2023 Design Challenge

2023 Design Challenge Division and Grand Winners were announced during the Competition Event in Golden, Colorado, April 20–23, 2023.

The students from 55 Finalist Teams represented 43 collegiate institutions during the 2023 Design Challenge. Teams competed in one of six divisions: New Housing, Retrofit Housing, Attached Housing, Multifamily Building, Office Building, or Education Building.

For team deliverables, explore the BuildingsNEXT Deliverables Table.

Learn more about the jurors and mentors for the 2023 Design Challenge >

2023 Design Challenge Grand Winners

Residential Grand Winner, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

The team created a design that updated an existing three-story housing structure, aiming to preserve the building’s historical character while meeting the local need for affordable, durable, and resilient housing.

Commercial Grand Winner, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (New York City, New York)

The team created an educational building design for the renovation and extension of the New York Harbor School that promotes workforce development opportunities for the community.

2023 Design Challenge Division Results

New Housing Division

1^st Place: University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida)

2^nd Place: Monash University (Clayton, Australia)

3^rd Place: Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec)

Finalists:

• Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina)
• Loughborough University (Loughborough, United Kingdom)
• The University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
• The University of New Hampshire (Durham, New Hampshire)
• University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand)
• University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario)
• Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston, Massachusetts)

Retrofit Housing Division

1^st Place: Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina)

2^nd Place: Marywood University (Scranton, Pennsylvania)

3^rd Place: Howard University (Washington, D.C.)

Finalists:

• Ferris State University (Big Rapids, Michigan)
• Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, Illinois)
• The University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma)
• Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario)

Attached Housing Division

1^st Place: University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

2^nd Place: The University of British Columbia Okanagan (Kelowna, British Columbia); Thompson Rivers University (Kamloops, British Columbia)

3^rd Place: The University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)

Finalists:

• Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina)
• Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas); Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (Hanoi, Vietnam)
• Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, Ontario)
• University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri)
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
• Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston, Massachusetts)

Multifamily Building Division

1^st Place: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Alexandria, Virginia)

2^nd Place: University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

3^rd Place: Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, Illinois)

Finalists:

• Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario)
• Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec)
• Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)
• State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (Syracuse, New York); Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)
• Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, Ontario)
• University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• University of California Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)

Office Building Division

1^st Place: Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston, Massachusetts)

2^nd Place: University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)

3^rd Place: Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana)

Finalists:

• Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec)
• Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, Illinois)
• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (Kharagpur, India)
• Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (Rupnagar, India)
• Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, Illinois)
• Monash University (Clayton, Australia)

Education Building Division

1^st Place: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (New York City, New York)

2^nd Place: Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana)

3^rd Place: Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois)

Finalists:

• Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec)
• Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
• Myongji University (Seoul, South Korea)
• Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
• The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, British Columbia); British Columbia Institute of Technology (Burnaby, British Columbia)
• University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• University of North Texas (Denton, Texas); Al Hussein Technical University (Amman, Jordan)

Key Dates from the 2023 Design Challenge

Complete details are available in the 2023 Design Challenge Rules. 

• July 2022: Registration opened; 2023 Design Challenge Rules released
• October 2022: Registration deadline
• February 2023: Virtual semifinal competition
• April 2023: Final competition and winner announcement at the hybrid event in Golden, Colorado