Foreword

Buildner is pleased to announce the results of its first annual Architect’s Chair Competition.

Chair design is a testament to the interdisciplinary nature of architecture. It showcases the ability of architects to adapt their skills and sensibilities to various scales and contexts, blurring the lines between architecture, design and art. This versatility allows architects to explore new ideas and challenge conventional notions of what a chair can be, pushing the boundaries of aesthetics, materials and technology.

The event invited architects and designers from around the world to submit designs for a signature chair. Following in the tradition of iconic architects like Charles and Ray Eames, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, and Arne Jacobsen, participants were tasked with conceiving custom chairs that embody their distinct design philosophies and visions.

Buildner worked with an outstanding team of jurors representing the fields of architecture, product design and furniture design: Johan Ansander, an industrial designer based in Stockholm; Rasmus Bækkel Fex, a furniture designer with a studio in Copenhagen; Boris Berlin, a designer and Partner of Copenhagen-based Boris Berlin Design; Anne Brandhøj, a Partner at the furniture design studio Bly Studio who also works with wood sculptures under her own name Anne Brandhøj; Mårten Claesson, co-founder of Claesson Koivisto Rune Architects based in Stockholm; Sarah Hossli, a product designer based in Lucerne, Switzerland; Lorenz Noelle, a product designer based in Switzerland; Li Xiang, Founder and CEO of X+Living, which she established in 2011 in Shanghai; and Takeshi Yamamura, a Japanese architect and founder of Tokyo-based YSLA YamamuraSanzLaviña Architects.

The competition received entries from across the globe. Buildner and its jury team evaluated the submissions based on their functionality and comfort, aesthetics and signature style, materiality, craftsmanship and construction, and versatility.

Buildner and its jurors would like to thank the participants for submitting their work and to congratulate the winners for their excellent designs which are hallmarks of precision, craftsmanship and innovation.

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
The Architect's 
Chair
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Take a seat and make a statement!

Take a seat and make a statement! Edition #2 ideas COMPETITION

1st Prize Winner

Project name

Bunker Stuhl

Country Spain
  • 9/10 Linework
  • 10/10 Quality of drawings
  • 10/10 Balance of color
  • 9/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 6/10 Annotation
  • 8/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

Elsie Chair

We engage in architecture competitions to exhibit our designs, expand our reach, and stay current with industry trends. These competitions fuel our creativity and inspire experimentation within our firm.

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Company Appareil Atelier in collaboration with: Les jardins de métis and L'Autre Atelier
Author Appareil Atelier
Country Canada
  • N/A Linework
  • N/A Quality of drawings
  • 8/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 8/10 Hierarchy
  • 5/10 Annotation
  • 7/10 Text
  • 9/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 7/10 Quality of overall presentation

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

Purvottanasana Chair

Competitions serve as valuable learning experiences. They provide a chance to hone our skills and expand our creative horizons, receive feedback from jurors or peers, and refine skills and techniques. The process of conceptualizing, developing, and presenting a competition entry can be incredibly enriching, fostering growth and improvement as an architect.

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Country Germany
  • 8/10 Linework
  • 8/10 Quality of drawings
  • 7/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 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

Honorable Mentions

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Project name

Intersect Chair

Competitions benefit me in several ways, the most immediate is exposure of my work to peers and new audiences. But, personally, a competition creates a real deadline for me to organize a project into a thoughtful and complete form that is ready to share. This is especially important for personal projects that have no external deadlines.

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Author David Beker
Country United States
Project name

Mooniie

It is a good way to challenge your creativity.

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Country Canada
Project name

Chopper Chair

Country United Kingdom
Project name

Fly Chair

We firmly believe that continually challenging ourselves is the catalyst for our professional evolution, compelling us to engage in an ongoing process of self-critique. Staying in sync with trends while actively pursuing innovation is imperative for advancing our brand. It serves as the driving force behind nurturing our adaptive and creative capabilities across diverse markets.

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Author Tiago Curioni
Country Portugal
Project name

Manneken

Author Emil Tammerle
Country Italy
Project name

Move Seat

I highly appreciate designers who strive to push the boundaries of possibilities and go beyond what is already known. In our daily professional work, we may not always have the opportunity for such exploration, which doesn't necessarily positively impact our development. However, design competitions provide an ideal opportunity to explore new concepts and create something truly unconventional.

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Country Poland

Shortlisted projects

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Architects Chair: Whispering Woods

Canada

C.u.t.w. chair

Italy

Purvottanasana Chair

Germany

BAM-X : Sustainable Elegance Through Simplicity

United States

100.BUT

Minh Le Tan

Ngoc Minh Chau Do

B+ Furniture

Vietnam

A Lounge Chair (and How to Fix, Modify, and Keep it Forever)

Andrew Longo

United States

Manneken

Italy

Ellie

Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

Move Seat

Poland

La Chaise Tassia

Bohdan Kryzhanovskyi

United Kingdom

Nara Chair

Alexandre Alvin Handjojo

kayou

Indonesia

UMI armchair

Ukraine

G24 LOUNGE CHAIR

Czech Republic

KORI chair

Marek Błażucki

Poland

Expanding Stool

Zi Ho Park

South Korea

Amoebia

Christopher Stevens

Canada

CUBO

Romania

Kordela

HSD - Hochschule Düsseldorf - University of Applied Sciences

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Germany

Bunker Stuhl

Spain

Lounge Chair Tôle Courbée

France

The Halcyon Armchair

University of New South Wales

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Australia

Uno Armchair

Davide Mezzasalma

Italy

STACKING CHAIR

Tom Shiner

United States

Chopper Chair

Buster + Punch

United Kingdom

METAMORPHOSIS

Italy

6220 Lounge Chair

Netherlands

Wchair - ergonomic and healthy seating concept

Latvia

Castara Dining Chair

Frank Cleveland Sinje Seales

Canada

Monk's Chair

South Korea

Ponticello

Germany

Mooniie

Canada

The ∞ chair

Canada

Intersect Chair

David Beker

United States

Fly Chair

Portugal

AGO2 lounge chair

Italy

Elsie Chair

Appareil Atelier

Appareil Atelier in collaboration with: Les jardins de métis and L'Autre Atelier

Canada

Sitting on Clouds

Nactional Academy of Arts, Sofia

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Bulgaria