The Earth is in a chaotic and confusing state right now, with the future of our society not entirely clear. But in a world of global pandemics, climate change, wars and a constant cost of living crisis, now is the time to reflect on the positive aspects of humanity and its many great achievements.

The Pavilion Of Humanity: First Contact architecture ideas competition tasks participants with designing a structure encapsulating the best and brightest of our species in a way that, should we ever be visited by other life forms, would allow them to learn about our achievements in a single space.

In the same way the Pioneer Plaques, placed on board the 1972 Pioneer 10 and 1973 Pioneer 11 spacecrafts, tell a pictorial story of humanity, the Pavilion of Humanity should represent the human race through architecture. The Pioneer Plaques included figures of a man and a woman, the sun and galactic landmarks, a schematic diagram of the Solar System, and a silhouette of the spacecraft. These drawings were designed to give extraterrestrials a basic understanding of humanity and the Earth.

Participants are asked to choose a site of their liking anywhere in the world, and as long as the structure is located on Earth and obeys the basic laws of physics, anything else goes. This is an opportunity for architecture and design enthusiasts to stretch the limits of their imagination and reflect on the greatest and most influential achievements of humanity.

What would you be most proud to show extraterrestrial visitors and how would you want to communicate our greatest accomplishments through architecture?

PRIZES

3 winning proposals, 2 special award recipients and 6 honourable mentions. Buildner (formerly Bee Breeders) will award a total of 7,000 € in prize money to competition winners as follows:

1st Prize – 3,000 €
2nd Prize – 1,500 €
3rd Prize – 1,000 €
+ 6 honourable mentions

Buildner Student Award – 1,000 € + 50 € gift card at ARCHHIVE BOOKS
Buildner Sustainability Award – 500 €

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

Early Bird Registration: January 30 – March 27
Advance Registration: March 28 – May 25
Last Minute Registration: May 26 – July 24

Final registration deadline: July 24, 2023
Closing date for submission: September 4, 2023 (11:59 p.m. LONDON TIME)
Announcement of the winners: October 18, 2023

More: https://architecturecompetitions.com/humanitypavilion2/