Which site do I work on?

One you choose. Start from an existing building, abandoned structure, piece of infrastructure, public space, industrial site, landmark, housing complex or unfinished project with enough substance for a genuine transformation, not a new facade.

What exactly do I submit?

The final FORMAS project documenting the development, with an existing-condition analysis, concept and transformation diagrams, key iterations, plans, sections, 3D work, final visualizations, an Existing → Intervention → Future diagram, a short written narrative, presentation boards and a hero image. Formats and limits follow in the final brief.

Which tools am I allowed to use?

Any of them. Sketches, drawings, photographs, CAD, Rhino and other 3D models, renders, physical models, AI imagery and video can all enter the process. FORMAS is the central workspace where the development is documented and communicated.

How much does it cost to enter?

A student entry is $10 in the early-bird window, $20 regular and $30 late. Professional entries pay per member, from $12 each in early bird, so a professional team of three pays $36.

Can a team add members later?

Team size is fixed at registration. The team lead adds a seat for each member at checkout, with their name and email, and pays for all of them; the members do not need to do anything.

Can I enter more than one project?

Yes. Each registration covers one project, so register again for every further project you want to enter.

No. Registration fees are non-refundable, including when no project is submitted.

Is there a separate student category?

Yes. Professional and Student projects are evaluated separately, each with three prizes and seven recognized projects.

How is the work judged?

Architectural and spatial intelligence 30%, design process and AI workflow 25%, continuity and transformation 20%, communication and narrative 15%, context and design rigour 10%.

Old stone arcades carried into a new building of glass terraces above a bay at sunset

A FORMAS.AI Competition, powered by OpenAI, Parametric Architecture, PAACADEMY

CartesianForms:ArchitectureReimagined

Q: What is the FORMAS workshop?

A five-hour workshop on 22 November, with live cohorts across time zones and an equivalent recorded pathway.

Edition 01 / Generational shift

What should architecture carry forward?

Architecture Reimagined is a global AI design competition by FORMAS and PAACADEMY. Choose an existing building, structure or site, inherit what matters, alter it for the present and leave it able to change again. Professional and student entries are judged separately, with around $106,920 in awards.

Where: Open worldwide
Categories: Professional and Student
Format: Solo or teams of 2 to 5
Registration closes: 6 December 2026
Winners: 23 December 2026

01/The brief

Architecture is never finished by one generation. It is inherited, altered and passed on.
Carlos Bañón/Co-founder and Head of AI at FORMAS

Choose an existing building, structure or site and imagine how it could be transformed for a new generation. The goal is not a spectacular final image but architectural thinking: experimentation, iteration and decision-making.

AI is part of the design process, not a replacement for it

One place.Three generations.

Inherit. Alter. Pass on.

2030
Inherit
Understand what already exists: what to preserve, what to question, what could found a new architecture.
2055
Alter
Transform it for the present. Explore alternatives, and stay the author of the choice between them.
2080
Pass on
Design something capable of changing again, in 10, 25 or 50 years.

Suggested project workflow

The process is the project.

No single AI workflow is prescribed: different architects think differently. FORMAS is the shared environment where the jury follows a proposal from the original condition, through experimentation, to the final intervention.

01
Select
An existing building, structure or site
02
Research
Architecture, context, history and users
03
Define
What to inherit, and the central question
04
Explore
Several interventions in FORMAS
05
Test
Plans, sections, models and simulations
06
Develop
The strongest direction, made coherent
07
Pass on
Room for the next generation of change
08
Communicate
The complete journey, told clearly

Bring anything: Sketches / drawings / photographs / CAD / Rhino and other 3D models / renders / physical models / AI imagery / diagrams / video
Document it in FORMAS: FORMAS is the central workspace where the project's development is documented and communicated, so the process becomes part of the submission.

Actual FORMAS design run

Twenty turns.One coherent system.

São Paulo infill, source to material proof. Every branch stays on the board, so the judges read the reasoning and not only the render.

Perforated terracotta facade of the São Paulo infill, stair rising to a planted courtyard

Courtyard with a single tree over a dark reflecting pool — Iteration 14

The same courtyard with denser planting along the stair — Iteration 16

Close view of the terracotta block and its metal fixing — Material proof

The lattice facade lit from within at night — Final sequence

Representative process imagery made with FORMAS.

02/Entry

Open worldwide.Solo or in a team.

Enter individually or as a team, in the Professional or the Student category. Teams pay per member, so a team of three buys three seats.

Global

Worldwide

18+

Eligibility

Solo

Individual entry

2 to 5

Team size

Two categories, judged separately

Professional
Architects, designers, studios, researchers and other professionals working in architecture and the built environment.
Student
Students currently enrolled in architecture, design, urbanism, landscape architecture and related disciplines.

What you submit

The final submission shows both the architecture and the process behind it.

01The final FORMAS project documenting the development
02Existing-condition analysis
03Concept and transformation diagrams
04Key iterations and alternative directions
05Architectural plans
06Relevant sections
073D and spatial representation
08Final architectural visualizations
09An Existing → Intervention → Future diagram
10A concise written narrative
11Final presentation boards
12A hero image for publication

Exact dimensions, file formats, number of boards, word limits and upload requirements will be confirmed in the final competition brief.

FORMAS is the shared ground.

Work in the design ecosystem you prefer. FORMAS is the central workspace where development is documented and communicated, so the jury can see how the proposal evolved.

01
Bring your sources
Sketches, drawings, photographs, CAD, Rhino and other 3D models, renders, physical models, AI imagery and video.
02
Develop in FORMAS
Organize the design development, document iterations and keep alternatives and rejected directions visible.
03
Present from FORMAS
The jury follows the proposal from the original condition, through experimentation, to the final intervention.

Registration fees

Early bird
Best price
$10
One entry, one seat
25 Sep to 20 Oct
Regular
$20
One entry, one seat
21 Oct to 15 Nov
Late
$30
One entry, one seat
16 Nov to 6 Dec

Prices are per entry in USD and non-refundable. Each registration covers one project. A professional team pays one seat per member, and its lead names every member when registering.

03/Awards

Recognition for the work,access for what comes next.

Around $106,920 in value, combining OpenAI sponsorship, FORMAS AI credits, cash prizes and PAACADEMY Pro memberships. Every winner and recognized project also gets international editorial exposure through Parametric Architecture.

$106,920

Total prize value

$100,000

AI credits

$5,000

Cash pool

Awarded entries

Professional

3 prizes / 7 recognized

1st place
$27,480
Cash prize
$1,500
OpenAI credits
$18,000
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
2nd place
$20,980
Cash prize
$1,000
OpenAI credits
$14,000
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
3rd place
$15,730
Cash prize
$750
OpenAI credits
$10,000
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
Recognized, 4th to 10th
$12,320
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
2 x 6 months each
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member

Student

3 prizes / 7 recognized

1st place
$5,480
Cash prize
$1,000
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
2nd place
$3,980
Cash prize
$500
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
3rd place
$3,230
Cash prize
$250
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
Recognized, 4th to 10th
$12,320
FORMAS AI credits
TBA
OpenAI Pro Lite
2 x 6 months each
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member

Also awarded

Honorable mentions x 9

One OpenAI Pro Lite seat for six months each, $5,400 in credits across the nine entries.

OpenAI Pro Lite: $33,000
OpenAI credits: $42,000
FORMAS AI credits: TBA
Cash prizes: $5,000
PAACADEMY Pro: $1,920
Total prize value: $106,920

04/Timeline

From launch to winnersin twelve weeks.

A compact campaign sequence from registration to workshop, submission and winner publication. All deadlines are UTC.

25 September 2026
Competition launch
Launch
25 Sep to 20 Oct
Early-bird registration
Registration
21 Oct to 15 Nov
Regular registration
Registration
16 Nov to 6 Dec
Late registration
Registration
22 November
5-hour FORMAS workshop
Workshop
6 December, 23:59 UTC
Registration closes
Registration
13 December, 23:59 UTC
Final submission deadline
Submission
13 to 15 December
PA and FORMAS eligibility and initial review
Judging
16 to 19 December
Jury review
Judging
20 to 21 December
Jury comments and final scoring
Judging
22 December
Final verification
Judging
23 December 2026
Winners announced
Results

05/FORMAS workshop

Learn it. Use it.Show it.

A five-hour FORMAS workshop on 22 November, with live cohorts across time zones and an equivalent recorded pathway.

22 November / 5 hours / live cohorts across time zones

22 November
5 hours
live cohorts across time zones

Part 012 hours
Reveal and read
Bring in the building or site you chose and read what already exists. Import sources and begin with an authored sketch, trace or collage.
Part 022 hours
Branch and build
Move between image, drawing and 3D. Test what is inherited, what changes and what is passed forward.
Part 031 hour
Resolve and publish
Critique the live board, refine spatial proof and assemble the final sequence in FORMAS.

The workshop turns product access into visible capability, guided learning and measurable activation.

06/Jury and criteria

Design quality leads.Process makes it credible.

30%Architectural and spatial intelligence
25%Design process and AI workflow
20%Continuity and transformation
15%Communication and narrative
10%Context and design rigour

Architectural authorityacross generations.

Proposed jury. Final confirmations pending.

Michel Rojkind
Rojkind Arquitectos / SCI-Arc
Antón García-Abril
Ensamble Studio / MIT
Adam Tarr
UNS / Research and Innovation
Kazuyo Sejima
SANAA / Pritzker Prize Laureate
Mariana Cabugueira
MC Studios / formerly Zaha Hadid Architects
German Otto Bodenbender
Bjarke Ingels Group
Hamid Hassanzadeh
Parametric Architecture / PAACADEMY
Arturo Tedeschi
Architect / computational designer

07/Partners

Each partnerowns a role.

Organized by FORMAS and PAACADEMY, sponsored by OpenAI, with Parametric Architecture as media partner.

Organizer / platform
FORMAS.AI
Platform access, orchestration, PRO PLUS enablement and competition production.
Organizer / education
PAACADEMY
Global cohorts, curriculum, facilitation and the recorded pathway.
Sponsor
OpenAI
AI credits, ChatGPT team enablement and expert participation.
Media partner
Parametric Architecture
Campaign hosting, editorial, social reach and international publication of winners and recognized projects.

All roles and contributions are proposed and subject to final agreement.

Published across a global design network.

100M+

Campaign impression ambition

3.0M+

Combined network audience

65K+

Newsletter subscribers

Instagram: 1.6M+
LinkedIn: 610K+
Facebook: 320K+
X: 62K+
Pinterest: 60K+
Newsletter: 65K+

Audience figures supplied for sponsor planning.

08/Questions

Before youregister.

Architects, designers, studios, researchers and other professionals, and students currently enrolled in architecture, design, urbanism, landscape architecture and related disciplines. Entrants are 18 or over, anywhere in the world, on their own or in a team of two to five.

Stepped terracotta volumes opening to the sea

Enable what changes.Back what endures.

Join a global competition that turns access to technology into visible design intelligence, guided learning and publishable architectural work.

CartesianForms:ArchitectureReimagined