Architectural competitions have long offered a space for experimentation: platforms where ideas can be tested, typologies reimagined, and critical questions addressed through design. Freed from some of the constraints of commercial commissions, competition entries often reflect ambitious visions for how architecture can respond to environmental, cultural, and social challenges. Whether focused on future habitats, public institutions, or small-scale community infrastructure, these proposals give shape to the values and priorities driving architectural thinking today.
This month's Unbuilt selection brings together eight competition-winning projects submitted by the ArchDaily community. Each received first, second, or third place in recent local and international competitions. The featured proposals span a wide range of programs and geographies: a sustainable library in Lima, a Martian habitat exploring closed-loop systems, an adult orphanage designed for empowerment in India, a new French school in Athens, and a placemaking initiative in Singapore rooted in local folklore. While varied in scale and scope, they all highlight architecture's capacity to engage context, foster inclusion, and propose new ways of inhabiting space.
Read on to discover eight award-winning entries from the ArchDaily community, with text provided by the architects. If you have an unbuilt project to share, whether it was part of a competition, a commissioned proposal, or a speculative design, you can submit it here for consideration in a future editorial roundup.
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Maharashtra, India
This institute for adult orphans offers more than shelter—it fosters self-sufficiency through structured education, skill-building, and emotional well-being. Designed for 800 youth, the vertical layout maximizes space, with staggered dorms, multifunctional learning areas, and climate-responsive strategies. Natural materials and green voids enhance comfort and connectivity. Prioritizing empowerment, privacy, and sustainability, the project integrates education and community-building, creating a nurturing environment that equips its residents to break societal barriers and embrace a brighter future.
MarSpine / Architect Mohamed Emad
Mars, Jezero Crater
MarSpine is a visionary concept for sustainable living on Mars, utilizing In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) to establish a self-sustaining habitat. Inspired by biomimicry, its design draws from the lily pad's ribbed structure, reflecting a closed-loop system that integrates agriculture, water extraction, and power generation. This innovative approach directly addresses the core challenges of Martian colonization by leveraging local resources to create a resilient and regenerative ecosystem.
Sofitel La Corniche / Andy Fisher Workshop
Moroni, Comoros
Perched on a volcanic outcrop with panoramic sea views, Sofitel La Corniche blends local Comoros charm with French sophistication. Centred around traditional courtyards, each single-loaded hotel room offers uninterrupted ocean vistas. The hotel rises above a vibrant retail podium that extends over the shoreline, merging luxury with local landscape. Inspired by Comorian architecture, the design features cultural patterns and motifs, creating a serene, immersive experience that reflects the elegance of the Sofitel brand and the rich heritage of its setting.
Lakeside Villa / Yaqiong Song
Xuancheng, Anhui province, China
Lakeside Villa is a modern vacation house designed for a family. Located in a town in Xuancheng in China, this elegant white house is embedded at the junction of the hillside and the lake, featuring a design that responds to both the natural topography and the landscape.
Bukit Merah Placemaking Competition / Studio Makal Pte Ltd
The proposal reimagines Bukit Merah as a vibrant community hub inspired by the folklore of the swordfish. Using simple geometric forms, primary colors, and sustainable recycled materials, it creates dynamic spaces. A central pavilion combines play and fitness, bridging generations, while a covered plaza hosts events. Mini pavilions highlight Bukit Merah's history, and amphitheater seating with ramps promotes inclusivity. The design fosters community engagement, celebrating cultural heritage through playful, sustainable, and functional spaces.
Hungarian Natural History Museum / BORD Architectural Studio
Debrecen, Hungary
Located in the protected Natura 2000 park of the Great Forest (Nagyerdő) in Debrecen, within the area bordered by Nagyerdei Boulevard, the museum building is designed to showcase and restore the local ecosystem. A significant portion of the site is covered with non-native trees, yet it remains connected to the nature reserve, which still preserves the last traces of the former sandy forest-steppe habitat. The project aims to restore the still-active ecological system on the site through rehabilitation interventions while allowing visitors to follow the gradual return of the natural state. In this way, the museum's central attraction is its park, where the forest itself becomes a museum exhibition space.
Revive on Fiverr / Pratzen Arquitectura
Lima, Peru
The project transforms a municipal agency into a sustainable community library in Villa María del Triunfo, Lima. Through adaptive reuse, it preserves the existing masonry structure while incorporating a complementary wooden framework. Resources are optimized using recycled pallets and modular OSB furniture. The design reorganizes circulation, introduces reading rooms, and includes a community workshop, promoting accessibility and flexibility. This intervention seeks to expand access to education and culture in a district with limited library infrastructure.
LYCEE FRANCO – HELLENIQUE EUGENE DELACROIX / Micromega Architecture & Strategies, Z- Level Architecture
Athens, Greece
The new French school in Athens is a large-scale project that our team studied from a global perspective, responding to questions of identity, feasibility and integration into contemporary construction issues. The new French school is designed to be inseparable from its natural surroundings, in symbolic, environmental and educational terms. One of the first questions addressed during the design phase was what a French school in Greece is like today, what qualities of the Greek spirit are appreciated by the French and French speakers, and what they will experience differently in this host country.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECT
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.
