explanation of the proposals and spatial quality.
Sam Brown / Buildner guest jury
O’DonnellBrown, Scotland
This submission expresses and embodies the cultural, environmental and personal values of the region with a poetic dance between material sensitivity and logical planning.
Tom Schroeder / Buildner guest jury
Patkau Architects , Canada
This project attends carefully to the existing constructions and their relationship with the surroundings. This project offers a great potential for further development.
Inês Vicente / Buildner guest jury
Partners at Atelier Data, Portugal
Buildner's commentary, recommendations and techniques review
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This presentation is an excellent example for clean layout and sheet organization. The introductory sheet is especially impactful with its: clear, large yet subtle site plan situating the project within its unique context; an adequate amount of text to introduce the project which is also divided into clear paragraphs and highlights key concepts; and a rendering that cleverly balances architecture with rugged landscape.
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10/10 Linework
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10/10 Quality of drawings
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8/10 Balance of color
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10/10 Layout
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9/10 Hierarchy
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10/10 Annotation
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10/10 Text
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10/10 Clarity of story
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10/10 Clarity of diagrams
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9/10 Quality of overall presentation
Client Favorite
Studio by Still Waters
It is an opportunity to challenge ourselves and think in unconventional ways, working with other themes, settings, and frames than what our common projects provide. It is not every day we are asked to design dwellings for bats for example. Competitions also give us the opportunity to work in landscapes and environments which are different from ours. In addition, it allows us to immerse ourselves in new knowledge, find new inspiration and develop new ways of communicating our projects.
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Norway
Honorable mentions
Shortlisted projects
Painters' Lake House
Warsaw University of Technology , Politechnika Warszawska
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland Picturesque
A House for Painters
STUDIO:RECREATE
Four Seasons House
Safe Haven Barn
X HOUSE
Modular Art House
Canvas Painters' House
Turnaround
Villa Atelier
Cut through the woods
THE IN-BETWEEN. A concept for a lake house
Levitated House
Split house
Painters' Hiding
Borderline
Studio by Still Waters
Āderu Namas - Ader House
COEXISTANCE
Of A Thousand Frames
THE NEST OF CREATION
Easel House
Painters' Lake House
The Painter's Lakehouse
PAINTERS`LAKE HOUSE
Lake View House
Trio for Duo
Canvas
The shelter
Under a Common Sky
Painter's Cove
"praise of the shadow"
Sojourn to the Shore
Painter´s Lake Home
Viensētas
The Ripple
Two studios. Two Living units. Under a single roof
MUZA HOUSE
The Artist Village
