Re:Form – New Life for Old Spaces / Edition 3

Competition Brief

Re:Form is back for its edition, and it is really simple. You can pick any building anywhere in the world. Redesign it to do something new. This competition is about taking old spaces and making them useful again. The spaces have to be pretty small, 250 meters or less.

You can choose any kind of space you want. It could be a store that is not being used anymore, a shed, a garage that nobody uses, or just a part of a bigger building. The people who are running this competition, Buildner, want to see what you can come up with. They are working with ArchDaily on this project, which is all about what homes look like today, and it is called “The Contemporary Home”.

Intent

The competition looks at how we can use things in new ways to help our cities deal with big problems. It does not ask people to come up with something new. Instead, it wants them to work with what we have and show what a little creativity can do in a small space.

This is part of a talk about being kind to the earth when we build things. Sometimes the best way to help is not to build something. The time they are doing this, they are still doing it this way. They are not saying people have to work in a place or on a certain topic; they just have to keep it small.

Purpose

The main goal here is to see how we can use buildings and spaces for new things to help people today and make the community a better place. This contest is open to anyone who wants to join, no matter if you are a student just starting in design or already working in the field.

Buildner also has a service where you can get feedback on your design after the contest is over. You can pay for this if you want to know how you did and get some tips. It’s not something you have to pay for when you enter.

Requirements

This competition is open to everyone. You do not need to have any skills or be a member of the AIA to join. You can work by yourself or with a team that has up to four people. The site you choose must be a building that already exists, and it has to be 250 square meters or smaller. This building can be anywhere in the world. When you send us anything, it has to be in English.

You can change your team members until the day we accept submissions. If you have an idea that you came up with before and it was already published, you can still submit it if you are the one who thought of it. You can use pictures that were made with the help of intelligence, but the rules about owning the rights to these pictures are the same as they are for other Buildner competitions.

Jury

The people who will decide the winners of Re:Form Edition 3 have not been chosen yet. Buildner says that the judges will be people who really know what they are doing in the industry. They have not said who these people are so far. The list of judges on the competition website is actually from Buildner competitions that happened before, and none of these judges are definitely going to be part of Re:Form Edition 3.

For reference, past Buildner jury members across other competitions have included:

1. Norman Foster – Norman Foster Foundation, Spain
2. Philippe Starck – Designer/Creator, France
3. Farshid Moussavi – Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA), UK
4. Alison Brooks – Alison Brooks Architects, UK
5. Lyndon Neri – Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, China
6. Amanda Levete – Founder, AL_A
7. Francine Houben – Founding Partner, Mecanoo, Netherlands
8. Ben Van Berkel – Founder and Principal, UNStudio, Netherlands
9. Amale Andraos – Co-Founder, WORKac; Columbia GSAPP, USA
10. Lucy Tilley – Adjaye Associates, UK
11. Fernanda Canales – Architect, Mexico
12. David Gianotten – OMA, Netherlands
13. Ece Calguner Erzan – Interiors Principal, SOM, USA
14. David Basulto – Founder, ArchDaily, Germany
15. Will Plowman – Partner, Foster + Partners, UAE
16. Patrik Schumacher – Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, UK
17. Manuela Gatto – Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, UK
18. Melodie Leung – Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, UK
19. Elizabeth Whittaker – Harvard GSD / Merge, USA
20. Michelle Kaufmann – Google / Michelle Kaufmann Studio, USA
21. Hilary Sample – GSAPP and MOS, USA
22. Meryati Blackwell – Marlon Blackwell Architects, USA
23. Peter Gluck – GLUCK+, USA
24. Paulo Flores – Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, UK
25. Charles Walker – Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, UK
26. Steven Rainville – Olson Kundig, USA
27. Roberto Bannura – Steven Holl Architects, China
28. Andrew Whalley – Grimshaw, UK
29. Eli Synnevåg – Snøhetta, Norway
30. Jette Hopp – Director, Snøhetta, Norway
31. Julia Murphy – Managing Partner, SOM, USA
32. Stefan de Koning – Partner, MVRDV, Netherlands
33. Doriana Fuksas – Studio Fuksas, Italy
34. Winy Maas – Founder, MVRDV, Netherlands
35. Flora Lee – Associate Partner, MAD Architects, USA
36. Martin Voelkle – Partner, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, USA
37. Thomas Christoffersen – BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, Denmark
38. Carlo Ratti – Director, MIT Senseable City Lab, USA
39. Micael Calatrava – Calatrava Grace and Calatrava International, UAE
40. Christina Seilern – Studio Seilern Architects, UK
41. Bertrand Schippan – Partner, MVRDV, Netherlands
42. Beatriz Colomina – Princeton University School of Architecture, USA
43. Anupama Kundoo – Architect and Professor, TU Berlin, Germany
44. Moshe Safdie – Safdie Architects, USA
45. Silvana Ordinas – Founder and Partner, Peter Pichler Architecture, Italy
46. Vishaan Chakrabarti – PAU, USA
47. Deborah Berke – TenBerke Architects, USA
48. Julien De Smedt – JDS Architects, Denmark
49. Michael Meredith – Princeton University / MOS, USA
50. Christele Harrouk – Editor in Chief, ArchDaily, Lebanon

None of the above are confirmed jury members for this edition. The actual jury will be published at a later date.

Registration Fees

All fees are subject to +4.5% VAT. Group student discounts are available for 3 or more registrations from the same institution. Payment can be split into 3 monthly instalments.

Prizes and Rewards

The total prize fund is 10,000 EUR, distributed across five award levels.

Winners also receive an ArchDaily feature, a Buildner interview and video, and exposure through Buildner’s media network. A student entry can simultaneously win both a top-three prize and the Student Award if selected by the jury for both.

Key Dates

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

Re:Form Edition 3 is organised by Buildner in partnership with ArchDaily, though the jury has not yet been announced, reducing transparency regarding evaluation. The competition is professional-conceptual, focused on adaptive reuse of existing structures under 250 m², open to students and practitioners globally. Registration fees range from 75–135 EUR, with a total prize fund of 10,000 EUR distributed across multiple awards, which is modest relative to the effort required. The practical benefit lies mainly in portfolio development and potential media exposure. Jury expertise is implied by Buildner’s track record but remains unconfirmed for this edition.

Final Thoughts

The Re:Form competition is now in its edition, which means it has more credibility than a brand new competition, but it does not have as much of a track record as competitions that have been around longer. The focus on reuse is really important right now. People are talking a lot about how we can reuse buildings to make our cities more sustainable, provide more housing, and make better use of space. A competition that takes this issue seriously is very valuable.

The way this competition is set up is pretty straightforward. There are no rules about where your project can be located. You do not have to be a professional to enter. This makes it easy for people to come up with ideas. The main thing that might stop people from entering is the cost. It can be as high as 135 EUR, which is a lot of money for a small project.

The total prize money is 10,000 EUR, which is not a lot compared to other competitions. The first-place prize is 5,000 EUR, which is a lot of money for students or people who are just starting, but it might not be as significant for bigger companies that have to think about how much time and money they will spend on the project. It is nice that there is a prize for sustainability, which is 500 EUR. This shows that the competition is interested in issues.

One thing that is not clear is who will be judging the competition. This is something that Buildner does with all of its competitions. It can make it hard for people to decide whether or not to enter. When you pay to enter a competition, you want to know who will be looking at your work.

Overall, the Re:Form competition is well-organized. Has a relevant theme. The format is easy to understand. Buildner is a credible organization. The prize money is limited. We do not know who the judges are. For students and new designers who’re interested in adaptive reuse, the cost to enter is reasonable. For companies, they need to think carefully about whether it is worth the cost. The Re:Form competition is an opportunity for people to think about how we can reuse old buildings to make our cities better. The Re:Form competition has a lot of potential. It will be interesting to see what kinds of projects people come up with.

Registration Deadline

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