INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION
SUBTERRANEAN VISIONS
RESULT
SUBTERRANEAN VISIONS
Editorial reflection
Architecture has long been defined by what rises above the ground, yet the future increasingly calls us to look beneath it. SUBTERRANEAN VISIONS – A New Paradigm for Museum Architecture challenged designers to reimagine underground spaces as vibrant cultural environments that merge art, nature, and community.
The entries revealed exceptional creativity and technical insight, transforming the constraints of subterranean design into opportunities for innovation. From inventive daylighting strategies to immersive spatial experiences, participants demonstrated how museums below the surface can feel open, engaging, and deeply connected to their context.
More than exhibition spaces, these proposals envision museums as living systems—sustainable, community-driven, and integrated with the urban and natural landscape. They redefine the underground not as hidden, but as a powerful realm for discovery and cultural exchange.
As we announce the results, we celebrate the bold thinking and visionary approaches of all participants. Their work points toward a new direction in museum architecture—one that uncovers the potential of the earth itself as a place of light, learning, and possibility.
EXPERTS
Jury Panel
Distinguished architects from around the world evaluate submissions with rigorous professional standards and creative insight.
01 First Place
Winner
Depth of Field
Alexander Söderholm, Sara Holmgren, Julie Wójcik
Juror’s Comment:
An exceptional and highly resolved proposal that masterfully integrates infrastructure, city, and culture. The concept of extending Fotografiska underground to connect metro, waterfront, and urban fabric is both visionary and pragmatic. The spatial sequence—from metro descent to the “lens” and cylindrical exhibition space —creates a powerful and memorable architectural journey, while the integration of cinema, workshops, and public programs establishes a vibrant cultural hub.
Work on:
The project is highly refined, but the strong formal language—particularly the cylindrical geometries—could benefit from greater material and atmospheric variation to avoid spatial monotony across different program zones.
02 Second Place
Remarkable
Living Limestone: A Responsive Museum for Sustainable Futures
Madison Kim, Elias Hollingworth & Marcus Ström
Juror’s Comment:
An exceptionally forward-thinking and systems-driven proposal that redefines the museum as a regenerative process rather than a static building. The integration of algae-based limestone production with architectural growth over time (page 3) demonstrates remarkable innovation, while the sectional development (page 4) clearly articulates a highly feasible and scalable underground strategy.
Work on:
The experiential and emotional dimension of the museum could be further intensified to match the strength of its ecological narrative.
Honourable Mention
Inverted Gyeongbokgung : The Underground Realm
Chung se yoon, Han gyeong heun & Chae jin
Juror’s Comment:
A highly sophisticated and conceptually rigorous proposal that reinterprets the spatial order of Gyeongbokgung Palace into a compelling subterranean narrative. The inversion strategy and the monumental central void successfully challenge conventional underground typologies, creating a luminous and civic interior anchored in cultural memory.
Work on:
The environmental strategies and sustainability systems are less explicitly articulated and could be further developed to strengthen the project’s performance dimension.
Honourable Mention
Five Voices of Culture
Ida Barck, He Jie & Jacob Braun
Juror’s Comment:
A deeply powerful and socially relevant proposal that transforms the underground into a metaphor for suppressed voices. The “network of corridors” strategy and the narrative sequencing of history through spatial experience create an emotionally charged and intellectually rigorous museum. The integration with Kungsträdgården metro further strengthens accessibility and public engagement.
Work on:
The architectural language and material articulation could be further developed to create more distinct spatial identities across the different corridors.
Honourable Mention
Ruinas
Josefina Cotella
Juror’s Comment:
A highly sensitive and context-driven proposal that seamlessly integrates architecture with heritage. The strategy of embedding the museum beneath the ruins enables history to be experienced in situ, while the sectional approach crafts a compelling narrative of discovery through the earth, light, and memory. The project’s restrained intervention, along with its use of landscape as architecture, reflects exceptional design maturity.
Work on:
Could benefit from stronger spatial moments.
Honourable Mention
Wood Wide Web Museum
Maria Luisina Soria Arancibia, Gerardo Manuel Mocsáry Acevedo
Juror’s Comment:
An exceptionally well-resolved and poetic proposal that translates the “mycorrhizal network” into architecture with clarity and depth. The integration with landscape, coupled with passive environmental strategies such as courtyards, cross-ventilation, and water management, demonstrates a highly sophisticated and holistic approach to subterranean design.
Work on:
The internal museum narrative and exhibition sequencing could be more explicitly defined to strengthen the curatorial identity.
Honourable Mention
Subterranean Sanctuary
Agnes Payer, Hanne Sigrid Elster, & Ashcharya Vishvi Rajakaruna
Juror’s Comment:
The progression through “life–time–stone” spaces and the integration of landscape, atmosphere, and sensory cues create a deeply immersive and therapeutic museum experience.
Work on:
The project leans more toward a landscape installation than a fully developed museum; clearer articulation of exhibition programming and operational functionality would strengthen its institutional identity.
Honourable Mention
Under the underground
Michelle Manz, Silvia de Pellegrini & Ting Liu
Juror’s Comment:
A highly intelligent adaptive reuse proposal that transforms an abandoned metro station into a dynamic cultural landscape. The “loop” concept creates a continuous spatial journey linking underground infrastructure with the natural environment, while minimal intervention strategies reinforce sustainability and preserve the integrity of the existing structure.
Work on:
The architectural identity of the museum spaces could be further strengthened to create more distinctive and memorable exhibition environments.
Celebrating Potential
Shortlisted Entries
Innovative ideas that stood out among hundreds of entries and earned a place in the final shortlist.
Share Now
Spread inspiration and connect with innovative design perspectives
