The Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) presents Haven: Rooted Here, the eighth annual Design and Build Competition, a national art, architecture and design competition for U.S. college students. Entrants choose one real, publicly accessible site on any of six continents and design a haven for it: a sanctuary, pavilion or gathering space built mostly from materials native to that place and shaped by its climate, ecology and culture. The best entries will feel inseparable from their sites, so that moving the haven anywhere else would fundamentally change the design. The competition is open to both individual and team submissions. Proposals submitted as part of a class project such as a a capstone or seminar are also accepted.

Proposals are conceptual, with a $500,000 materials-and-labor budget, and are juried blind by practicing artists, architects and designers. MOA will award $24,000 in prizes, plus a new $15,000 Institutional Design Award for the academic department behind a first-place entry developed in a course or studio. Entries open January 11, 2027, and are due May 16, 2027.

Project Overview

The idea

Most buildings could stand almost anywhere. This year’s challenge asks students to design one that is specific to its site. Haven: Rooted Here invites entrants to pick a specific place, such as a coastal wetland, mountain pass, desert, forest or city park, and design a public haven in response to that place. The structure should take its materials, its form and its way of meeting sun, wind, rain and seasons directly from the site itself. It should also reflect the people who live there or pass through.

The challenge

Entrants select one real site on North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa or Australasia (Biologists use the term to describe a distinct ecozone, comprised of Australia, New Zealand, and and explain why a haven belongs there. They then design a structure or space that shelters, gathers or marks the place, working in architecture, landscape architecture, sculpture, installation, or any combination. At least 51% of the structure must use materials native to, sourced from, or salvaged within the selected region. That could mean stone, timber, earth, natural fibers, reclaimed materials, or even snow and ice. The haven must be open to the general public, and it may be permanent or temporary.

Designs should do three things well: present a strong idea, make smart use of what the site provides, utilize a logical materials schedule, and create a memorable connection between structure and place. Climate, ecology and culture should show in the form of the design, not only in the narrative. Each proposal must also account for its environmental impact: what it uses, what it gives back, and what happens to it at the end of its life.

Scope and budget

This is a conceptual competition. Entrants do not need to address land acquisition, site preparation, engineering or permits. Each proposal must show, through a one-page budget, that the haven could be built for $500,000 in materials and labor including foundation and structural elements, specialized equipment, technology and utilities if applicable, and landscaping/hardscaping.

What entrants submit

Each entry is a single 11 × 17 in. landscape PDF under 25 MB. All entries MUST INCLUDE the following items IN THIS ORDER:

I. A cover page with Project Title and Project Images;

II. A one-page team CV with a brief bio on each entrant, and contact information for a primary point of contact within the group;

III. A one-page site selection statement explaining why the site was chosen and what informed this choice;

IV. Up to five pages of drawings, including an elevation showing the site context and photographs of a physical model (required);

V. A Project Narrative of up to 3,000 words answering these TEN QUESTIONS in order:

Your Project Narrative may not exceed 3,000 words.

1. How does your design respond to the theme Haven: Rooted Here?

Describe the central concept behind your haven. Explain how the design responds to its selected site, region, and/or cultural or environmental context.

2. What materials will be used to construct your haven?

Identify the primary materials proposed for the project. Identify the materials that are native to, locally available, or salvaged within the selected region. Explain why these materials are appropriate for the design and location.

3. How would your haven be constructed?

Describe the proposed construction, fabrication, and/or assembly methods. Identify any significant construction considerations or challenges. Provide an estimated construction timeline.

4. How did collaboration and the exchange of ideas shape the development of your design?

Describe how different perspectives, disciplines, skills, or areas of expertise contributed to the proposal. Explain how collaboration influenced important design decisions or strengthened the final concept.

5. How will the public experience and use your haven?

Describe how people will enter, move through, gather within, interact with, or otherwise experience the space. Explain how accessibility and public safety have been considered in the design.

6. How does your design respond to the climate and environmental conditions of its selected site? 

Consider relevant conditions such as temperature, precipitation, wind, sunlight, terrain, vegetation, or seasonal changes. Explain how these conditions influenced the form, materials, orientation, or construction of the haven.

7. Does your design incorporate technology? If so, how?

Describe any technology incorporated into the structure or visitor experience. Explain its purpose and how it contributes to the design. If technology is not integral to your proposal, briefly state why.

8. How does your design address environmental responsibility and sustainability? 

Consider material sourcing, construction methods, energy or resource use, durability, maintenance, and environmental impact.

Describe opportunities for reuse, recycling, disassembly, or responsible end-of-life treatment of materials.

9. What makes your proposal distinctive?

Identify the qualities, ideas, experiences, or design solutions that distinguish your haven. Explain what you most want the jury to understand or remember about your proposal.

10. What additional information would help the jury fully understand your proposal?

Include any important considerations, research, design decisions, or context not addressed above. If there is nothing additional to add, you may indicate “N/A.”

VI. A one-page budget demonstrating how the haven will be constructed within the $500,000 budget. Assume land acquisition, site preparation, and permitting have all been secured. The budget does NOT count toward the 3,000 word limit.

Who can enter

The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students at any U.S. college or university, and to recent graduates up to one year after the competition opens. Students in art, architecture, landscape architecture, design, engineering and related fields are encouraged to collaborate across disciplines. Faculty may build the competition into a course, studio, seminar or capstone and submit multiple entries from one class.

Judging

Entries are juried blind by a panel that includes at least one architect from a nationally prominent firm and an accomplished leader in the fine arts. Jurors will be announced when the portal opens in January 2027. Entries are scored on:

• originality;
• creative expression;
• professionalism;
• response to the challenge;
• technical proficiency;
• safety;
• the finalist video presentation.