Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Re:Form - 
New Life 
for Old Spaces

Choose a site—used, abandoned, or forgotten—anywhere in the world, and give it a new purpose! In a world facing urgent environmental and spatial challenges, the most sustainable solutions may come not from new construction, but from reimagining what already exists. Re:Form invites architects, designers, and innovators to embrace the challenge of adaptive reuse, working within spaces under 250 square meters to give them renewed purpose and relevance.

Participants are free to choose any existing structure—whether currently in use, abandoned, or neglected—anywhere in the world. From unused storefronts and aging sheds to underutilized garages or portions of larger buildings, each project should demonstrate the potential to transform a limited footprint into something innovative and impactful.

This competition celebrates the ingenuity required to balance sustainability, functionality, and design within an existing space. How can we rethink these structures to serve new purposes, meet contemporary needs, and make a positive impact on their communities? Re:Form is an invitation to bring fresh perspectives to old spaces, showing that thoughtful adaptation can be a powerful tool in shaping a sustainable future. 

Download the 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 full competition brief can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information will be provided after registration.

(!) Full Competition Brief

Download brief

Prizes

Prize fund

10,000 €

1ST PLACE

5,000 €

2ND PLACE

2,500 €

3RD PLACE

1,000 €

Buildner Student Award

1,000 €

(more details)

Buildner Sustainability Award

500 €

(more details)

6 Honorable 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.

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
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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]  

Jiafeng Li

Allied Works

United States

Paul Monaghan

Executive director and Head of Design Studio AHMM

United Kingdom

Julien De Smedt

JDS Architects

Denmark

Anne Cecilie Haug

Senior Architect, Snøhetta

Norway

Tom Schroeder

Patkau Architects

Canada

Haggai Dror

AggEquo

United States

Key dates

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Registration fees

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EARLY BIRD

21 Nov - 22 Jan

110 €

full award package

70 €

no monetary award

90 €

full award package

70 €

no monetary award

ADVANCED

23 Jan - 23 Apr

120 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

110 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

LAST MINUTE

24 Apr - 24 Jul

140 €

full award package

100 €

no monetary award

120 €

full award package

90 €

no monetary award

EARLY BIRD

21 Nov - 22 Jan

110 €

full award package

70 €

no monetary award

90 €

full award package

70 €

no monetary award

ADVANCED

23 Jan - 23 Apr

120 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

110 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

LAST MINUTE

24 Apr - 24 Jul

140 €

full award package

100 €

no monetary award

120 €

full award package

90 €

no monetary award

EARLY BIRD

21 Nov - 22 Jan

110 €

full award package

70 €

no monetary award

90 €

full award package

70 €

no monetary award

ADVANCED

23 Jan - 23 Apr

120 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

110 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

LAST MINUTE

24 Apr - 24 Jul

140 €

full award package

100 €

no monetary award

120 €

full award package

90 €

no monetary award

+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 request from your university email address along with basic information about yourself and your university/school. Please note that only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.

Click on "register now", fill in all the required fields, choose your payment method and submit your information. You will be forwarded to Paypal or CPS secure payment gateway, to cover the competition fee. Once we receive your payment, we'll send you an email with your username and password to upload your submission directly to the website.
You can add/remove/edit team member information as often as you want in the upload panel, up until the submission deadline.
Yes we are in the process of negotiating with multiple international industry-related media representatives. The list of media partners is constantly updated on our website, please check it regularly to find latest updates.
Yes. If the jury panel selects a Student award's submission for the top 3, it will automatically be awarded both prizes.
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.
The short answer is yes, you may submit a previously 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.
Celebrate your idea. Register today!