Figures of Architecture
Figures of Architecture is a student design competition on climate resilience and adaptation, organized by Paloe and culminating in a public exhibition during DesignTO Festival 2027 in Toronto. Entrants choose between a Built stream focused on materials, assemblies and making, and a Digital stream that communicates adaptation through one still image.
The organizer publishes 22 November 2026 as the deadline but does not state a closing hour or timezone. The countdown below is indicative and assumes 23:59 UTC only for display. The jury names and detailed intellectual-property terms were not published in the reviewed brief.
Competition overview
| Organizer | Paloe; the finalists’ exhibition is part of DesignTO Festival 2027. |
|---|---|
| Theme | How materials, assemblies, construction methods, buildings and places can adapt to a climate that is no longer static. |
| Eligibility | Students studying architecture and related spatial-design disciplines in Ontario. Individual and team entries are accepted. |
| Streams | Built: a 1:1 installation or prototype. Digital: one still visual and a statement. |
| Entry fee | CAD 10 (approximately USD 7.15 using CAD 1 = USD 0.7146 on 23 October 2026). |
| Registration / submission | Registration and digital submission close 22 November 2026; no official hour or timezone is stated. |
| Finalists | 14 December 2026. |
| Exhibition | 25–29 January 2027 at The Bakery, Liberty Village, Toronto; installation is scheduled for 23–24 January. |
Submission requirements
| Built board | One 24 × 36 inch digital presentation board in PDF, 3–10 MB, including at least one assembly/construction drawing and one render or conceptual representation. |
|---|---|
| Built description | Maximum 500 words explaining the idea, material or system and its relationship to climate resilience or adaptation. |
| Physical outcome | Three Built finalists fabricate safe, stable, freestanding work that can be transported, installed and removed without permanent venue alteration. Each receives CAD 500 fabrication support. |
| Digital entry | One 11 × 17 inch image in PDF, 3–10 MB, plus a project description of up to 500 words. |
| Digital scope | A still work may address a building, street, public space, landscape, infrastructure, neighbourhood or city; the brief encourages an existing Greater Toronto Area condition. |
| Language and method | Digital upload through the official competition website. The reviewed brief is in English and does not state that other submission languages are accepted. |
| Anonymity | Judging is explicitly not anonymous. |
Prizes and judging
| Built placements | CAD 150 / 100 / 50 (approximately USD 107 / 71 / 36), in addition to CAD 500 fabrication funding for each of three finalists. |
|---|---|
| Digital placements | CAD 300 / 150 / 75 (approximately USD 214 / 107 / 54). |
| People’s Choice | CAD 100 for Built and CAD 100 for Digital (about USD 71 each). |
| Total stated support | More than CAD 2,500 in prizes and fabrication funding, approximately USD 1,787 at the 23 October 2026 reference rate. |
| Jury | The brief says architecture professionals, design professionals and members of the broader design community will review entries. Names were to be announced before the deadline and were not listed in the reviewed document. |
| Evaluation | Built and Digital entries are assessed separately. The brief seeks a clear response to climate adaptation, architectural understanding, ambition, legibility, purpose and attention to wider sustainability effects. |
Rights and implementation
The brief rejects plagiarism and says selected projects may be published, exhibited, documented and used in competition-related promotion. It does not publish a detailed copyright licence or exclusive-rights transfer. Built finalists are responsible for fabrication, transport, installation and removal; travel and transport are not reimbursed. Fabrication support is not a separate design fee.
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The strongest aspect of this call is the separation between an assembly-scale Built response and a broader Digital response. That structure lets students investigate climate adaptation through material performance, repair, reuse and disassembly without forcing every idea into a conventional building proposal.
The public exhibition and fabrication budgets give the Built stream a tangible outcome, but finalists carry practical obligations that exceed the cash placement awards. Entrants should test transport, stability and installation early, and request written clarification on the jury, closing time, copyright licence and any venue approvals before submission.
Related competitions — Editors’ selection
For related archive reading, the Eulsukdo ecological-art open call considers material and landscape experience, while the Harem Bus Station competition examines public transformation and phased urban change.
Indicative time remaining to submit
The official date is 22 November 2026, but no closing hour or timezone is stated. This display assumes 23:59 UTC only as an indicative endpoint.
Official brief and application
Read the current brief and entry terms before uploading work.
