Full Reclaim and the Future of Experimental Architecture

Antepavilion returns with its annual commission, continuing its commitment to experimental architecture as a tool for urban exploration. Conceived as a platform for emerging artists, makers, and architects, the initiative invites participants to design, build, and exhibit a temporary structure within the layered and demanding context of the contemporary city.

For the 2026 edition, Antepavilion introduces its most radical brief to date. Under the theme Full Reclaim, reuse is no longer a suggestion but a fundamental requirement. The pavilion must be constructed entirely from reclaimed materials, positioning circular design not as a concept, but as a material reality.

BUILDING ONLY WITH WHAT ALREADY EXISTS

Entrants are challenged to work exclusively with salvaged resources, transforming waste into spatial experimentation. A curated stock of reclaimed materials will be provided, including brick and masonry elements, timber cladding, glass and window frames, and steel components. Participants may also propose additional reclaimed materials for procurement, encouraging resourcefulness and critical thinking around material sourcing.

The brief remains deliberately open, allowing designers to focus on form, process, and meaning rather than prescriptive outcomes. What emerges is expected to be as much a reflection on making as it is on architecture itself.

A HANDS ON APPROACH TO URBAN MAKING

Antepavilion is open to all, regardless of background or professional qualification. While limited specialist support will be available, particularly in metalworking and structural engineering, the commission is rooted in a strong do it yourself ethos. Participants must be capable of fabricating and installing their proposal largely on their own, reinforcing architecture as an act of direct engagement rather than distant authorship.

This emphasis on self building places craft, experimentation, and improvisation at the core of the project.

TWO SITES, TWO URBAN NARRATIVES

Designers may choose between two distinct sites in London, each offering a different relationship between architecture and city. One option is Hoxton Docks, a canal side warehouse complex in Hackney where structures may occupy rooftops, floating pontoons, or a barge within the waterway itself. The second is a compact triangular plot measuring just over three hundred square meters, framed by Page’s Walk and Mandela Way, embedded within a dense urban fabric.

Both locations offer contrasting opportunities to test how reclaimed architecture can intervene within the city.

SUPPORTING EXPERIMENTAL CONSTRUCTION

A construction budget of five thousand pounds is allocated to cover ancillary materials, tools, fixings, and specialist labor where required. In addition, the selected proposal will receive a prize of ten thousand pounds, supporting both production and artistic development.

RECLAIMING MATERIALS, RECLAIMING AGENCY

Antepavilion 2026 positions itself at the intersection of architecture, making, and environmental responsibility. By insisting on full material reuse and hands on construction, the competition reframes sustainability as a creative constraint and a cultural statement.

More than a temporary structure, the pavilion becomes an argument for a different way of building, one that values ingenuity over excess and action over abstraction.

Full competition details and the complete brief are available at https://www.antepavilion.org/2026

Title: Full Reclaim
Type: Competition Announcement (Built Projects & Masterplans)

Registration Deadline: March 27, 2026 11:30 PM
Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026 11:30 PM
Venue: Hackney or Southwark
Price: £20