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Results: Unbuilt Award 2024

Buildner is excited to announce the results of Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2024, the inaugural competition in an exciting new annual series celebrating architectural design that has yet to be realized. With a generous 100,000 EUR prize fund, this competition provides a platform for architects and designers to showcase their most inspiring unbuilt projects, whether conceptual, published, unpublished, or fully developed.

Divided into three categories based on project scale—small, medium, and large—this year’s Unbuilt Award ensures a level playing field where every vision, no matter its size, can shine. By honoring unbuilt ideas, we celebrate the purest form of creative exploration, unbounded by practical constraints. These designs push the boundaries of architectural thought, inspiring new approaches to form, function, sustainability, and innovation while serving as catalysts for advancing architectural discourse and future projects.

This year, Buildner was privileged to work with an outstanding international jury of renowned experts: Ece Calguner Ezran, Interiors Principal at SOM’s New York studio, blends exterior and interior influences to create holistic spaces that enhance daily life; Doriana Fuksas, co-leader of Studio Fuksas, brings global expertise in designing innovative and sustainable projects like the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport and the New Rome Convention Centre; Christele Harrouk, Editor-in-Chief of ArchDaily, drives inclusive editorial direction, highlighting underrepresented areas and empowering women in architecture; Francine Houben, Founding Partner and Creative Director of Mecanoo, creates context-driven designs across scales, including iconic projects like the Library of Birmingham; Michael Meredith, Associate Dean at Princeton University and co-founder of MOS, combines academic leadership with award-winning architectural practice; and Lyndon Neri, co-founder of Neri&Hu, leads interdisciplinary design across Shanghai, Milan, and Paris while shaping architectural education globally.

The Unbuilt Award features a winner in each of the three categories—small, medium, and large scale—alongside five honorable mentions per category, a student winner, and a special prize for the best presentation. All winning and recognized projects will be featured in a beautifully curated printed book by Buildner Books, showcasing the exceptional creativity and innovation of this year’s participants. Join us as we celebrate the visionary ideas and groundbreaking designs that embody the limitless potential of unbuilt architecture. Let’s honor the work of those who continue to inspire, experiment, and shape the future of our built environment.

 

 

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WINNERS

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*** small scale category ***

WINNER

Loa’s black line
Javier Andrés Bascunan Morales
Chile

Jury feedback summary
Loa’s Black Line is a spatial intervention along the Loa River, the longest in Chile, spanning 440 kilometers from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. Set in the Atacama Desert, the project engages the immense isolation and contrast of the environment, creating a contemplative space within a natural ravine. A narrow, 70 cm-wide incision is cut into a cliff face, leading visitors 30 meters deep into a shadowed void. The space plays with light, sound, and scale, intensifying contrasts between the sunlit desert and the cold, dark interior. This spatial experience emphasizes isolation, amplifies silence, and explores human perception within vast landscapes.

 

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*** medium scale category ***

WINNER

Expo Osaka 2025 – Pavilion of Slovenia
Aljoša Dekleva
Slovenia

Jury feedback summary
The Pavilion of Slovenia emphasizes sustainability, reflecting the country’s identity and environmental commitment. Designed with zero waste, low energy consumption, and minimal transport, the pavilion avoids prefabricated timber by utilizing a rented local scaffolding system, reducing carbon emissions by 87,600 kg CO₂. The structure features a universal ramp leading visitors through multifunctional spaces, an exhibition area, and a rooftop “Slovenian forest,” symbolizing Slovenia as the Green Heart of Europe. Prioritizing sustainable principles, the design integrates a zero-waste landscape, temporary tree nursery, and low-carbon materials, creating an immersive outdoor experience while promoting ecological responsibility and efficient resource use.

 

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*** large scale category ***

WINNER

Eden 2.0 – An Ecological Sanctuary Reimagined
James Charles Mak
United Kingdom

Jury feedback summary

Eden 2.0 is a 3.4-hectare ecological conservatory in Yeoul Park, Dongtan, South Korea. Designed as critical social infrastructure, it preserves ecological diversity while fostering human-nature interaction. Its East-West oriented, overlapping gabled roofs optimize light conditions, complementing the site’s sloped terrain. Specialized glass pavilions house biodomes for rare and endangered plant species, supporting conservation and seed propagation. The controlled, adaptive environment ensures year-round usability, featuring pathways, observation areas, and seating. Eden 2.0 serves as a multi-functional space for leisure, education, and contemplation, addressing climate-driven social dislocation and enhancing community engagement within a resilient, human-botanical ecosystem.

 

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STUDENT AWARDS

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*** small scale category ***

Straw for four
Paul Schuchmann, Eric Schmitz, Sophie Jule Düngenheim, Lara Silvia Hofbauer
Germany

Jury feedback summary

The project addresses the critical shelter needs in the Kara Tepe refugee camp on Lesbos. Designed as a demountable structure, it uses low-cost, recyclable materials such as straw bales, wood, and natural fibers for insulation and protection. The modular design supports quick assembly with minimal tools and labor, creating a durable, insulated space that ensures comfort and safety. Each unit accommodates four people, featuring essential amenities like water supply, ventilation, and thermal insulation. This sustainable solution emphasizes low environmental impact, easy construction, and protection against weather, providing dignified, temporary living conditions for displaced families.

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*** medium scale category ***

Hollowed Dices
Xavier Arés
Spain

 

Jury feedback summary

The project reimagines a library as a spatially dynamic structure, blending solid and void through a modular brickwork facade. The design integrates with the urban fabric, creating a central volume with interconnected hollow spaces for light penetration and spatial flow. The library’s program includes reading areas, archives, and flexible spaces, distributed around a central atrium to enhance user interaction and visual connectivity. Conceptually derived from hollowed dice forms, the design emphasizes natural lighting, material simplicity, and spatial hierarchy. The proposal balances modern architectural language with functional clarity, providing a serene and engaging environment for learning and collaboration.

 

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*** large scale category ***

The best presentation award 2024

Tectonic, instrument of rethinking architectural heritage
Hojoon Jang
South Korea

Jury feedback summary

The project reinterprets a historic stone wall, transforming it into a contemporary architectural intervention. Located on a sloping site, the design integrates with the terrain while preserving the wall’s cultural significance. A modular timber structure, aligned on a 3m grid, extends from the wall, creating elevated platforms and pathways that connect to entryways and surrounding trails. Spaces include exhibition zones, offices, and flexible work areas. The structure combines timber and stone, blending historical and modern materials. This tectonic approach balances preservation with innovation, establishing a dialogue between heritage, environment, and function while enhancing spatial experiences.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

*** small scale category ***

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Seaside Pavilion
Yaoyao Yuan
China

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VELLUM – breeze stage pavilion
Roxana-Andreea Irimia, Mihai Bogdan Ionită
Romania

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Digging The Light
Mattia Caccin
Italy

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Frame
Vittorio Falaschi, Maddalena Nanni, Uberto Carignani, Emmanuele Bortone
Germany

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Chapel of Resurrection in the wood
Emmanuele Bortone
Italy

 

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

*** medium scale category ***

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Bart Gallery
Catalin Sandru
United Kingdom

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Bunn Retreat – End of Life Care Center
Gustav Jesper Mikael Ullbing
Denmark

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Saint-Colomban Library
Nathan Bonneville
Canada

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Baghere Nutritional Center
Kyle L Mertensmeyer, Kostiantyn Komarovskyi
United States

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Ribbon
Andreas Giovanos
Greece

 

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

*** large scale category ***

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Blatt Philologicum
Evelyn Alonso Rohner, Jose Antonio Sosa Diaz-saavedra
Spain

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Incheon Museum Library Cultural Complex
Hee Jun Sim
South Korea

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Perch
Rosannah Beth Harding
United States

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LAPUTA
Kim Han Joon
South Korea

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Jannis Kounellis Foundation
Giovanni Filieri, Niccolo Perilli
Italy

 

Categories: Results
Date: January 31, 2025