Buildner 'Re-Form' Competition: Revitalizing Existing Structures and Announcing New Edition
Buildner has revealed the outstanding results of its second "Re-Form: New Life for Old Spaces" competition, an international design challenge that championed the adaptive reuse of small, often neglected buildings. This initiative sought innovative approaches to transform existing structures, approximately 250 square meters in size, located anywhere globally. The competition emphasized sustainability, feasibility, and community benefit, encouraging participants to develop alternatives to traditional demolition and new construction by integrating modern social and environmental considerations into their reuse strategies.
The competition fostered a wide array of creative solutions, ranging from meticulously planned urban interventions to imaginative rural transformations. A central theme among many submissions was the strategic revitalization of limited, often underutilized, spaces to support new forms of collective engagement. These projects also demonstrated a keen awareness of material, climatic, and ecological factors, showcasing how thoughtful design can breathe new life into forgotten structures. Parallel to this announcement, Buildner has launched "Re-Form: New Life for Old Spaces – Edition 3," inviting a fresh wave of proposals to further explore the potential of existing buildings for contemporary use.
The First Prize was awarded to "Seeds in Forgotten Soil" by a team from Indonesia. This project envisions a post-disaster housing solution that integrates abandoned concrete frameworks with modular timber elements. It functions as a scalable system, utilizing existing structural bones to create new residential units complete with shared circulation and communal areas. The design prioritizes local materials and straightforward assembly, allowing for adaptable modules to suit varying family needs. Environmental considerations are embedded through passive climatic responses like cross-ventilation, shading, and elevated construction to mitigate flood risks. The proposal blends private and collective spaces, fostering both individual living and community interaction, and offers a blueprint for rebuilding in vulnerable regions through resource reuse and flexible spatial systems.
The Second Prize went to "Plug-In Protocol" by a team from the United States. This proposal outlines a phased approach to reactivate unfinished and abandoned buildings using lightweight, modular insertions. Instead of completing the original design, the project introduces a secondary, scaffold-like framework that attaches to the existing concrete structure, facilitating gradual occupation and transformation. The intervention features a structural grid and service spine that support flexible program modules, which can be easily added, removed, or reconfigured. This minimal intervention strategy allows buildings to remain partially unfinished yet entirely functional. The system can accommodate diverse uses, from residential and communal spaces to commercial activities, demonstrating adaptability to evolving economic and social demands. Its emphasis on reversibility and staged development presents a novel model for engaging with incomplete urban structures.
"The Future Factory" by Julia Mytnik from the Cracow University of Technology, Poland, secured the Third Prize and the Buildner Sustainability Award. This project proposes transforming an abandoned industrial complex into a vibrant, mixed-use civic and productive environment. By retaining the existing structural framework, it introduces new programs such as workshops, co-working spaces, housing, and public amenities, creating a dynamic ecosystem. A distinctive feature is the integration of spontaneous vegetation, allowing nature to coexist with industrial heritage. The design combines robust existing elements with lighter new insertions, using material contrasts, natural light, and greenery to create a human-scaled atmosphere. Central to the proposal are circular economy principles, with strategies for material dismantling, reuse, and reintegration, positioning the factory as a model for sustainable transformation.
The Buildner Student Award was presented to Hojun Jung from Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea, for "Postel 1953." This project reimagines abandoned coastal guard posts along the Korean border as small shelters for trekkers, transforming a landscape previously defined by surveillance into one of movement and public access. The architectural intervention is precise and restrained, extending existing structures with modular additions that provide essential living functions while preserving the original identity and spatial memory. These compact, vertical compositions offer spaces for rest and observation, adapting to the rugged coastal terrain. The proposal highlights construction logic and adaptability through modular wall systems and prefabricated elements, ensuring easy assembly in remote locations.
Other notable submissions included "Jardi d'Alzina: Roots of Resistance," which transforms a contested Barcelona urban site into a cultural hub centered around an ancient holm oak. "Class-W Tea-Room" revitalizes a disused underground public bathroom in Melbourne, converting it into a tea room for transit workers, rooted in the city's transport history. "Veil and Void" reactivates Takyeh Darkhoongah in Tehran as a cultural space focused on memory and ritual, integrating restored elements with lightweight, reversible interventions. "St. Peter's Church: Once a Ruin, Now an Archive of What Once Was" proposes the restoration of a historic church in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, as a space for collective memory and heritage, acknowledging the impact of past displacements. "Reverse Exposure" rethinks buildings in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo red-light district as a support center, focusing on privacy, dignity, and social reintegration through architectural transformation. Lastly, "Iron Bloom" transforms an abandoned waterfront crane in Brooklyn into a vertical greenhouse and community hub, emphasizing food production, education, and resilience by repurposing industrial infrastructure for a sustainable future. These projects collectively demonstrate the expansive potential of adaptive reuse to create vibrant, meaningful spaces from existing structures.
The recently concluded "Re-Form: New Life for Old Spaces" competition showcased a diverse range of innovative architectural projects, each offering a unique perspective on transforming existing structures to meet contemporary demands. From post-disaster housing solutions to cultural hubs and urban regeneration initiatives, the winning and highlighted proposals collectively underscore the profound impact of adaptive reuse in fostering sustainability, community engagement, and historical preservation. These projects serve as compelling examples of how architects and designers are reimagining forgotten and underutilized spaces, demonstrating a commitment to environmental responsibility and social relevance. The success of this edition paves the way for further exploration in the upcoming third edition, continuing the dialogue on creative and sustainable architectural practices for a better future.