STUDIOIOIO is a collaborative platform for Architects and Designers. In order to start your own architecture practice, you need a first project, to get your first project, you need an established practice. So, how do we solve this chicken-and-egg problem? Design Competitions have, historically, been the way to break this cycle. With pressing issues in the built environment, it is essential that Architects be empowered to bring innovative solutions to realization. By lowering the barrier to entry into practice, we seek to support scalable positive change in our industry.
Title:
New Zealand Nature Retreat
Organization:
non-a
Link:
Cost:
Fee for Entry
Deadline:
December 21, 2025
Project Type:
Prize
Typology:
Ecology, Open, Public Space
Qualification:
Open
Prize:
€1,000 - €5,000
Location:
Antipodes Island, New Zealand
Description:
Set on one of the world’s most remote subantarctic islands, this design competition calls for retreat concepts that engage isolation, ecological sensitivity, and off-grid sustainability. Participants are asked to imagine lightweight, low-impact shelters that offer refuge, reflection, or research immersion in the rugged volcanic landscape of New Zealand’s Antipodes Island—part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Designs must balance minimal disturbance with full environmental responsiveness, offering space for 1–4 people with basic services and a flexible program. Proposals may range from enclosed shelters to open-air structures or landscape interventions. The retreat should harmonize with the terrain and respect native flora and fauna, including rare seabird habitats.