Bustler's Top 10 Competitions of 2018

From exploring what domestic architecture will look like in the future, to creating an iconic ‘public library’ for the digital age, this year's most popular competitions asked designers to think about how architecture will evolve to address various challenges in the 21st century. Some have been recurring favorites such as eVolo's annual Skyscraper Competition and Laka's ever-popular “Architecture that Reacts” while others sought time-sensitive briefs and thematically relevant ideas on topics ranging from architectural fairy tales and coffee kiosks to affordable housing in London and a Museum of Language.

Out of the hundreds of design competitions that happened over the last 12 months, we compiled a list of the Top 10 Competitions of 2018. Have a look.

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1. HOME Competition 2018

"The HOME competition invites all designers to explore ideas of domestic architecture for the future. Designers may consider the impacts of global population shifts, proximity of major cities to coastlines, new materials and building techniques, as well as the rise of co-housing, tiny homes, smart houses and marketplaces like Airbnb. HOME creates a platform to speculate the ways new technological, political, environmental and cultural changes can redefine the spaces where we live.

What do you believe will be the future of home?"

2. Laka Competition 2018: "Architecture the Reacts"

"Laka invites designers from around the world to submit their ideas of ‘architecture that reacts.’ The main focus of the competition is on the solutions that develop through a process of changes and adjustments. The subject of the competition is architectural, design, or technological solutions that are capable of dynamic interaction with their surroundings."

3. Silent Meditation Forest Cabins

"The competition participants are asked to create designs for a cabin that could be replicated in any number of spots throughout the forest. The cabin’s main purpose is to help guests enjoy silent meditation, where the only sounds they would hear would be the sounds of the nature. The silent meditation cabins would need to be able to accommodate just a single person, and offer them basic and humble living conditions."

4. London Affordable Housing Challenge

"For the London Affordable Housing Challenge, participants are asked to design a pilot-phase concept for affordable housing within Britain’s capital city. In order to be successful, designs need to be easily rolled out to increase the capacity of housing stock, while at the same time with minimal use of land and resources."

5. TOKYO (anti) LIBRARY

"The aim of the competition is to create an iconic 21st century ‘public library’ in the city of Tokyo, Japan and debate its role in a ‘digital age’. The proposal must aim to become a solution to the frequently questioned vitality of a library by enhancing and transforming its capabilities as a ‘knowledge sharing and research prototype’ that will become a model for the future libraries of the world."

6. Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

"The Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center architecture competition is the second in a series run in conjunction with the Latvia Nature Conservation Agency. The participants are invited to submit designs for an entry point to the nature park. The entry point will need to feature an information centre with a small cafe, a terrace available for those camping in the area, a playground for children, as well as a car park and ticket booth."

7. The BIG Tiny Coffee House Challenge

"The Big Tiny Coffee House Challenge is asking participants to design a coffee shop kiosk that could be replicated in capital cities across Northern Europe. In partnership with “Kremm Coffee and Gelato”, we are looking for iconic designs that can be easily constructed and transported, while at the same time being sophisticated enough to have the potential to become a recognized landmark in their own right."

8. Fairy Tales 2019

"For the last 5 years, the Fairy Tales competition has captured the imagination of designers and architects around the world. Last year's record breaking competition drew entries from over 60 countries, making the competition once again the largest annual architecture competition in the world."

9. eVolo 2019 Skyscraper Competition

"eVolo Magazine is pleased to invite architects, students, engineers, designers, and artists from around the globe to take part in the 2019 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious awards for high-rise architecture. It recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the implementation of novel technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution."

10. The Museum of Language, London

"The aim of the competition is to design an iconic museum of language in the heart of London that will deconstruct the science of linguistics into various aspects of- speech, script and sense. The proposal must not only become an archive for the past and present world languages but also serve as a learning center that works to develop languages and future communication systems."