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?

A FORMAS AI board, 3D and spatial representation, three to five final visualizations, a short written narrative, a hero image and short videos of about 12 seconds, each in 4:5 vertical, 9:16 vertical and 16:9 horizontal. Concept diagrams, sketches, 3D models, key iterations, plans, sections and elevations are optional and raise the chance of winning.

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.

Do we get access to FORMAS?

Yes. Every project gets one complimentary FORMAS PRO seat for the month of November.

Can we start earlier or add members in FORMAS?

Yes, at a 40% competition discount on FORMAS PRO. It covers starting before November, adding members and continuing after November, and can be redeemed until 31 December 2026.

Is there a student price for FORMAS?

Students can apply at formas.ai/campus with their university email for the same PRO seat at USD 19.90 a month. Alumni emails do not qualify.

What do the winners get from FORMAS?

In both categories, the first and second places get up to five FORMAS PRO seats for three months, on top of their cash prizes.

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 entry of three members pays $36.

Can a professional entry add members later?

The number of members is fixed at registration. The 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%.

When are winners announced?

On 23 December 2026. Selected projects also receive international editorial exposure through Parametric Architecture.

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 over $120,000 in prizes and participant benefits.

Where: Open worldwide
Categories: Professional and Student
Format: 1 student or 2 to 5 professionals
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.Student or Professional.

A Student entry is one person. A Professional entry is two to five members, each on a seat of their own, so three members buy three seats.

Global

Worldwide

18+

Eligibility

Student per entry

2 to 5

Professionals per entry

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.

You must submit

01FORMAS AI's Board
023D and spatial representationWith Cartesian 3D representation
03Final architectural visualizations3 to 5 images
04A concise written narrativeThe story behind the project
05A hero image for publication4:5 vertical, 9:16 vertical and 16:9 horizontal
06Short videosAbout 12 seconds each: 4:5 vertical, 9:16 vertical and 16:9 horizontal

Optional

Increases the chance of winning

Concept and diagrams
Sketches
3D models
Key iterations and alternative directions
Architectural plans
Relevant sections and elevations

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 entry pays one seat per member, and its lead names every member when registering. Every project also gets a complimentary FORMAS PRO seat for November.

03/Awards

Recognition for the work,access for what comes next.

Over $120,000 in prizes and participant benefits, combining OpenAI sponsorship, FORMAS PRO access and prizes, cash awards, and PAACADEMY Pro memberships. Selected projects will also receive international editorial exposure through Parametric Architecture.

$120K+

Total prize & benefit value

$75,000

OpenAI sponsorship

$34,500+

FORMAS PRO access

$5,000

Cash prize pool

Included with every entry

A complimentary FORMAS PRO seat for November

Every project
One complimentary FORMAS PRO seat for the month of November.
40% off FORMAS PRO
Start earlier, add members or continue after November at a 40% competition discount, redeemable until 31 December 2026.
Students
The same PRO seat for USD 19.90 a month with a university email. Alumni emails do not qualify.
Apply at formas.ai/campus

Professional

3 prizes / 7 recognized

1st place
$22,515
FORMAS cash prize
$1,500
OpenAI credits
$18,000
FORMAS PRO
Up to 5 x 3 months
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
2nd place
$18,015
FORMAS cash prize
$1,000
OpenAI credits
$14,000
FORMAS PRO
Up to 5 x 3 months
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
3rd place
$12,730
FORMAS cash prize
$750
OpenAI credits
$10,000
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
Recognized, 4th to 10th
$8,820
OpenAI Pro Lite
2 x 6 months each
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member

Student

3 prizes / 7 recognized

1st place
$4,015
FORMAS cash prize
$1,000
FORMAS PRO
Up to 5 x 3 months
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
2nd place
$3,515
FORMAS cash prize
$500
FORMAS PRO
Up to 5 x 3 months
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
3rd place
$2,230
FORMAS cash prize
$250
OpenAI Pro Lite
3 x 6 months
PAACADEMY Pro
$60 per member
Recognized, 4th to 10th
$8,820
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 value across the nine entries.

OpenAI Pro Lite: $33,000
OpenAI credits: $42,000
FORMAS PRO seats: $38,640
FORMAS cash prizes: $5,000
PAACADEMY Pro: $1,920
Total prize & benefit 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, a FORMAS PRO seat for every project, orchestration 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. A Student entry is one person, a Professional entry 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