Award for Excellence in Circularity

Honouring outstanding student contributions to circularity in the built environment

Conferred by the Institute of Building Construction and Industrial Design at TU Wien, the Award for Excellence in Circularity recognises exceptional student work that engages critically, creatively, and pragmatically with the principles of circularity in architecture and construction.

The award seeks to foster circular thinking within architectural education and to inspire the next generation of designers to develop sustainable, future-oriented solutions for the building sector.

Call for Submissions Now Open

Submission Period: 1 June 2025, 00:00 – 15 June 2025, 23:59
Submission via email: awards.ibau@tuwien.ac.at

The prize is set at €500,00

Award recipients will be announced at the end of June 2025.

Required documents (PDF format, max. 20 MB total):

  • Project title and abstract (max. 500 characters)
  • Project report or poster (max. 2 pages)
  • Outline of circular strategies (max. 2 pages)
  • Plans, visualisations, and photographs (optional, max. 5 pages)
  • Brief CV (1 page)

Eligibility Criteria

Submissions are open to:

  • Students currently enrolled at TU Wien (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD level)
  • Projects developed within design studios, coursework, or final theses
  • Work produced during the current academic semester

Zero Emission Trophy

Award recipients are presented with a custom-designed, laser-engraved wooden base – a minimalist, locally crafted and fully circular physical award.

When scanned, the engraving reveals a digital counterpart in Augmented Reality:
a virtual sculpture symbolising forward-thinking circularity – zero-emission, borderless, and infinitely expandable.

[Translate to English:] Basis
[Translate to English:] Preis
[Translate to English:] Award

Why Circularity?

The construction sector accounts for 60% of global raw material extraction
and is responsible for approximately 25% of worldwide waste generation.

Reuse, recycling, and reversible design are key strategies to reduce resource consumption and CO₂ emissions.
The greatest potential for impact lies in the early design phase.

Evaluation Criteria

Entries will be assessed by the jury based on the following five criteria:

  • Relevance to circularity
  • Degree of innovation
  • Technical and design quality
  • Interdisciplinarity
  • Feasibility and transferability