Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Sansusi Sound 
Sculpture
Official partner
Sansusi Sound 
Sculpture

Buildner is thrilled to announce the results of its Sansusī Sound Sculpture international competition. This competition, organized in collaboration with the Sansusī Music Festival in Latvia, celebrates a unique blend of musical styles and a vibrant community atmosphere.

The Sansusī Music Festival, set against Latvia’s stunning natural, forested backdrop, is renowned for its fusion of classical chamber music and the energetic vibe of a rock festival. It has evolved from a local event into a cherished cultural phenomenon, offering a diverse range of performances from orchestral to contemporary.

Building on the success of the first architectural competition with Sansusī, which resulted in the construction of a food court at the venue, Buildner launched this second competition to enhance the festival’s infrastructure. This initiative emphasizes sustainability, creativity, and community engagement.

A central feature of the festival is the Musician Standoffs, where performers engage in spontaneous and witty duels, adding a distinctive element to the event. Buildner invited architects, designers, and visionaries to design a wooden, sculpture-like stage that also functions as a musical instrument. The goal was to create a stage that embodies the innovative spirit of the Musician Standoffs and enhances the festival’s acoustic experience, exploring how architectural forms can produce sound and serve as both visual and auditory landmarks for Sansusī.

Winning designs will have the opportunity to become key features of future festivals. Buildner, together with a regional jury, reviewed the submissions. The jury included Paula Gāgane, an architect and editor of the Latvian creative industries platform Fold; Uldis Trapencieris, technical director for the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra; Armands Siliņš-Bergmanis, an opera singer and board member of Sansusī; Ivars Veinbergs, an architect at NRJA (No Rules Just Architecture); Oskars Kotello, an architect and co-founder of MERU arhitekti; and Marija Katrina Dambe, a sustainable architect and founder of NOMAD architects.

Buildner and its jury extend their gratitude to all participants and congratulate the winners. We eagerly anticipate seeing these innovative ideas come to life!

We sincerely thank our jury panel
for their time and expertise

Paula Gāgane

Architect, editor of the creative industries platform Fold.

Latvia

Uldis Trapencieris

Tehnical director at Latvian National Symphony orchestra, founder of concert hall TJZK

Latvia

Armands Siliņš-Bergmanis

Opera singer and board member of association Sansusī

Latvia

Ivars Veinbergs

Architect at the NRJA

Latvia

Oskars Kotello

Architect and co-founder of MERU arhitekti

Latvia

Marija Katrina Dambe

Architect and founder of NOMAD architects

Latvia

1st Prize Winner +
Buildner Sustainability Award

Project name

Xylon Phone

We are very interested in participating in architecture competitions, as they provide an opportunity to engage with unique projects and unfamiliar contexts. These competitions offer challenges that promote both personal and professional growth.

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Author
Lucia Carla Mariotto
Country
Argentina
  • 8/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 8/10 Balance of color
  • 7/10 Layout
  • 8/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 7/10 Text
  • 8/10 Clarity of story
  • 8/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 8/10 Quality of overall presentation

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

VELLUM - breeze stage pavilion

Competitions serve as a platform for us to explore fresh ideas, challenge ourselves, and experiment with cutting-edge design concepts. They grant us the freedom to think creatively and approach problems in unconventional ways, which fosters a culture of innovation within our team. This environment also enables us to continuously refine our skills as we engage with diverse design briefs and problem-solving scenarios, offering a sense of growth and development. Moreover, competitions provide an opportunity to inspire others and, in turn, increase our visibility and recognition within the architectural community and beyond. This exposure can significantly enhance our presence and reputation, amplifying our impact on the field. In essence, participating in architecture competitions resonates with our commitment to innovation, collaboration, social responsibility, and historical preservation. It empowers us to stretch the boundaries of our creativity, advance professionally, expand our professional network, gain acknowledgment, and contribute positively to our society.

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Company
Authors
Roxana-Andreea Irimia
Mihai Bogdan Ionită
Country
Romania
  • 10/10 Linework
  • 10/10 Quality of drawings
  • 10/10 Balance of color
  • 10/10 Layout
  • 10/10 Hierarchy
  • 8/10 Annotation
  • 9/10 Text
  • 10/10 Clarity of story
  • 10/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 10/10 Quality of overall presentation

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

Symphony in the Forest

I hope to keep my mind active and spark inspiration by participating in engaging architectural competitions. Of course, I also aim to discover potential opportunities through these competitions.

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Authors
Pei Gui
Yuting Mu
Country
Switzerland
  • 6/10 Linework
  • 7/10 Quality of drawings
  • 6/10 Balance of color
  • 7/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 6/10 Annotation
  • 7/10 Text
  • 7/10 Clarity of story
  • 7/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 7/10 Quality of overall presentation

Buildner Student Award

Project name

The Pine Cone

This is my first architecture competition. I participated because I think it's a great opportunity to test creativity and skills while also learning something new, especially when you find a project that resonates with you. I highly recommend participating to all students. Competitions are an important platform for professionals, but I believe that students, in particular, would benefit the most. You will learn things that aren't taught in school.

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University
Savonia University of Applied Sciences
Author
Riina Elina Salo
Country
Finland
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
  • 7/10 Linework
  • 8/10 Quality of drawings
  • 7/10 Balance of color
  • 6/10 Layout
  • 10/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 6/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 10/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 7/10 Quality of overall presentation

Honorable mentions

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Project name

Resonance

To challenge myself and see what I can do when it comes to putting my skills to use under pressure. It's an exercise, I always see it like that - first and foremost I do it for myself. Also, it is so creatively valuable to participate in a contest because you don't see the other submissions until the end, and you've done a lot of research to fulfill your idea of the solution so it's even more interesting to see the results after - knowing all the specifics of the site, the rules etc., that's really humbling and of good value, I think.

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Author
Paula Anna Kebere
Country
Latvia
Project name

Soundscape

We participate in architecture competitions to deepen our passion for design and challenge ourselves to think beyond conventional boundaries. We chose to engage in this particular competition over the summer as an opportunity to explore our design thinking outside the academic environment. Although our academic semesters are filled with coursework and extracurricular commitments, and our summers are dedicated to internships, we made the deliberate decision to continue participating in the competition. This allowed us to further refine our design skills and continue our professional growth during the break.

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University
Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
Authors
Jiawei Sun
Wonjae Lee
Zhixin Tang
Country
United States
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
Project name

Resonance Grove

Competitions challenge us to expand our skill sets and connect with the architectural community. The Sansusī Sound Sculpture competition, in particular, offered a fascinating topic with real potential for realization. We were especially drawn to the use of wooden structures.

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Authors
Hao Chang
Fan Liu
Country
United States
Project name

The Sound-Full Pillars

An architecture competition is a platform to work freely and creatively, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the process of creation. A competition is a great mental exercise. It adds to my experience and helps me test my creative abilities, not only through words or thoughts but through actual work and drawings on paper. Moreover, there are certain benefits if the work is successful. I see it as an opportunity for growth and a tool to enhance professional skills.

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Author
Jurgis Prikulis
Country
Latvia
Project name

Gong Grove

Author
Jerry Ronald Hacker
Country
Canada
Project name

Meža Muzika

We participate in architecture competitions to stay creative. As young professionals, competitions are opportunities for us to do creative work aside from our regular job tasks and allow us to fully express ourselves through our designs. Competitions also allow us to keep learning through different types and scales of projects and broaden our knowledge in the field, encountering new challenges and opportunities. They also allow for our work to be exposed to more people internationally, as well as train us to work in teams challenging us to learn how to self-organize our work and be independent in design projects.

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Authors
Elena Passoni
Jordan Christopher Pabon
Natalia Francesca Castillo
Colin Stephen Mele
Country
United States

Shortlisted projects

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Sansusi Sound Canopy

Shane Herb
Talia Morison-Allen
United States

Resonance Grove

Hao Chang
Fan Liu
United States

Resonance a Scalable Symphony

Viktor Gekker
Jack Ryan Lehane
Ireland

‘re-veil’ to sing

Yexuan Gu
United States

Music Grove

Ajvi Allmuca
Albania

Breeze Sonata

Fran Liu

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, University College London

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
United Kingdom

Wings

Can Aksan
Giulio Gabrielli
Italy

WHISPERING WOODS: A Musical Journey Through Nature

Duo Ma
Yichang Pan
Ho Yin Tsui

HKU - The University of Hong Kong, Faculty Of Architecture

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Hong Kong

Gong Grove

Jerry Ronald Hacker
Canada

Entanglement

Sameh Ibrahim Abdulsamie Ahmed Emam
Ahmed Hamdy Elmetwally Zaki
Samar Helmy Aly Hasab Elseidy
Egypt

Xylon Phone

Lucia Carla Mariotto
Argentina

Drum Shelf

Zifan Wang
Guorun Yang
Trang Nguyen
United States

Big Tree Theater

Quanyu Xin

The University of Hong Kong

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
China

The Pine Cone

Riina Elina Salo

Savonia University of Applied Sciences

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
Finland

RESONANCE

Vang Anh Tran
Sari King
Ching-han Chiang
Germany

Rhythmic Mosaics

Feiyang Wu
Yilin Zhong
Jingyi Zeng
Jiaqi Zheng
United Kingdom

The Gorge

Patrick Holzer
Christian Andreas Cotting
Germany

Re.Union

Hanqing Yao
Merrick Ethan Castillo
United States

Resonance

Paula Anna Kebere
Latvia

Soundscape

Jiawei Sun
Wonjae Lee
Zhixin Tang

Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
United States

Pinched Forest Drums

Dae Song Lee
Kyung Min Choi
Jeongjoon Lee
Yejun Yoon
South Korea

Timber Tune Symphony

Misak Simon Terzibasiyan

UArchitects

Netherlands

The Sound of Sansusi

Misak Simon Terzibasiyan

UArchitects

Netherlands

ECHO BOX

Jaewon Song
Haerin Yang
Yeji Park
South Korea

3D Phonograph

Ruizhe Yuan
Hongrui Zhu
United States

[re] FRAME

Jordan Paul Scheuermann
United States

Realm of Resonance

Sahana D
Samarth Bellare
Krisha Rathore
Nikhil Dayanand
India

Symphony in the Forest

Pei Gui
Yuting Mu
Switzerland

Canvas Cabin

Seoho Kim

Kongju National University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
South Korea

Meža Muzika

Elena Passoni
Jordan Christopher Pabon
Natalia Francesca Castillo
Colin Stephen Mele
United States

Listener

Yueshen Wu
Jiang Zhu
United Kingdom

The Rhythm of Nature

Kartika Kumalasari
Australia

Temple of Sound

Ettore Maria Porretta
Italy

Wind Stages

Rene Patrick Tobias Schäfer
Júlia Castelo Branco De Lema Barros
Portugal

The Sound-Full Pillars

Jurgis Prikulis
Latvia

Stropā

Vincenzo Cianciullo
Antonio Tonietti
Italy

Reverbera-phonia

Iason Georgios Avvott
Apostolos Mardyris
Greece

CHROMATIC SOUNDSCAPE

Ilga Nelles
Verena Claudia Nelles Kempf
Germany

VELLUM - breeze stage pavilion

Roxana-Andreea Irimia
Mihai Bogdan Ionită

AEK STUDIO

Romania

IN.BETWEEN

Ana Rita Rodrigues Gomes
Ricardo Correia Martins
Portugal