VGA Villa Gioia Architecture Competition 2026

Competition Brief

Villa Gioia is an international open architecture competition organized by Terraviva Competitions, an Italian private competition platform based in Milan. The competition invites architects, designers, students, urbanists, engineers, artists, and anyone with an interest in architectural design to propose a transformation of a historic estate in Bedizzole, a small town near Lake Garda in northern Italy.

The site is a former rural residence with gardens and service buildings. The brief asks participants to convert it into a contemporary retirement residence that addresses the needs of an ageing society. The competition is open to individuals and teams of any nationality, with no restrictions on background or career stage.

Intent

The brief frames the project as an exercise in adaptive reuse of a historic property. Rather than a conventional care facility, participants are asked to rethink the spatial relationship between private living quarters, shared communal environments, and outdoor areas within the constraints of an existing historic estate.

The program may include bedroom units or small apartments alongside dining areas, cultural spaces, wellness facilities, and gardens. The design challenge lies in reconciling the architectural identity of the historic residence with contemporary spatial solutions that support accessibility, wellbeing, and social interaction for elderly residents.

Purpose

This is an ideas competition without a built commission attached. There is no client and no planning process linked to the outcome. The primary purpose is the generation of design proposals that explore the intersection of heritage architecture and social housing for ageing populations, a topic of increasing relevance across European urban and peri-urban contexts.

Winning and shortlisted projects will be published on Terraviva’s channels and exhibited in a public exhibition. The competition functions primarily as a portfolio-building and visibility platform for participants, with a cash prize pool as an additional incentive.

Requirements

Participants must submit two A1 horizontal panels (594 x 841 mm) along with a brief written description of the proposal. All files must be uploaded through the Terraviva competition platform before the deadline. Teams can be of any size for single registrations. For monthly membership registrations, teams are limited to five members, including the team leader. The competition is anonymous; only the order number identifies each submission during judging.

Jury

1. Alessandro Sebastiani — Associate Director of Asset Management at SEGRO Italy, a real estate investment company focused on logistics. Background as an architect and project manager.
2. Bruna Vendemmia — Architect and urbanist; graduated from Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in 2003; PhD in Territorial Government and Design from Politecnico di Milano; holds a European Postgraduate Master in Urbanism.
3. Marco Pavoni — Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects in London, specializing in interior design; recipient of the 2024 Talented Young Italians Award in the Art and Culture category.
4. Manuela Rosso — Practicing architect and co-founder of Studio 3Mark in Cuneo, Italy; graduated with honors from Politecnico di Torino in 2005 with a thesis on urban regeneration; studied at the Ecole d’Architecture de Paris.
5. Adrián Beltrán Montalvo — Architect, illustrator, and academic; Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at Universidad UTE in Quito, Ecuador; PhD candidate in Design at the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires.
6. Joaquin Espasandin — Architect, academic, and urban designer at Manchester Metropolitan University; over ten years of experience in complex projects across the UK, Spain, and Uruguay; research focused on evidence-based design.
7. Maria Tîlvescu — PhD architect with 11 years of teaching experience at Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning in Bucharest; active in guiding students and critically evaluating architectural projects.
8. Antonino Caridi — Italian architect and co-founder of studio Fluidiforme in Turin; graduated with honors from the Polytechnic of Turin; studied abroad in Paris and Buenos Aires.

Registration Fees

A 15% launch promo discount is available using code VGA15XTVC, valid for early registration until April 7, 2026. All prices exclude 22% Italian VAT.

Prizes and Rewards

Key Dates

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

Villa Gioia is organized by Terraviva Competitions, an Italian private platform with a documented track record of running multiple open architecture and design competitions annually. The organizer is transparent about its structure, fees, and jury, which places it above average in terms of disclosure compared to many commercial competition platforms. The brief is well-framed, addressing adaptive reuse of a real historic estate for elderly living, a socially relevant and architecturally complex program that connects to current European debates around sustainable housing and demographic change. The jury of eight members is internationally diverse, with credible academic and professional profiles spanning Italy, the UK, Romania, and Latin America, including a notable presence from Zaha Hadid Architects. The cash prize pool of €8,000 is reasonable for an ideas competition of this scale, though participants should note that the “golden mention” coupons inflate the stated €10,000 total. Entry fees range from €79 to €139 plus 22% Italian VAT, which is a real cost consideration. The primary benefit for participants is portfolio development and potential exhibition visibility, with no built-in commission attached.

Final Thoughts

Terraviva has built a recognizable presence in the European open competition circuit, particularly among students and early-career architects. The platform is not affiliated with a public institution or professional body, but it operates consistently and transparently with clear terms, accessible jury information, and a functional submission process.

Villa Gioia offers a genuinely interesting brief. The combination of historic estate, Italian lake district context, and social housing for ageing populations is a rich design problem that goes beyond typical generic competition topics. For those interested in architectural heritage and adaptive reuse in a European context, the brief rewards careful engagement.

The main consideration is the fee. At €79 minimum before VAT, and with no guarantee of any return beyond a finalist publication slot, participants should weigh the entry cost against the portfolio value of the exercise. The competition is not a path to a built project or a major professional credential, but it is a well-organized platform with a fair prize structure relative to its size and scope.

Registration Deadline

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