Buildner is pleased to announce the results of his third annual architectural chair competition, which received excellent ideas from all over the world. Buildner has published two books on this topic and emphasized important ideas and outstanding projects from his previous editions. If the registration is now open, we invite you to share your vision of the ideal chair by September 18.
The chair design examines the interdisciplinary nature of architecture and shows the ability of the architects, skills and sensitivity to adapt to scales and contexts and to blur the boundaries between architecture, design and art. This versatility enables the architects to explore new ideas and to challenge conventional ideas of chair aesthetics, materials and technology.
The architect's chair competition is an annual international design competition that invites architects and designers worldwide to submit designs for a signature chair. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer and Arne Jacobsen enter into the footsteps of iconic figures such as Charles and Ray Eames and Arne Jacobsen, who have the task of creating individual chairs that reflect their unique design philosophies and visions.
jury
Buildner worked with an outstanding jury team that represented the areas of architecture, product design and furniture design to evaluate the submissions based on functions and comfort, aesthetics and signature style, materiality, craftsmanship and construction and versatility.
- Boris Berlina designer and partner of the Boris Berlin design based in Copenhagen;
- Anne BrandhøjA partner in the venue design studio Bly Studio who also works with wooden sculptures under their own name;
- Sarah HossliA product designer in Lucerne, Switzerland;
- Lorenz Noellea product designer in Switzerland;
- Alexander Lervikone of the most famous designers in Sweden;
- Natalia Sanz Laviña And Takeshi YamamuraCo-founder of Ysla Yamamurasanzlaviña architects by Ysla Yamamurasanzlaviña;
- Fabien RoyA Swiss product designer
- Harrison StallonAn architect of the Grandma company based in Rotterdam
The other ongoing competitions from Buildner include The unobstructed price 2025 celebrated visionary architectural designs that do not yet have to be realized, for architects, designers and students worldwide with a price fund of € 100,000; The Howard Waterfall Retreat The competition invites the participants to design a family retreat with several generations in a forested location in Pennsylvania, USA, which respects the natural beauty and historical importance of the location. and the 2024/25 House of the Future The competition organized in cooperation with the government of Dubai invites architects to design innovative, sustainable and technologically advanced living concepts that embody Dubai's vision for the future of urban life, where winning documents are to be constructed.
Projects:
First prize winner + Buildner student Award
Project title: Smile
Authors: Olivier Lacroix, in collaboration with William Deschamps, University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada
The Risus Side Chair is a wooden chair that was designed with a sophisticated silhouette and was inspired by the curves and angles of existing seating forms that have been scanned digitally to improve ergonomics and structural stability. Its trapezoidal shape offers better weight distribution, while the Douglas fir wood from British Columbia highlights natural grain patterns. The seat and the backrest are shaped for comfort, with legs and joints being shaped on a lathe. The chair is put together with dowels and treated with an non -toxic finish. The name “Risus”, which smiles in Latin, refers to the curved backrest, which offers ergonomic support and at the same time maintains simple, modern aesthetics that is suitable for different environments.
Second winner
Project title: Tom
Author: Reggy St-Surin, Canada
The Tom chair is a sculptural seat that is characterized by strong colors and organic, rounded shapes. The abstract form designed that noticeable gives him a playful, almost creative -like presence. Built with a laminated wooden frame, it is covered by hand using polyurethane foam and with a velvet mix of wool, polyester and nylon. The combination of materials ensures durability and flexibility and enables the fabric to adapt smoothly to its curved shape. The design process included prototyping with cardboard and wood to refine proportions and upholstery techniques. Tom calls for traditional seats by priorizing the shape and character next to the function.
Third winner
Project title: Blessing
Author: Niklas Fiedler, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art (KADK), Netherlands
The balance chair contains a subtle movement to promote better posture and better commitment. It has a pitch of eight degrees that encourages an upright sitting position for an improved focus and enables users to lean back into a stable rest position. Built from ash wood, it has a double plywood seat for comfort and a 45-degree leg structure, the movement integrates into stability without compromise. The design replaces a standard cross stabilizer with a sled base at the ground level and retains a minimum aesthetics and supports the natural posture adjustments. It is suitable for different environments and offers ergonomic advantages through controlled movement.
Buildner Sufteralibalia and Baus winner of sustainability
Project title: Bäuer: inner chair
Author: Nicklas Coombe Potter and Esra Heuermann, Germany
The Bäuer: Indenstuhl is a contemporary new interpretation of the traditional “farmers' chair”, a simple wooden chair that usually occurs in alpine regions. It is made of solid wood and has an angle structure with a split backrest, which maintains a balance between rustic craftsmanship and modern aesthetics. The design includes traditional carpentry and avoids metal attachments and chemical treatments, which improves sustainability. Developed by a community-based approach, it promotes local material procurement and upcycling. The production of the chair emphasizes with low waste processes and CO₂ reduction. Due to the integration of historical elements into modern needs, the farmer serves: Indian chair as functional seats and as a reflection of designing design traditions.
Highlighted submissions
Project title: Navan chair
Authors: Omid Shafigh Khatibi, Keenan David Boliek-Poling and Kristin Ross from the USA
The Navân chair is made from two different walnut trees, with careful cutting, folding and connecting to maintain grain patterns and minimize waste. Stainless steel rods and corpse and tenon interceptors combine the wood, which balances the natural warmth and constructed precision. An ergonomic comfort promotes a 9-degree round. The simple, strict shape of the chair fits private and public environments. The design required careful workflow planning, in which prototypes and material feedback adjustments were conducted. The project includes essentialism and material honesty and enables wood and process the final form. “Navân” symbolizes the seamless fusion of two different natural identities.
Project title: Enough chair
Author: Ha Jin Soo from South Korea
The enough chair consists of walnut wood with steam bend and traditional Korean carpentry techniques. It has a minimalist design, combined with curves inspired by Korean roof lines. The ergonomic form offers comfort, while the warm walnut tones give natural sophistication. Clear lines and smooth surfaces emphasize its simplicity. The construction shows traditional craftsmanship without decorations. This chair compensates for the cultural heritage with modern design principles, which leads to a functional but refined piece. Its silhouette subtly refers to traditional Korean Korean architecture and merge the contemporary minimalism with historical influence.
Registration is now open – your vision of the ideal chair here by September 18 and take part in researching the thoughtful design.