MicroHome 2026 - €100,000 - Registration Deadline 30 September 2026

In an era defined by "more"—more square footage, more technology, more noise—the Kingspan MICROHOME 2026 invites a radical pause. Now in its landmark 11th edition, this competition serves as a manifesto for the power of the small. We are not just asking for a floor plan; we are asking a fundamental question: Can less be more?

• PRIZE FUND: 100,000 €

  • 1ST PLACE: 30,000 €

  • 2ND PLACE: 10,000 €

  • 3RD PLACE: 5,000 €

  • Student Award: 10,000 €

  • THE KINGSPAN Award: 30,000 € 

  • KINGSPAN Compliments (5): 5,000 € 

• DATE:

  • Closing date for registration: 30 September 2026

  • Competition Q&A deadline: 5 October 2026

  • Closing date submission: 02 November 2026 - 23:59 (London Time)

  • Announcement of the winners: 15 December 2026

• PARTICIPANT: Everyone (No professional qualifications required)

• COST:

  • Advanced (12 Feb - 27 May): 105 € (Students: 85€)

  • Last Minute (28 May - 30 Sep): 135 € (Students: 105€)

BRIEF - MicroHome 2026 - ENG.pdf

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In partnership with Kingspan, a global pioneer in high-performance insulation and building envelopes, this edition is a deep dive into intentional design. It is a challenge to strip away the superfluous until only the soul of the home remains.

The 25 m² Challenge: Limitation as Liberation

A microhome is not a "reduced" house; it is a distilled one. Within a strict 25-square-meter footprint, participants must choreograph a complete living experience. This is an exercise in architectural honesty—where every millimetre must justify its existence and every material must serve a purpose.

• The Goal: To create a space that is efficient yet warm, compact yet breathing, and humble yet ambitious.

• The Focus: How can precision and material innovation (leveraging Kingspan’s legacy of sustainability) lead to a life that is lighter on the planet but richer in human experience?

Your World, Your Context

The MICROHOME has no borders. We invite you to plant your vision anywhere on the map:

• The Urban Infill: Reclaiming a forgotten alleyway or a rooftop in a dense metropolis.

• The Wild Sanctuary: A self-sustaining retreat that treads lightly on a fragile ecosystem.

• The Adaptive Prototype: A modular solution that can shift and grow with the changing needs of 21st-century inhabitants.

Wherever you choose to build, your design should reflect a deep understanding of climate resilience and circularity.

Architecture is the art of how to waste space. But the MICROHOME is the art of how to honor it.

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