Non-a

Botanical Turn! Free Design Contest to Reimagine the relationship between cities, plants, and botanical gardens Co-funded by European Commission, together with EU Project Naturescapes, Universidade de Lisboa and Instituto de Ciencias Sociais 🏆 7.000€ prize pool 🔖Botanical Turn contest invites architects and designers to see botanical gardens as active urban infrastructures, reservoirs of knowledge and biodiversity with the capacity of extending spatially, culturally, and symbolically into the city. The challenge is to imagine how botanical gardens can help reshape the urban landscape and redefine the relationship between plants and the built environment. [JURY] 👨‍⚖️ 👩‍⚖️ / Claudia Pasquero (Prof.) - Co-founder of ecoLogicStudio, Professor for Landscape Architecture at Innsbruck University, Rc16 Tutor at The Bartlett UCL / Nans Voron - Principal at SCAPE / Martha Fajardo - Founding Principal, Partner of Grupo Verde / David Maddox - Founder and Editor of The Nature of Cities / Mathilde Marengo (Dr.) - Head of Studio Operations, External Reference, Faculty & Program Director, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia / Eric W. Sanderson - Vice President for Urban Conservation at the New York Botanical Garden / Claire Martin - Associate Director OCULUS / Gary Leggett - Founder of Leggett & Cahuas, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru [CALENDAR] 🗓️ 18 May - 31 July / Open registrations 30 June / Q&A Deadline / 18 Aug – Submission opens on our website. / 18 Sept – Submission closes. / 19-23 October – Winner announcement. *check our website for the complete brief #nonarchitecture

🔶 Free Design Competition to Build a Healing Garden in the Certosa Park (Collegno, Italy) Co-funded by European Commission, launched with Sleeping Beauty EU Project, together with Comune di Collegno and Zona Ovest di Torino 🏆 Get your project built! + 7.500€ winner prize Part of the [Urban Prototypes] Series 🔖 Design a buildable Healing Garden within the defined intervention area of Parco della Certosa, Italy. Your proposal should create a landscape environment that supports biodiversity, social interaction, and sensory experience, while respecting heritage constraints and the 60.000 EUR construction budget. Your project should function as an urban prototype demonstrating how design can foster well-being and ecological regeneration [Sleeping Beauty Series] The Sleeping Beauty EU Project aims to reactivate underused cultural landscapes across Europe through Nature-Based Solutions inspired by the principles of the #NewEuropeanBauhaus. Within this initiative, participants are invited to design and build urban prototypes in one of the six pilot sites across Europe. This contest is the first in a sequence of six design contests developed within the European project Sleeping Beauty – Nature Meets Bauhaus. [JURY] 👨‍⚖️ 👩‍⚖️ / Paola Granero - Architect at Studio Gonnet / Marco Allocco - Environmental Expert at SeaCoop / MMag. Dr. Gudrun Haindlmaier, Senior Scientist - Center for Innovation Systems & Policy. Project Coordinator of Sleeping Beauty / Prof. Arch. Mag. arch. Silja Tillner, Architect & Urban Planner - Architekten Tillner & Willinger ZT GmbH. Professor at Politecnico di Milano / Municipality of Collegno / Zona Ovest di Torino / Orto che Cura / Sleeping Beauty’s Gender, Generations and Diversity Board (GGDB) [CALENDAR] 🗓️ 22 April - 15 July / Open registrations 15 May / Q&A Deadline / 15 July – Submission opens on our website. / 15 Aug – Submission closes. / 28 Sep – Winner announcement. *check our website for the complete brief hashtag#nonarchitecture

As you already know, at non-a we are constantly evolving and improving based on your feedback, and trust us, we’ve been listening. You don’t just want to design, you want to build. We know studio projects and renderings are not enough. You want real experience, real impact, real cities. Soon, we’ll be launching a new series of competitions unlike anything we’ve done before. We want you to go beyond ideas, to prototype, to test, and build. You’ll work on real sites, engage with real contexts, and rethink how we shape urban life. On top of everything, the new series of competitions will be free to register! This time, we’re going full construction mode. And we want you to be part of it! Stay tuned, or sign up for our newsletter to get the latest announcements. #nonarchitecture

Museo Tamayo designed by Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon What do you think about this brutalist museum? #nonarchitecture #reference #mexicanbrutalism #brutalism

#HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Garden Bath etc.] by [Jose Ortega joseorteg + Ryan Wang @ryanw.arch + Vincent Pu Zhang @vincentpuzhang ] [[5]ens] by [Laurence Gauthier @_laugauthier + Nathalou Dubé @nathaloud ] [Urban Oasis: Flowing Serenity] by [Yizhou Zhao @echolaliaaa + Yue Pan @lalaxoma ] [Boredom Palace] by [Polina Stepanova @_theattickeeper_ + Elizaveta Buiakova @_limonchela_ ] #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions

[Boredom Palace] by [Polina Stepanova @_theattickeeper_ + Elizaveta Buiakova @_limonchela_ ] 3/3 #HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Keywords] #Non-productivity #Idleness #Withdrawal #Pause #Stillness [Description] When was the last time you did nothing without guilt? Contemporary culture enforces permanent productivity. Even rest is instrumentalised: bodies are optimised, leisure is monetised, idleness is framed as failure. Cities intensify this logic through speed and fear of missing out. The ability to withdraw has disappeared. The Boredom Palace responds by proposing architecture as a tool for non-productivity. Rather than fixed programs, it offers spatial devices that allow to disengage, hesitate, wander. Like a bored child staring at a rug until imagination takes over and the ornaments begin to dance, idleness becomes a trigger for creative processes. The largest volume—the former pool—is intentionally inefficient. It is transformed into an open, outdoor main street, exposed to light and air, functioning as a porous public ground. Open to everyone, it connects London streets with London skies. The former baths are contemplated as an self-sufficient art piece, while a water-filtration installation reinforces the relationship with the climate and supports the building’s autonomy. Retreat facilities develop around this main “street”, offering spaces for physical rest, mental and creative withdrawal, solitude. Circulation and light slow perception and dissolve goals. Here are the tools. The choice of how to be unproductive remains yours. #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions

[Boredom Palace] by [Polina Stepanova @_theattickeeper_ + Elizaveta Buiakova @_limonchela_ ] 2/3 #HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Keywords] #Non-productivity #Idleness #Withdrawal #Pause #Stillness [Description] When was the last time you did nothing without guilt? Contemporary culture enforces permanent productivity. Even rest is instrumentalised: bodies are optimised, leisure is monetised, idleness is framed as failure. Cities intensify this logic through speed and fear of missing out. The ability to withdraw has disappeared. The Boredom Palace responds by proposing architecture as a tool for non-productivity. Rather than fixed programs, it offers spatial devices that allow to disengage, hesitate, wander. Like a bored child staring at a rug until imagination takes over and the ornaments begin to dance, idleness becomes a trigger for creative processes. The largest volume—the former pool—is intentionally inefficient. It is transformed into an open, outdoor main street, exposed to light and air, functioning as a porous public ground. Open to everyone, it connects London streets with London skies. The former baths are contemplated as an self-sufficient art piece, while a water-filtration installation reinforces the relationship with the climate and supports the building’s autonomy. Retreat facilities develop around this main “street”, offering spaces for physical rest, mental and creative withdrawal, solitude. Circulation and light slow perception and dissolve goals. Here are the tools. The choice of how to be unproductive remains yours. #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions

[Boredom Palace] by [Polina Stepanova @_theattickeeper_ + Elizaveta Buiakova @_limonchela_ ] 1/3 #HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Keywords] #Non-productivity #Idleness #Withdrawal #Pause #Stillness [Description] When was the last time you did nothing without guilt? Contemporary culture enforces permanent productivity. Even rest is instrumentalised: bodies are optimised, leisure is monetised, idleness is framed as failure. Cities intensify this logic through speed and fear of missing out. The ability to withdraw has disappeared. The Boredom Palace responds by proposing architecture as a tool for non-productivity. Rather than fixed programs, it offers spatial devices that allow to disengage, hesitate, wander. Like a bored child staring at a rug until imagination takes over and the ornaments begin to dance, idleness becomes a trigger for creative processes. The largest volume—the former pool—is intentionally inefficient. It is transformed into an open, outdoor main street, exposed to light and air, functioning as a porous public ground. Open to everyone, it connects London streets with London skies. The former baths are contemplated as an self-sufficient art piece, while a water-filtration installation reinforces the relationship with the climate and supports the building’s autonomy. Retreat facilities develop around this main “street”, offering spaces for physical rest, mental and creative withdrawal, solitude. Circulation and light slow perception and dissolve goals. Here are the tools. The choice of how to be unproductive remains yours. #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions

[Urban Oasis: Flowing Serenity] by [Yizhou Zhao @echolaliaaa + Yue Pan @lalaxoma ] 3/3 #HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Keywords] therapy as infrastructure, sensory and bodily gradient, adaptive reuse, wellness as urban typology, continuity of memory [Description] Responding to the theme of urban withdrawal and inner reconnection, this project transforms a historic bathhouse into a daily-accessible wellness retreat within London’s dense urban fabric. The design utilizes a programmatic and environmental gradient in the West Wing to guide visitors from restorative spa facilities to the preserved swimming pool, creating a layered sensory and bodily experience. In contrast, the East Wing facilitates "dry" functions, including professional offices, a mini- library, workshop space, and a multifunctional community event space with a rear courtyard. This wing fosters social and intellectual engagement, balancing the quietude of the wellness zones. The glazed "Wet Lobby" atrium serves as the spatial core. Inspired by Zen stones, stone seating atop wave-patterned floors creates a meditative environment for communal leisure. Cross-vault ceilings, influenced by Hackney’s local heritage, open to the rooftop to introduce natural daylight and ventilation. Through adaptive reuse, minimal intervention, and careful modulation of light and materials, the project preserves community memory while delivering a resilient, visually rich, and emotionally resonant urban retreat. #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions

[Urban Oasis: Flowing Serenity] by [Yizhou Zhao @echolaliaaa + Yue Pan @lalaxoma ] 2/3 #HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Keywords] therapy as infrastructure, sensory and bodily gradient, adaptive reuse, wellness as urban typology, continuity of memory [Description] Responding to the theme of urban withdrawal and inner reconnection, this project transforms a historic bathhouse into a daily-accessible wellness retreat within London’s dense urban fabric. The design utilizes a programmatic and environmental gradient in the West Wing to guide visitors from restorative spa facilities to the preserved swimming pool, creating a layered sensory and bodily experience. In contrast, the East Wing facilitates "dry" functions, including professional offices, a mini- library, workshop space, and a multifunctional community event space with a rear courtyard. This wing fosters social and intellectual engagement, balancing the quietude of the wellness zones. The glazed "Wet Lobby" atrium serves as the spatial core. Inspired by Zen stones, stone seating atop wave-patterned floors creates a meditative environment for communal leisure. Cross-vault ceilings, influenced by Hackney’s local heritage, open to the rooftop to introduce natural daylight and ventilation. Through adaptive reuse, minimal intervention, and careful modulation of light and materials, the project preserves community memory while delivering a resilient, visually rich, and emotionally resonant urban retreat. #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions

[Urban Oasis: Flowing Serenity] by [Yizhou Zhao @echolaliaaa + Yue Pan @lalaxoma ] 1/3 #HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Keywords] therapy as infrastructure, sensory and bodily gradient, adaptive reuse, wellness as urban typology, continuity of memory [Description] Responding to the theme of urban withdrawal and inner reconnection, this project transforms a historic bathhouse into a daily-accessible wellness retreat within London’s dense urban fabric. The design utilizes a programmatic and environmental gradient in the West Wing to guide visitors from restorative spa facilities to the preserved swimming pool, creating a layered sensory and bodily experience. In contrast, the East Wing facilitates "dry" functions, including professional offices, a mini- library, workshop space, and a multifunctional community event space with a rear courtyard. This wing fosters social and intellectual engagement, balancing the quietude of the wellness zones. The glazed "Wet Lobby" atrium serves as the spatial core. Inspired by Zen stones, stone seating atop wave-patterned floors creates a meditative environment for communal leisure. Cross-vault ceilings, influenced by Hackney’s local heritage, open to the rooftop to introduce natural daylight and ventilation. Through adaptive reuse, minimal intervention, and careful modulation of light and materials, the project preserves community memory while delivering a resilient, visually rich, and emotionally resonant urban retreat. #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions

[[5]ens] by [Laurence Gauthier @_laugauthier + Nathalou Dubé @nathaloud ] 3/3 #HonourableMention! London Urban Retreat Part of the Antipodes Competition Series [Keywords] Sensory, Discovery, Experience, Wander and Audacity [Description] Once a place of purification and relaxation, this building housed public baths and a swimming pool, symbolizing a collective approach to well-being through hygiene. Today, it becomes a space for encounters and diverse experiences, where visitors can recharge through the pleasure of their senses, guided by architecture. Inside, a large path leads visitors through a gradual exploration of the space. A fissure now cuts through the building in the form of a footbridge, intended as the main circulation axis, profoundly transforming the former public bath to adapt it to a more contemporary interpretation of well-being. This structural opening divides the complex into five zones, each dedicated to one of the senses: hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell. Each of these spheres offers a unique atmosphere that invites contemplation, awakening, or immersion. At the center lies a multifunctional space that encourages encounters and varied exchanges, the true living heart of the project. It represents a place of convergence where the five senses come together in a harmonious experience. Balancing heritage and contemporary creation, this transformation highlights the diversity of experiences capable of fostering a sense of well-being, turning a former place of hygiene into a sanctuary of perception and shared experience. #nonarchitecture — #axo_madness #cage #toffu #koozarch #goarchitecture #AIInnovation #FutureMuseumDesign #architecturecompetition #archdaily #archicompetition #archistudent #architecturestudent #architecture #architecturelovers #architecturedesign #architectureproject #architecturecontest #5competitions