Iceland Slow Sauna
Dezeen Competitions: Buildner’s latest competition calls for designers to submit proposals of a sauna and greenhouse in Lake Mývatn, Iceland.
Proposals should “unite the sauna and greenhouse into one seamless experience” and will be judged on material sensibility and climatic resilience.
This competition is now closed
Organiser: Buildner
Competition: Iceland Slow Sauna
Judges: yet to be announced
Submission deadline: 11 May 2026
Winner announcement: 7 July 2026
Prizes: the first prize is €5,000, the second is €2,500 and the third is €1,000. Prizes also include the Buildner student award at €1,000, and the sustainability award at €500. Six honourable mentions are also awarded
Competition overview
Buildner invites architects worldwide to participate in the Iceland Slow Sauna competition, an exploration of how architecture can shape rituals of heat, light and renewal.
Set against the mystical backdrop of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, participants are challenged to design an intimate retreat that unites a sauna and a greenhouse into one seamless experience.
The brief asks how space, material and atmosphere can heighten the rhythm between warmth, silence and growth.
Organised in collaboration with Óli and Bianca, the couple behind Slow Travel Mývatn, the competition reflects their philosophy of sustainability, authenticity and slowness.
The project seeks architecture that is thoughtful, resilient and deeply attuned to nature – a crafted sanctuary that extends the ritual of renewal beyond the sauna itself.
Eligibility and judging criteria
The competition is open to all.
Projects will be judged on the following:
- Integration with nature
- Human scale and intimacy
- Thermal rhythm
- Material sensibility
- Climatic resilience
- Energy and sustainability
- Craft and feasibility
- Atmosphere and poetics
These recommendations serve as guiding principles, not restrictions.
Participants are encouraged to interpret them with creativity, developing proposals that expand on the philosophy of the Iceland Slow Sauna.
How to enter
Participants must upload proposals via the online upload panel.
Submission deadlines
The final registration deadline is 8 April 2026, and the closing date for submissions is 11 May 2026.
Winners will be announced on 7 July 2026.
About Buildner
Buildner specialises in creating and managing architecture contests, offering a platform for architects to showcase innovation and engage with a global community.
Its mission is to inspire creativity and professional growth in the architectural industry.
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