This competition is part of a strategic partnership between Buildner and ArchDaily that aims to explore "The Contemporary Home".

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Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Underbridge #2

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]

Download brief

Prizes

Prize fund

8,000 €

1ST PLACE

4,000 €

2ND PLACE

2,000 €

3RD PLACE

1,000 €

Buildner Student Award

1,000 €

(more details)

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 partnership
&

Jury

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]

Luciana de la Garza Arregui

Estudio Atemporal

Mexico

Maya Bird-Murphy

Mobile Makers

United States

Đoàn Thanh Hà

H&P Architects

Vietnam

Jenchieh Hung

HAS design and research

Thailand

Rajeev Kathpalia

Vāstu Shilpā Sangath

India

Kulthida Songkittipakdee

HAS design and research

Thailand

Zehua Zhang

KPF

United States

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.
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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 reminders

Registration fees

I'm
I will pay in
ADVANCED

14 May - 16 Jul

105 €

85 €

LAST MINUTE

17 Jul - 17 Sep

140 €

120 €

ADVANCED

14 May - 16 Jul

105 €

85 €

LAST MINUTE

17 Jul - 17 Sep

140 €

120 €

+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 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.

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Architecture competitions newsletter

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

Absolutely not! You’ll always keep full ownership and authorship of your project. Submitting to a Buildner competition doesn’t mean giving up your rights — it simply gives us permission to share and promote your work as part of the competition. We may feature your project on our website, social media, newsletters, books, or exhibitions — all to celebrate your creativity and inspire others. This permission helps us give your work the visibility it deserves, without needing to ask you each time we publish it.
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.
Yes. If the jury panel selects a Student award's submission for the top 3, it will automatically be awarded both prizes.
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.
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Architecture competitions allow me to delve into something that I would normally would not be involved in within my professional work. It allows me to be creative and challenges me to think in new and exciting ways, giving me a sense of satisfaction that I would otherwise not get. It’s an opportunity to investigate, research and come up with solutions in an environment that allows for innovation, and at times without the restraints that stifle new imagined realities.

I take part in competitions to share my work and vision with a wider audience.

HONORABLE MENTION

I haven't participated to many, actually ver few. I don't have enough time and resources for it. However, I see them as a great opportunity to showcase your work and compare it with that of colleagues from other countries. Honestly, it is also a chance to recover part of the investment you make while creating something and to get more visibility.

HONORABLE MENTION

We participate in architecture competitions because they provide an opportunity to explore ideas beyond the limits of academic projects. Competitions encourage us to experiment with new concepts, challenge conventional thinking, and respond to real-world social and environmental issues. They also allow us to exchange ideas with the international design community and continuously improve our design skills through research and critical thinking.

We are entering a competition for the first time with several goals in mind: to challenge ourselves in developing new projects, to share our approach to design…We are entering a competition for the first time with several goals in mind: to challenge ourselves in developing new projects, to share our approach to design with a wider audience, and to receive critical feedback from external professionals in the field. We also find it particularly stimulating to engage with different design approaches, from which we can draw new inspiration and learn.

I participate in competitions to give myself an opportunity to creatively explore my ideas, while pushing boundaries of what is possible. I believe that it is important to challenge oneself to truly learn and grow.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

I believe that architectural competitions serve as a platform for exchanging diverse opinions around a single theme. That is why I am participating, striving to broaden the diversity of thought and create a new framework that breaks away from stereotypes.

To develop an idea that exists only as a sketch, with no client and no commercial brief behind it, and to get feedback from people I would not otherwise reach. A competition gives that a deadline and a destination.

Because it's the best way to test your creativity to the fullest without limitations.

Just as climbers ascend a mountain because it is there, architects participate in competitions because there are questions worth contemplating and researching. I also take part in this process to gain new insights, refine my ideas, and share the results with others. I have been inspired by the work and writings of many people, and I have continued my architectural journey based on those influences. With the hope that my ideas may, in turn, inspire someone else, I will continue to pursue architecture.

HONORABLE MENTION
Celebrate your idea. Register today!