BuildFest 2025
Dezeen Competitions: entrants to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts’ BuildFest 2025 competition have the chance to create wooden structures that will sit on the site of the 1969 Woodstock music festival.
Located at the historic site in Bethel, upstate New York, last year’s edition of the festival saw seven pavilions erected by student and professor teams from faculties across the USA.
This year’s theme focuses on emerging architectural technologies.
This competition is now closed
Organiser: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Competition: BuildFest 2025
Judges: judges will consist of select members from Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, including curatorial, grounds, archaeological and administrative staff
Submission deadline: 21 April, followed by shortlist interviews in April and May
Winner announcement: award notifications on 12 May
Prizes: proposals are categorised into three typological scales: Peace Pop-ups, which are small-scale interventions such as seating, tables, and bars; Peace Hubs, which are medium-scale structures like gateways and shade pavilions; and The Peace Pavilion, a dedicated space for gathering and contemplation. Awards ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 are available for each project, with a maximum of nine proposals accepted
Email buildfest@bethelwoodscenter.org to enter ›
Competition overview
Bethel Woods Art and Architecture Festival 2025: Build Fest 2 – Peace Rises invites university faculty in design or related fields to propose ideas for timber “peace infrastructure” to be built on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock festival.
Over the course of the festival, accepted participants will collaborate with self-organised student teams to build, install and resolve on-site design challenges.
Guided by the myth of Prometheus, the 2025 theme asks participants to negotiate the costs and benefits of emerging technologies in architectural design and fabrication.
Just as Prometheus’ gift of fire – humanity’s first technology – enabled both creation and destruction, how might contemporary technologies be leveraged or rejected to foster convivial relationships between communities and their built environment?
Eligibility and judging criteria
All university faculty in a design or related fields are eligible to apply.
Successful proposals will engage critically with the festival theme and the historic site. They will demonstrate design competency and feasibility, showcase innovative timber construction, and provide a clear off-site and on-site construction plan.
Proposals that incorporate digital fabrication and/or prefabrication will be prioritised.
How to enter
Submissions should be sent to buildfest@bethelwoodscenter.org.
They should include the following:
- A project statement
- Conceptual imagery, such as drawings, models, diagrammes, or renderings that convey the project’s intent
- A timeline outlining both off-site construction and on-site installation
- A draft budget detailing expected material costs
- Bios of the faculty team, including links to past projects and research. Further details can be found here.
Submission deadlines
The submission deadline is 21 April, followed by shortlist interviews in April and May.
Award notifications will be sent on 12 May.
About Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located in Bethel, New York City, at the National Register Historic Site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, is committed to building upon our rich history of peace and music by providing extraordinary experiences and access to the arts.
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