Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Enter Architecture Competitions

Architecture competitions have been an important part of innovation in the field for centuries. Throughout the decades architecture competitions have helped source the best and most unique designs for projects, fuelled community development, and created huge publicity around new projects. And while that’s great for developers, what are the benefits of taking part in architecture competitions?

1. Exercise creativity

Coffee House - Coffee Bug // Maria Law, Razvan Pop, Joe Harris and Stefan Munteanu // The Big Tiny Coffee House Architecture Competition Honorable Mention

The first reason you should consider taking part in architecture competitions is to exercise your creativity. This is an important point no matter what stage you are in your architecture career. Whether a student or a practicing architect, there will always be restrictions placed on your creativity in day-to-day life. Clients will have practical and preferred requirements, budgets, and deadlines that need to be met. University courses will have criteria that needs to be met and justification needed for each and every creative decision you make.

Competitions are a chance to experiment with new tools and new concepts in design, they are a way to build your portfolio, and in a very real way learn from your mistakes. Receiving jury feedback on your submitted project gives you a chance to play around with ideas that may not be practical in your everyday work, know that an accredited panel of professional judges will give you advice on how your creative ideas worked, as well as how they didn’t. All without losing your job or receiving a bad grade in class.

When taking part in an architecture competition, the more creative and out-of-the-box you think, the better, especially with ideas competitions. Whether a final project is planned for construction - as is the case in project competitions - or the projects are to be used as a means of starting a discussion or raising awareness - as in ideas competitions - these are rare opportunities to flex your creative muscles, answering only to yourself.

2. Get the chance to have your designs built

Architecture competitions are an ideal platform for getting your designs turned into projects planned for construction. As all submissions are assessed anonymously, this creates a level playing field, meaning new designers will be given the exact same consideration as seasoned professionals.

When a project competition is launched, the client will be looking for creativity and originality above all else. Once the winning designs are selected, a collaboration between the designers, clients, and other industry professional can begin in order to further develop the design. Taking the first real steps to having your designs realised in brick and mortar.

3. International recognition

Hong Kong Pixel Homes winners featured on CNN

Whether your designs are ever actualised as real life structures or not, architecture competitions are still a fantastic way to earn recognition for your work. Large-scale media publications such as CNN, ArchDaily, Sky News, and Dezeen have all published winning designs from Buildner architecture competitions.

This is an amazing opportunity to be recognised by not only the architecture community, but also by potential future clients.

Take part in an architecture competition!

Ready to exercise your creativity, grow your portfolio, pitch for clients, or gain international recognition? Then take part in one of our open architecture competitions now, either as a group or as an individual. Find out more here.