The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is now accepting submissions for the CTBUH 2023-24 Mass Timber Student Design Competition—culminating with the five winners officially announced at the CTBUH 2025 Americas Conference in March 2025.

The goal of the competition, which is open to all students who are currently enrolled at U.S. and Canada-based institutes, is to shed new light on the meaning and value of tall buildings in modern society. This competition focuses on the use of mass timber in multi-story buildings through the lens of affordable housing that emphasizes rapid development. The only stipulation is that the building should be multi-storied (i.e., not a pavilion or single space), and be designed to maximize the use and expression of mass timber while taking into consideration the 2021 IBC building code and current standards. It is also suggested that participants consider prefabricated components or volumetric modular approach to highlight the benefit of utilizing mass timber for rapid development.

Participants should engage with the exploration and resolution of the synergistic relationship between a tall building and its urban setting; how that tall building can be inspired by the cultural, physical, and environmental aspects of its site; how the program of the building is influenced by the micro and macro site/urban conditions; and how the building responds to global issues. Proposals should show evidence of a clear understanding of how considerations of structure, environment, servicing, etc. are as vital to the success of a tall building as the form, materials, aesthetics, etc.

Submission deadline

Participants must register and submit their project at the submission portal no later than Sunday, 15 December 2024 (11:59 PM Central Time). Questions may be directed to [email protected].

Participation requirements

- The competition is open to all students who are registered at a university level but U.S. and Canada-based institutes only. For recently graduated students: youmust have been a registered student during the 2023–24 academic year. 

- Entries to the CTBUH competition must be original works by the students and cannot have been submitted to any previous design competition. Students may work under the guidance of a faculty adviser if they so choose. 

- The official language of the competition is English. 

- Participation in this competition is anonymous. You will be issued a registration number which will serve as the only means of identification during the entire judging process. 

- Contact between participants and members of the jury is prohibited. 

- Copyright and intellectual rights of the submissions remain with the original authors. Participants in the CTBUH Student Design Competition agree to allow CTBUH and Think Wood to display their work in any forum or publication, physical or digital.

Prizes

First Place: US$5,000 

Second Place: US$4,000 

Third Place: US$3,000 

Fourth Place: US$2,000 

Fifth Place: US$1,000 

Honorable Mentions A select number of additional entries may be recognized as Honorable Mentions and awarded with a certificate.

Key dates

8 January 2024: Competition formally launched 

March 2024: Submission Portal opens 

15 December 2024: Registration / Submission deadline 

December 2024 – January 2025: Jury deliberates 

January 2025: Winners notified 

March 2025: Winners officially announced 

Registration

- All university students are invited to participate in the design competition. Multidisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged. 

- Teams can be made up of one to five individuals. 

- Only one single project can be submitted by any one individual/team. 

- Students cannot participate in more than one team. 

- If a team chooses to work under the guidance of a faculty advisor, they must provide his/her name when registering.While students cannot participate on more than one team, a faculty member is eligible to advise multiple teams. 

- All team members must submit proof of student status in PDF format. A scanned copy of a student ID or other form of verification for each member of the team must be uploaded to the submission site in order to successfully complete the registration. Note that proof of student status must indicate either the expiration date or graduation date to prove the student status. 

- There are no registration fees. Participation in this competition is free.

Jury 

The competition consists of two juries. The first-round jury will narrow the submissions down to 25 semi-finalists. The secondround jury will then select the five finalists from the semi-finalists. The members of the second-round jury will consist of prominent experts involved in mass timber initiatives within the CTBUH and Think Wood network. 

Judging Criteria

To assist with the judging process, a series of judging criteria is defined in four categories as outlined below. Participants are strongly encouraged to keep these criteria in mind throughout the design process.

Creative Approach (25 percent): 

- The design response is innovative and inspirational. 

- The design response shows originality and creative thinking in terms of multi-storied design. 

- The building program is creative, yet clear and justified.

Response to Site (25 percent):

- The design responds to the physical/cultural aspects of its site, such that the design is unique to its location, and not a generic response to produce a tall building capable of being reproduced regardless of its location. 

- The design responds to the environmental aspects of its site.

Sustainability (25 percent):

- The design considers the building’s environmental impact and energy usage. 

- The design considers efficiency throughout (core, shell, space, usage, etc.). 

- The design considers social sustainability, occupant lifestyle, and well-being.

Use of Mass Timber (25 percent):

- Mass timber clearly influenced the design of the building from start to finish. 

- Mass timber is optimized in the building in every way. 

- The design response emphasizes the benefits of using mass timber.

Download the competition brief from here. For more information, visit the competition's website. 

Top image in the article: FLORA by A team of master's students at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). Image © Adrià Goula.

> via CTBUH 

architecture competition mass timber timber