Museum of Emotions #9
Summary
An open ideas competition challenging entrants to design a text-free museum featuring two contrasting emotional halls. Submit a single anonymous presentation board by 22 February 2027 for an €8,000 prize pool.
Essential Data
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Buildner |
| Competition type | Open international ideas competition; silent format |
| Location | Concept proposal; participants may choose any real or imaginary site |
| Eligibility | Open to all; individual entries or teams of up to 4 members |
| Registration fee | Varies by phase and payment plan (see details below) |
| Submission deadline | 22 February 2027, 23:59 (London time) |
| Full prize fund | €8,000 |
| Official website | architecturecompetitions.com/museumofemotions9 |
About the competition
This brief asks designers to test architecture’s affective agency rather than solve a fixed technical programme. The task is to conceive an institution organised around contrasting spatial experiences, demonstrating how atmosphere can be shaped purely through physical design. Because the brief does not prescribe a footprint, operational model, or physical site, the exercise is intentionally speculative. Its focus remains strictly on sequence, scale, enclosure, light, colour, and material expression, challenging participants to construct a compelling narrative without written explanation.
Who can participate?
Anyone may enter. No architectural licence or academic credential is required. Submissions may be prepared by an individual or by a collaborative group of up to four people. The rules prohibit participation by anyone with a direct personal or professional relationship to the organizer or to any juror. Evaluation is strictly anonymous, with participant identities revealed only upon the announcement of results.
What is required?
Entrants must develop a facility comprising a reception area alongside two distinct halls: one designed to induce a negative state of mind, and the other a positive one. The exact feelings to be evoked are left to the creator’s discretion. The location may be real or imagined, and the building can be of any dimension.
This conceptual freedom is balanced by a strict central constraint: the proposal must communicate its logic entirely through visual means. No descriptive text is allowed on the final board. The suggested drawing set includes plans, sections, elevations, axonometrics, details, perspectives, and diagrams, though this list serves as guidance rather than a mandatory checklist. Previously published schemes may be submitted provided the entrant is the original author.
Registration Fees
| Category | Early Bird (22 Jun – 10 Sep) | Advance (11 Sep – 12 Nov) | Last Minute (13 Nov – 21 Jan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (3 installments) | €45 × 3 | €52 × 3 | €55 × 3 |
| Standard (Single payment) | Check official website | Check official website | Check official website |
| Student (Group of 3+) | Discount available | Discount available | Discount available |
All fees are subject to a +4.5% VAT. Student group discounts require a formal request from recognized university staff via an institutional email.
Submission Materials
| Material | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boards | 1 presentation board | A2 size, landscape orientation, strictly anonymous |
| Format | JPG | Maximum 10 MB per file |
| Drawings | Open visual set | Plans, sections, perspectives, or diagrams that best explain the concept |
| Text | Not permitted | Silent format; no descriptive paragraphs allowed on the board |
| Report | Required online only | Submitted via the upload panel for publication purposes; not seen by the jury |
| Images | Up to 3 cover visuals | Minimum 2000 × 1680 px; horizontal layout; for media use only |
| Models | Not required | No physical elements requested |
| Delivery | Digital upload | Through the official Buildner panel |
Important Dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration deadline | 21 January 2027 |
| Q&A deadline | 26 January 2027 |
| Submission deadline | 22 February 2027, 23:59 (London time) |
| Results announcement | 13 April 2027 |
Prizes
| Award | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | €4,000 + Certificate |
| 2nd Place | €2,000 + Certificate |
| 3rd Place | €1,000 + Certificate |
| Buildner Student Award | €1,000 + Certificate |
| 6 Honourable Mentions | Certificates of Achievement |
If a student entry is selected for the top three overall, it will automatically receive both the main tier prize and the dedicated student award.
Who is on the jury?
The jury panel for this edition has not yet been published by the organizer. Buildner traditionally appoints panels of 6 to 9 international industry professionals from diverse disciplines. Entrants are strictly prohibited from attempting to contact any prospective or announced adjudicators. Because the names remain unreleased, a definitive assessment of the panel’s institutional weight cannot be made at this time.
Intellectual Property
Participants retain full ownership and authorship rights over their submitted designs. By entering, participants grant Buildner permission to share, publish, and promote the work across its website, social media, newsletters, books, and exhibitions without requesting further consent for each use. Regarding AI-generated imagery, the organizer warns that such output may not constitute sole intellectual property unless explicit rights are obtained from the tool provider; entrants are advised to verify the specific terms of any algorithmic software utilized.
Submission Deadline
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