Introduction
Nestled within Latvia's lush landscapes, the Sansusī Music Festival is a harmonious blend of nature, music, and communal joy. Celebrated for its innovative fusion of classical chamber music with the liberating atmosphere of a rock festival, Sansusī has evolved from an event into a cherished cultural phenomenon. Surrounded by forest, attendees experience a range of performances, from orchestral to contemporary, set against Latvia's natural beauty.
Following the success of the initial architectural competition, Buildner announces the second competition to enhance the festival's infrastructure, aligning with sustainability, creativity, and community engagement. The essence of Sansusī is its Musician Standoffs, where performers prioritize wit and spontaneity over technical skill, creating a unique festival highlight.
Buildner calls on architects, designers, and visionaries to design a stage that reflects the Musician Standoffs' innovative spirit. The challenge is to create a wooden, sculpture-like stage that also functions as a musical instrument, embodying the event's essence and enhancing the festival's acoustic experience. This competition explores how architectural forms can generate sound, inviting designs that serve as both visual and auditory landmarks for Sansusī.
The Musician Standoff at Sansusī is a captivating feature of the festival, where musicians engage in dynamic duels that showcase their spontaneity, wit, and skill in an unconventional performance format. These standoffs, less about technical prowess and more about engaging the audience, bring an electrifying and interactive element to the festival, celebrating the art of live musical improvisation.
This design challenge offers designers a chance to potentially see their winning design realized as a key feature of future festivals. This competition aims to celebrate the synergy between architecture and music, creating a lasting tribute to the innovative and communal spirit of Sansusī.
It's important to note that the winning team will not be required to physically build the project. If their design is selected for realization, their participation in the construction phase is optional. They may choose to join as volunteers in the building process, but there is no obligation to do so.
See the 2023 Sansusī winners construct their winning project
Embark on a fun summer adventure with us in this short film as we follow the winners of the Buildner's Sansusi Forest Food Court architecture competition on their trip to Latvia. Join the excitement as they bring their top prize-winning project to life—a lively food court for the Sansusi Music Festival.
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.
The full competition brief
The full competition brief can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information will be provided after registration.
- Context Photo & Video
Prizes
10,000 €
5,000 €
2,500 €
1,000 €
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.
Key dates
Send reminders25 June 2024
2 July 2024
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
25 July 2024
12 September 2024
2 July 2024
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
Registration fees
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.
Jury
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]
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
