As cities expand, vertical and horizontal spaces are continually redefined, adapting to the pressing demands of urban living. Yet, beneath the expanse of our infrastructure lies a matrix of underutilized spaces, often overshadowed by their towering counterparts - the bridges that stitch our cities together. These underbridge spaces, ranging from small niches to vast expanses, remain dormant, echoing the hum of the traffic above, waiting for visionaries to tap into their latent potential.

In our relentless pursuit to address urban housing needs, Buildner is proud to unveil its 20th competition in the Affordable Housing Series, marking another milestone in the exploration of innovative living solutions. This edition also represents the second edition of Underbridge, our housing challenge focused on the overlooked and underexplored spaces beneath bridges around the world. Through this challenge, architects and visionaries are invited to reimagine these environments and unlock their potential — transforming them into dynamic, thriving communities that resonate with the city’s heartbeat.

Beneath city bridges worldwide lies untapped potential, vast spaces brimming with opportunity. Underbridge invites visionaries to transform these areas into thriving communities. Buildner is searching for designs that can cater to a wide array of residents, ensuring a perfect blend of scalability, affordability and eco-consciousness. It is an invitation to revolutionize these overlooked spaces with a fresh, practical perspective.

Participants have the liberty to pinpoint any underbridge site across the globe for their visionary designs. Essential considerations include the site’s accessibility, available amenities, and how the proposed solution harmonizes with the existing community. The designs should showcase adaptability, ensuring they cater to various needs while remaining both cost-effective and sustainable.

With this challenge, the boundaries are set by your own creativity. Buildner urges entrants to think big, think different, and present housing solutions that challenge the norm. The underbridge spaces await your transformative touch. Let your imaginations run wild, and let’s craft a vision where these spaces become the heartbeat of urban communities.

PRIZES

3 winning proposals, special award recipient and 6 honourable mentions will be selected. Buildner will award a total of 8,000 € in prize money to competition winners as follows:

1st Prize - 4,000 €
2nd Prize - 2,000 €
3rd Prize - 1,000 €
+ 6 honourable mentions

Buildner Student Award - 1,000 €

The Prix Versailles has unveiled its list of the world’s most beautiful emporiums for 2026. The list of seven emporiums “draw from the foundations of their brand’s history and culture, and from the emotions and expertise that, in dialogue with the environment all around them, have turned these places into hot spots for creation and inspiration,” according to Prix Versailles Secretary General Jérôme Gouadain.

In December, three projects from the list will be given additional titles of a World Title – Prix Versailles, Interior, or Exterior. The unveiling of the emporium shortlist comes shortly after the organization chose its shortlist for restaurants, hotels, airports, and museums. 

Below, we have published the seven projects comprising the World's Most Beautiful Emporium list 2026. You can compare the projects with those of previous years by following our ongoing coverage of the series here.

House of Dior in Beijing, China by Christian de Portzamparc

Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2026, celebrating its third edition, honors the boundless creativity and visionary spirit of architecture. The competition shines a spotlight on the significance of unrealized designs, celebrating bold ideas and imaginative visions that, even without being built, capture the essence of innovation and exploration. It offers a global stage for architects and designers to showcase their most daring concepts, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire the future of the built environment.

Participants are invited to submit their work, offering unrestricted freedom to highlight their creativity and vision. Whether it's designs still on paper, detailed plans awaiting realization, or conceptual ideas seeking acknowledgment, all forms of unbuilt projects are welcome.

Submissions are categorized as small, medium, or large, so every project gets the recognition it deserves. Buildner aims to showcase the incredible potential of these unbuilt designs, applauding the imagination and commitment of architects and designers striving for innovation and excellence.

The Buildner Unbuilt Award 2026 offers life-changing prizes, including a €100,000 prize fund shared across three categories, a dedicated chapter in the annual Unbuilt Book, and the prestigious Continuum Trophy, designed by renowned designer Germans Ermičs. Participants have the opportunity to showcase their creativity on a global stage and gain recognition for visionary ideas that shape the future of architecture. 

PRIZE FUND

Buildner will recognize one winner in each of the three scale-based categories and award five honorable mentions in each category as well. A student winner will also be chosen for each category. Additionally, there will be a special award for the best presentation. All winners and honorable mentions will be featured in a printed book to showcase their innovative work.

100,000 € + Your Chapter in The Book 

For detailed information about scale-based categories, the awarding of five honorable mentions in each category, and special award, please refer to the homepage. 

WoodWorks has unveiled the winners of its 2026 Wood in Architecture award, celebrating “excellence and innovation in mass timber, heavy timber, light-frame, and hybrid building design.” This year, eight buildings were selected for “using wood in innovative ways that positively impact the environment, occupants, and communities throughout the U.S.” 

“The winning projects illustrate not only what is possible today, but where the industry is headed,” WoodWorks President and CEO Jennifer Cover said about the selection. “From urban campuses to rural communities, and from small-scale buildings to flagship headquarters, they reflect a broad and evolving landscape for mass timber and light-frame wood construction. High-performance envelopes, advanced acoustic and vibration solutions, and hybrid structural systems are enabling wood to meet rigorous program requirements while delivering warm, human-centered spaces.”

The eight winning schemes are as follows:

Amy Gutmann Hall, Data Science & AI Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Lake Flato Architects and KSS Architects

The winners of BRICK AWARD 26 have been revealed, celebrating “brick and ceramic building products as timeless materials for innovative and forward-looking architecture.” Presented every two years since 2004 by Wienerberger AG, the 2026 edition honored six projects chosen from a shortlist of 50 projects. 

Projects were chosen according to their “skilful and innovative” use of brick, including aesthetics, shape, and configuration of the project. In addition, sustainability, climate resilience, energy efficiency, and affordable living received special attention from the jury. 

The winning entries are as follows:

Đạo Mẫu Temple and Museum in Soc Son, Vietnam by ARB Architects

Project excerpt: “This year’s Grand Prize was awarded to Đạo Mẫu Temple and Museum in Soc Son, Vietnam, winner of the Sharing public spaces category. The design by ARB Architects for folk artist Xuân Hinh draws inspiration from deep-rooted traditions, melding a spiritual aesthetic with contemporary life to create a sense of serenity across the 5,000 sqm site. The carbon-negative project upcycled some six million clay tiles sourced from more than 500 local homes, creating a unique and sacred connection with the people of the region.”

The Graham Foundation has announced its recipients of grants for 2026. Over $500,000 was awarded to 54 projects “exploring architecture through exhibitions, films, publications, and research.”

In total, 86 individuals received funding from more than 600 submissions. Among the recipients are emerging architects, artists, curators, designers, filmmakers, historians, scholars, and writers.

In total, more than $46 million has been awarded by the foundation in 70 years, supporting over 5,300 projects. 

The 2026 projects funded are as follows:

The American Institute of Architects has announced the winners of its 2026 Regional & Urban Design Award. Five schemes were honored in this year's edition of the award, which are “recognized as the best in urban design, regional and city planning, and community development.”

The awards come days after the AIA also selected the best in contemporary architecture at the 2026 AIA Architecture Awards. Meanwhile, the best new interiors of the year were honored at the AIA Interior Architecture Awards, and the best in residential architecture was honored at the AIA Housing Award. You can compare the projects recognized this year to those of previous years by following our ongoing coverage of the series here.  

In the meantime, the winners of the Regional & Urban Design Award 2026 are as follows: 

Choose a site—used, abandoned, or forgotten—anywhere in the world, and give it a new purpose.

In a world facing urgent environmental and spatial challenges, the most sustainable solutions may come not from new construction, but from reimagining what already exists. Re:Form Edition #3 invites architects, designers, and innovators to embrace the challenge of adaptive reuse, working within spaces under 250 square meters to give them renewed purpose and relevance.

Participants are free to select any existing structure—whether currently in use, abandoned, or neglected—anywhere in the world. From unused storefronts and aging sheds to underutilized garages or portions of larger buildings, each proposal should demonstrate how a limited footprint can be transformed into something innovative and impactful.

This competition celebrates the ingenuity required to balance sustainability, functionality, and thoughtful design within an existing space. How can we rethink these structures to serve new purposes, meet contemporary needs, and positively impact their communities? Re:Form Edition #3 is an invitation to bring fresh perspectives to old spaces and show that careful adaptation can play a powerful role in shaping a more sustainable future.

PRIZES

3 winning proposals, 2 special award recipients and 6 honourable mentions will be selected. Buildner will award a total of 10,000 € in prize money to competition winners as follows:

1st Prize - 5,000 €
2nd Prize - 2,500 €
3rd Prize - 1,000 €
6 honourable mentions

Buildner Student Award - 1,000 €
Buildner Sustainability Award - 500 €

Looking for new, exciting architecture and design competitions to consider? Check out our latest curated picks of challenges listed on Bustler. Featured today are four briefs seeking the premier structural steel projects in the United States, student-led projects that engage with contemporary architectural, urban, and environmental challenges, innovative ideas for how tall buildings can more sustainably be integrated in Vancouver, and designs for a memorial that highlights humanity's role in nature's destruction.

For the complete directory of newly listed competitions, click here.

The American Institute of Architects has announced the winners of its 2026 AIA Small Project Award. Seven projects were honored in this year's edition, whose mission “raises public awareness of the value and design excellence that architects provide regardless of the limits of size and budget.”

The awards come days after the AIA also selected the best in contemporary architecture at the 2026 AIA Architecture Awards. Meanwhile, the best new interiors of the year were honored at the AIA Interior Architecture Awards, and the best in residential architecture was honored at the AIA Housing Award. You can compare the projects recognized this year to those of previous years by following our ongoing coverage of the series here.  

In the meantime, the winners of the AIA Small Project Award 2026 are as follows: