Vancouver Tall Challenge
Dezeen Competitions: the Vancouver Tall Challenge seeks proposals that explore how architecture can contribute to Vancouver's vibrant city while responding to its identity as a "city in nature".
Buildner encourages entrants to develop bold yet thoughtful proposals, which reconsider the relationship between "height, public value and the everyday experience of urban life".
Organiser: Buildner
Competition: Vancouver Tall Challenge
Judges:
- Nathalie de Vries, founding partner of MVRDV
- Gordon Gill, FAIA, founding partner of Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG)
- K̓esugwilakw Sierra Tasi Baker, founder and principal of KESU+CO
- James Cheng, founder of James K M Cheng Architects
- Susan MacDougall, founder and principal of Focal Engineering
- Derek Lee, partner at PWL Partnership
- Matthew Soules, architect, scholar, educator and activist
Registration deadline: 29 October 2026
Winner announcement: 26 January 2027
Prizes: the first prize is $7,000 CAD, the second is $4,000 CAD, and the third is $2,000 CAD. The Student Award is $1,000 CAD and the Sustainability Award is $1,000 CAD
Competition overview
The Vancouver Tall Challenge: Building Higher Downtown invites architects, designers, planners, and creative thinkers from around the world to explore the future of tall buildings in one of the world's most celebrated urban environments.
Organised by Buildner in collaboration with the City of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia's School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), the competition asks participants to imagine innovative approaches to height, density, sustainability, public space, and urban life within Vancouver's evolving downtown core.
As cities continue to grow and densify, tall buildings are increasingly being called upon to do more than add floor area or define skylines.
The Vancouver Tall Challenge seeks proposals that explore how architecture can contribute to a vibrant, liveable, and resilient city while responding to Vancouver's unique identity as a "city in nature".
Participants are encouraged to develop bold yet thoughtful visions that reconsider the relationship between height, public value, and the everyday experience of urban life.
Eligibility and judging criteria
The competition is open to all. Entrants can find out how to enter on Buildner's website.
The competition invites architects, designers, planners, landscape architects, and creative thinkers to imagine innovative approaches to tall buildings within Vancouver's downtown core.
Participants are challenged to explore how taller buildings can contribute to a more vibrant, sustainable, inclusive, and resilient city through architectural excellence, meaningful public benefits, and exceptional public realm experiences, while helping define what a truly made-for-Vancouver approach to building higher could look like.
How to enter
Entrants can learn how to enter this competition on the website.
Submission deadlines
Early bird registration is open until 15 July. Advance Registration is from 16 July to 9 September.
Last-minute registration is from 10 September to 29 October.
The final registration deadline is on 29 October. The closing date for submissions is 30 November.
The winners will be announced on 26 January 2027.
About Buildner
Buildner specialises in creating and managing architecture contests, offering a platform for architects to showcase innovation and engage with a global community.
Its mission is to inspire creativity and professional growth in the architectural industry.
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