Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
The Architect's 
Chair

Introducing the Architect's Chair Competition, an exciting opportunity for architects and designers to showcase their versatility and creativity by designing a signature piece of furniture. Inspired by the long-standing tradition of iconic architects creating custom furniture as an extension of their architectural work, this competition challenges participants to distill their design approach into its core components and represent their unique style in a single piece of furniture – the architect's chair.

Throughout history, renowned architects such as Charles and Ray Eames, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, and Arne Jacobsen have successfully designed iconic chairs that embody their distinct design philosophies. The Architect's Chair #3 competition seeks to continue this tradition by inviting architects and designers to explore new materials, construction techniques, and ergonomic solutions within the constraints of a chair design, ultimately producing a functional and aesthetically compelling piece of furniture.

As the third installment in a new series of competitions focused on custom furniture design, the Architect's Chair #3 competition encourages participants to think beyond the boundaries of architecture and delve into the realm of product design. By creating a signature chair that reflects their individual style and vision, architects and designers can demonstrate their versatility and contribute to the ongoing dialogue between architecture and design. So, take a seat and let your creativity unfold in the Architect's Chair #3 competition!

Download 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

7,000 €

1ST PLACE

3,000 €

2ND PLACE

1,500 €

3RD PLACE

1,000 €

Buildner Student Award

1,000 €

(more details)

Buildner Sustainability Award

500 € 

(more details)

6 Honourable mentions & certificates

Buildner will acknowledge the outstanding performance of all winners and honourable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.

Publicity campaign

The Buildner’s extensive global publicity campaign for the competition winners:

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.

Feature in a book

Winners will be featured in the book.

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]  

Boris Berlin

Founder and Partner at Boris Berlin Design

Denmark

Anne Brandhøj

designer at Bly Studio, Anne Brandhøj

Denmark

Sarah Hossli

Product designer

Switzerland

Alexander Lervik

Designer

Sweden

Lorenz Noelle

Product designer

Switzerland

Natalia Sanz Laviña

YSLA YamamuraSanzLaviña Architects

Japan

Harrison Stallan

OMA

Netherlands

Takeshi Yamamura

founder of YSLA YamamuraSanzLaviña Architects

Japan

Fabien Roy

Fabien Roy Studio

Switzerland

Key dates

Send reminders

Registration fees

I'm
I will pay in
ADVANCED

13 Sep - 06 Nov

120 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

110 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

LAST MINUTE

07 Nov - 15 Jan

140 €

full award package

100 €

no monetary award

120 €

full award package

90 €

no monetary award

ADVANCED

13 Sep - 06 Nov

120 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

110 €

full award package

80 €

no monetary award

LAST MINUTE

07 Nov - 15 Jan

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 ([email protected]) a request from your university email address and basic information about yourself and your university/school. Only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.

Participants in the competition are not required to submit images of an actual, physically built chair. Instead, you can simply submit final renders or other representations of your concept design.
The "Architect's Chair" competition suggests a chair designed by an architect, meaning it's a chair conceived and executed with an architectural perspective. The target audience for this chair could be anyone, not just architects. It's about applying architectural principles and thinking to the design of a chair.
Yes, any form of seating, including benches and stools, is acceptable for submission to The Architect's Chair competition. The competition brief is open to interpretation, and you are even welcome to reimagine the very process of sitting. We encourage creativity and innovation in all entries.
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.
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!