Annual International Architecture Competition

Timber
Skyscraper

SKYHIVE Skyscraper challenge! Edition #6

Results

Foreword

Competition organisers

Timber 
Skyscraper

Buildner is pleased to announce the results of its SKYHIVE Timber Skyscraper Challenge!

This was the sixth annual architecture competition searching for iconic and unique designs for a high rise structure. The SKYHIVE Challenge series focuses on discovering new technologies, new concepts and new materials to reimagine what a state-of-the-art skyscraper might look like and how it might function.

Buildner worked with an excellent international jury panel: Sam Brown is co-founder of Glasgow-based O’DonnellBrown; Thomas Corbasson is an associate architect of the Paris-based agency Chartier+Corbasson Architectes; Jürgen Mayer H. is the founding partner of J.MAYER.H und Partner; Claudia Munk-von Flotow is COO of Oregon, US-based Key Development; Elke Sterling-Presser and Nicolas Sterling are co-founders and directors of Sterling Presser Architects and Engineers in Berlin; Hans Jakob Wagner is a research associate and doctoral candidate at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart with a special focus on advanced computational wood building systems; and Luo Yujie is Chief Architect and founder of LUO Studio and Lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in China.

Buildner and its jury panel thank each of the participating individuals and teams that submitted ideas and proposals to this event.

1st Prize Winner

Project name

Space Gradients

Authors

Yanyan Zhang

United States

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Architecture competitions offer me opportunities to think about future buildings and cities, to explore the boundaries of architecture, to study how new technologies can impact architecture.

Jury feedback summary

Space Gradients explores the potential of the post and beam structure, challenging the limitations of this well-known structural system. The intent of the project is to create a variety of spaces by testing variations in column density and beam depth, with a denser system of beams yielding smaller spaces at the base of the building, and a sparser set of columns with deeper beams yielding larger spaces at the top of the building, opening the upper floors for greater views. The project is an exploration in simple form and timber structure which offers a great range of spaces.

Jürgen Mayer H / Buildner guest jury founding partner of J.MAYER.H und Partner Germany
A precise, almost didactic display of structural forces turns into a playful spatial proposal.
Hans Jakob Wagner / Buildner guest jury Research associate and doctoral candidate at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart Germany
This remarkable crafted design proposal challenges the stagnant conventions governing structural typologies in the realm of high-rise buildings. Nonetheless, further refinement is advised, as the current adherence to the span-to-depth ratio is limited to the beams at the façade layer, while within the interior, beams of varying sizes traverse the consistent depth of the bays.
Luo Yujie / Buildner guest jury Chief Architect and founder of LUO studio, Lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) China
This design takes more into account than the structural characteristics of wood. The lower part is dense and the upper part is sparse, and the rationality of deconstruction also produces interesting spaces.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 10/10
    Linework
  • 10/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 9/10
    Balance of color
  • 8/10
    Layout
  • 9/10
    Hierarchy
  • 3/10
    Annotation
  • 7/10
    Text
  • 8/10
    Clarity of story
  • 9/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The project makes use of a simple series of structural model images, structural diagrams, plans and interior perspectives to describe itself as a structural experiment. The layout is strong, emphasizing an excellent rendering of a model that could be perceived as a photograph at its center, supported by smaller diagrams. While there are several plans and interior perspectives to describe variation of floorplates, they are well placed on the sheet so as to not compete with one another. The balance and hierarchy of the presentation are to be commended. Buildner always recommends that scale figures be used to relate the project to the scale of the human body - these would best be placed in the interior imagery and plans to allow a reader to fully comprehend the size and function of spaces. Finally, the project would benefit from annotation in all images, as is done in the structural joint model, to describe the project intent, materials and space types. 

 

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

The Pro-sumer

Authors

Sophia Michopoulou

Greece

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Architecture Competitions give me the opportunity to have a break from my everyday projects and express my architectural intentions more freely. Furthermore it gives me a more clear idea of that kind of architect I want to become and develop my creativity and my tools one step further.

Jury feedback summary

The Pro-sumer is an organic office space structure conceived to produce, consume and recycle water, energy, food and waste in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Situated theoretically in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the tower is designed in consideration of its warm and humid climate, as well as the tidal waters in which it is proposed to be constructed.  The high-rise project makes use of solar panels and deep balconies to engage and protect spaces from the sunlight. It incorporates a wastewater treatment plant, green roofs and facade-grown crops, and is planned about a central void for ventilation and air flow through each of its floors. 

 

Sam Brown / Buildner guest jury Co-founder of O’DonnellBrown Scotland
Sustainability has been thoroughly integrated into the building design which, encouragingly and convincingly suggests a wonderful and healthy spatial environment through intelligent building composition.
Elke Sterling-Presser / Buildner guest jury Co Founder and Director of Sterling Presser Architects and Engineers Germany
A beautiful atrium and internal spaces. But from the outside, the geometry is very regular. Could it be refined for more differentiation and lightness?
Hans Jakob Wagner / Buildner guest jury Research associate and doctoral candidate at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart Germany
A beautifully developed design proposal that unfortunately leaves open the most critical issue for the proposed slab layouts: How will the slabs be segmented into mass timber panels, and where is each of these panels supported? Many ideas are developed regarding the design of the high-rise building, but given that the foundational structure remains unaccounted for, these seem more like distractions than valuable additions.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 8/10
    Linework
  • 8/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 9/10
    Balance of color
  • 8/10
    Layout
  • 7/10
    Hierarchy
  • 8/10
    Annotation
  • 7/10
    Text
  • 8/10
    Clarity of story
  • 8/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The submission is visually dense yet able to tell a convincing story of materiality and design. The variation in exterior and interior perspectives provides a reader with a full understanding of scale, ranging from the building’s massing to its details and interior spaces. The layout is well-annotated but could use a reduction of text for simplicity, and to lighten the page. The use of scale figures is helpful for the perspective drawings but would also benefit the plans and details. Finally, the use of greenery with the focus on timber material provides an excellent balance of color which is homogeneous across the presentation. 

 

3rd Prize Winner +
Buildner Student Award

Project name

Rebuilding Green

Authors

Beom Seok Ko
Shiwon Kim
Joo Hye Lim
Eun A Jeong

University

Hongik university
+122 points Buildner University Rankings!

South Korea

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

In the architecture contest, you encounter and challenge new things other than learning architecture at school. Team members review what they each learned in the design studio, apply and negotiate in a new way, and complete projects that could not be created alone. The whole process is not smooth and difficult, but there are definitely gains.

Jury feedback summary

Rebuilding Green is a study that responds to desertification - the phenomenon in which forests and meadows in dry climates disappear and become deserts as rivers and lakes dry. The tower proposal consists of commercial, laboratory and residential facilities on desert sites in Mongolia. It makes use of a repetitive building module that can be constructed and later deconstructed using a centralized integrated crane. The intent for the project is to construct a temporary laboratory facility that aids in greening a region of 10,000 square meters by producing plant specimens for a new forest. Once complete, the building could be deconstructed and moved to a new location.

Jürgen Mayer H / Buildner guest jury founding partner of J.MAYER.H und Partner Germany
The strength of this project lies in the concept of reading a building not as a one-way street, but as a construction in flux. The configuration of parts can be repositioned in order to construct new building units and typologies. Each version of the iteration generates a specific response to its environment and the habitat it creates.
Nicolas Sterling / Buildner guest jury Co Founder and Director of Sterling Presser Architects and Engineers Germany
The proposal well explores the construction and deconstruction methodology. The opportunity would need to be aesthetically developed further.
Hans Jakob Wagner / Buildner guest jury Research associate and doctoral candidate at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart Germany
The tectonic notions developed in the project are admirable and several ideas regarding ventilation and organization are interesting. The project invites several critical questions, rather than providing a "reason d'etre" for building a skyscraper in the desert. It is unclear why a tower should be an efficient solution to address the challenge of desertification, especially if the concept foresees that the tower may be deconstructed into spread single-story structures.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 10/10
    Linework
  • 10/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 10/10
    Balance of color
  • 10/10
    Layout
  • 9/10
    Hierarchy
  • 8/10
    Annotation
  • 6/10
    Text
  • 8/10
    Clarity of story
  • 8/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 8/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The submission employs a strong organizational grid, using a series of diagrams, perspectives and line drawings to describe a complex topic. The project does well to use reduced-size drawings thereby providing white space that lets the presentation breathe. It avoids an overly dense layout, while simplifying the individual imagery to express ideas clearly. The color balance and hierarchy are to be commended. The primary criticism for the presentation is the abundant use of dense text - while the topic and concept require text to describe, it is recommended that the paragraphs be condensed and more of the text be incorporated into annotation. It is unlikely that a reviewer will read the current text in full.

Buildner Sustainability Award

Project name

A New Weave in the Pattern - Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Authors

Michał Spólnik
Marcin Kitala

Poland

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

On one hand we can address some of the contemporary problems, on the other we can test our ideas relating to geometry, presentation, function or typology.

Jury feedback summary

New Weave in the Pattern is a timber tower designed to address declining monarch butterfly populations, a phenomenon resulting in a general sense from deforestation. The project, conceived for a site in Mexico where monarch butterflies begin their annual migration. The tower is designed according to a module of joints that gives the structure a branchlike quality, mimicking the form of trees and offering butterflies a multitude of niches, nooks and crannies to be protected.

 

Sam Brown / Buildner guest jury Co-founder of O’DonnellBrown Scotland
This project has sustainability and care for the planet as a core aim and driver. It impressively suggests how buildings and structures do not necessarily need to serve humans in our quest to be more responsible custodians of our planet.
Elke Sterling-Presser / Buildner guest jury Co Founder and Director of Sterling Presser Architects and Engineers Germany
A beautiful and integrated proposal in a natural context that frees itself from the brief to inspire.
Nicolas Sterling / Buildner guest jury Co Founder and Director of Sterling Presser Architects and Engineers Germany
The geometrical pattern creates beauty using an inspirational fractal effect that suggests lightness.

Buildner's architectural communication techniques review

Have a presentation for us to review? Order your review here!
  • 10/10
    Linework
  • 10/10
    Quality of drawings
  • 10/10
    Balance of color
  • 10/10
    Layout
  • 10/10
    Hierarchy
  • 8/10
    Annotation
  • 7/10
    Text
  • 6/10
    Clarity of story
  • 9/10
    Clarity of diagrams
  • 8/10
    Quality of overall presentation

Buildner's commentary and recommendations

The project is beautifully rendered and is organized using images of various sizes to lead the reader’s eye clearly about the page. It uses color, light and shadow in a masterful way to yield a visually complex design that is understood simply. The project would benefit from a reduced use of text as well as dividing the text into clearer individual points. The primary criticism, however, is the lack of drawings to describe the building fully. The project writeup describes a ground floor research facility and elevators for visual access to upper levels, yet the submission lacks any substantial evidence that such a project has been fully considered.

 

Honorable mentions

VIEWclose HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Project Name

GENESIS

University

Academie van bouwkunst amsterdam - ahk, academy of architecture - amsterdam university of the arts
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

Netherlands

Project authors

Reymund Lucas

Project Name

TimberTech Tower

Country

United States

Project authors

Maxwell John Smith

Project Name

Timber Sentinel

Country

Austria

Project authors

Petar Stanojevic
Aiger Rica

Project Name

Regrown Tower

University

Seoul national university of science and technology, seoultech
+72 points Buildner University Rankings!

Country

South Korea

Project authors

Gayeon Park

Project Name

CUT OUT TOWER

Company

Studio gao-byun

Country

United States

Project authors

Nelson Byun
Yufan Gao

Project Name

Treecycle

Country

Austria

Project authors

Christian Keuschnig
Daniel Lučić
Timo Berkmann
Ingo Candussi

Shortlisted projects

VIEWclose Shortlisted projects

Austria

christian keuschnig
daniel lučić
timo berkmann
ingo candussi

Poland

michał spólnik
marcin kitala

Australia

jiayi li

United States

Studio gao-byun

nelson byun
yufan gao

South Korea

Seoul National University of Science and Technology, SEOULTECH

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
gayeon park

China

Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, BUCEA

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
yuqing cai
jia cui
xudong wang
jiayi liang

Taiwan

wing laam sze

Uganda

ronald businge
joseph kasimbi
joseph kigozi nsubuga

Colombia

Universidad de los Andes – Colombia

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
juan jose lopez
juan felipe castiblanco cespedes
maria wiesner

South Korea

junhyung jo

United States

yanyan zhang

Latvia

dace aumele
mariam djalili
diana fukse

Morocco

E.n.a.t., école nationale d’architecture de tétouan (national school of architecture of tetouan)

maryam hafid

United States

yuchen qiu
hao zhong

Brazil

rafael mourão
carolina leschot
caio caccaos

Denmark

Technical University of Denmark

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
theodor valentin gerard fritz
thorbjørn hørlück stølen
johannes dickmeiss

Netherlands

olav van der doorn

United States

jihoon kim
brenna fransen

Austria

petar stanojevic
aiger rica

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
mateusz pura
melike kavalalı

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
pedro suzan moi
joseph syrett

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
antoni bielicki
lachlan mitchell

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
sofiia rakhmanova
vincent tuma fischer

Sweden

Faculty of Engineering, LTH , Lund University

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
marta pawłowska
maxime petersen

China

Central South University

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
hongyuan lu
xiaoqi zou

United States

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
judah braman
henk veld
keegan reardon
hans nelson romine

China

Southwest Jiaotong University

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
ruitao wang
zhi liu
mingxiu wang
ruiyang chen

United States

henry glennon

Italy

dario ruotolo

United States

graham oakley

United States

yong huang
trevor hibbs
chenglang xia

Kyrgyzstan

ivans matvejevs
anton litovskii

South Korea

University of Ulsan

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
taeho kim
sanghyeon lee
yujin gwak
sunhyun kim

United Kingdom

sophie imo
urbi mazhar

United Kingdom

matt walker

United Kingdom

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, University College London

+2 points Buildner University Rankings!
gareth volka

Netherlands

Academie van Bouwkunst Amsterdam - AHK, Academy of Architecture - Amsterdam University of the Arts

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
reymund lucas

United States

maxwell john smith

Greece

sophia michopoulou

South Korea

Hongik University

+122 points Buildner University Rankings!
beom seok ko
shiwon kim
joo hye lim
eun a jeong
 

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Competition results

MICROHOME

MICROHOME

Small living, huge impact! Edition #4
Hong Kong 
Pixel Homes

Hong Kong Pixel Homes

Affordable Housing Series #2
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