This competition is part of a strategic partnership between Buildner and ArchDaily that aims to explore "The Contemporary Home".
Learn moreThe contemporary home
Introduction
As cities expand, vertical and horizontal spaces are continually redefined, adapting to the pressing demands of urban living. Yet, beneath the expanse of our infrastructure lies a matrix of underutilized spaces, often overshadowed by their towering counterparts - the bridges that stitch our cities together. These underbridge spaces, ranging from small niches to vast expanses, remain dormant, echoing the hum of the traffic above, waiting for visionaries to tap into their latent potential.

In our relentless pursuit to address urban housing needs, Buildner is proud to unveil its 20th competition in the Affordable Housing Series, marking another milestone in the exploration of innovative living solutions. This edition also represents the second edition of Underbridge, our housing challenge focused on the overlooked and underexplored spaces beneath bridges around the world. Through this challenge, architects and visionaries are invited to reimagine these environments and unlock their potential — transforming them into dynamic, thriving communities that resonate with the city’s heartbeat.

Beneath city bridges worldwide lies untapped potential, vast spaces brimming with opportunity. Underbridge invites visionaries to transform these areas into thriving communities. Buildner is searching for designs that can cater to a wide array of residents, ensuring a perfect blend of scalability, affordability and eco-consciousness. It is an invitation to revolutionize these overlooked spaces with a fresh, practical perspective.

Participants have the liberty to pinpoint any underbridge site across the globe for their visionary designs. Essential considerations include the site’s accessibility, available amenities, and how the proposed solution harmonizes with the existing community. The designs should showcase adaptability, ensuring they cater to various needs while remaining both cost-effective and sustainable.

With this challenge, the boundaries are set by your own creativity. Buildner urges entrants to think big, think different, and present housing solutions that challenge the norm. The underbridge spaces await your transformative touch. Let your imaginations run wild, and let’s craft a vision where these spaces become the heartbeat of urban communities.
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.
Brief
The competition brief is available for download at any time in the following language: English, Italian, French and Spanish.
FULL COMPETITION BRIEF [ENG][IT][FR][ES]
Prizes
8,000 €
4,000 €
2,000 €
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.
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 partnershipJury
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]
Ask questions to the jury panel directly!
This option is available to registered participants only.
If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.
Ask to all.
One collective jury answer
Ask a
specific jury member
Ask questions about
The brief
Interpretation and intent of the competition brief
Your task
Key themes, priorities, or values considered during evaluation
Design help
General design approach or conceptual direction
Personal design assessment
Request an in-depth design assessment of your project after results are announced.
The design assessment highlights each project’s strengths and areas for improvement, giving participants valuable insight into their work. It helps them better understand their submission, compare it to other entries, and identify opportunities for growth in future projects.
Key dates
Send reminders17 September 2026
22 September 2026
In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.
No new questions will be answered after this deadline.
19 October 2026
24 November 2026
22 September 2026
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.
Ask questions to the jury panel directly!
This option is available to registered participants only.
If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.
Ask to all.
One collective jury answer
Ask a
specific jury member
Ask questions about
The brief
Interpretation and intent of the competition brief
Your task
Key themes, priorities, or values considered during evaluation
Design help
General design approach or conceptual direction
Why would you want to enter an architecture competition?
Learn – Gain real world experience
Create – Explore bold architectural ideas
Show – Earn global recognition
Connect – Open doors to new clients
Why Buildner?
The world’s leading architecture competition organiser!
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years of experience
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architects and designers
on our network