The Architect’s Stair
Dezeen Competitions: The Architect’s Stair competition by Buildner invites architects to reimagine a staircase as a conceptual form.
The competition aims to produce staircase designs that prioritise abstract and narrative elements without site-specific scale, form or materiality limitations.
This competition has now closed
Organiser: Buildner
Competition: The Architect’s Stair, edition one
Judges: yet to be announced
Submission deadline: the registration deadline is 5 June 2025 and the closing date for submission is 14 July 2025
Winner announcement: 16 September 2025
Prizes: the first prize is €3,500, the second prize is €1,500, third prize is €1,000. Prizes also also include a Buildner Student Award at €1,000 and a Sustainability Award at €500. Six honourable mentions will also be awarded
Competition overview
Buildner presents The Architect’s Stair, a new architecture ideas competition that invites participants to explore stairs as a powerful medium of architectural expression.
Freed from functional constraints, this competition challenges architects to reimagine stairs not as a technical element, but as a conceptual statement.
Whether monumental or minimal, abstract or site-specific, stairs becomes a tool for communicating spatial identity, narrative and intention.
The Architect’s Stair is not a challenge bound by code or function, but a conceptual platform – an open invitation to explore the stair as a vessel for personal, spatial and philosophical expression.
Without limitations on scale, typology, context or materiality, this competition removes conventional boundaries and instead emphasises clarity of thought, depth of concept and the originality of spatial storytelling.
For more details, visit the competition’s website.
Eligibility and judging criteria
The competition is open to all individuals 18 and over. No professional qualifications are required. Participants can enter individually or in teams of up to four members
Participants are required to upload one A2 landscape presentation board as a visual representation of their proposal. No video files are accepted
All information provided in writing must be in English
Proposals will be judged on five requirements:
- Conceptual diagrammes and explanations aesthetics and signature style
- Plans, sections and axonometric views
- Interior and/or exterior perspectives
- Versatility and adaptability
- Contextual representation (if applicable)
- Narrative statement
How to enter
Participants must upload proposals via the online upload panel by 14 July 2025.
Submission deadlines
The final registration deadline is 5 June 2025 and closing date for submissions is 14 July 2025.
Winners will be announced on 16 September 2025.
About Buildner
Buildner showcases international architecture competitions, providing a platform for designers and architects to spotlight their work and shape the future of the built environment.
For over ten years, the platform has published more than 140 competitions and had over 400 guest jury members.
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