Rural Housing II - €10,000 - Registration Deadline 11 December 2026
Dec 11, 2025
2 min read
In the fertile plains of the Po Valley, where rivers, canals and centuries of agricultural tradition have shaped the land, a historic Lombard farmhouse is opening its doors to a new generation of designers. Rural Housing II, an international ideas competition promoted by Terraviva, invites architects, students and creatives to reimagine the last untouched building of Cascina Maestà — a still-active farm on the eastern outskirts of Pavia — as a bold example of contemporary countryside living.
PRIZE FUND: 8,000 €
1ST PLACE: 3,000 €
2ND PLACE: 2,000 €
3RD PLACE: 1,000 €
5 Golden Mentions: Coupon for a Free Membership*
10 Honourable Mentions: Coupon for a Free Competition*
* The total value of the mentioned coupons is 2,000 €
DATE:
Closing date for project submission: 11 December 2026 - 14:00 (London Time)
Announcement of the winners: 25 January 2027 - 11:00 (London Time)
PARTICIPANT: Everyone (No professional qualifications required)
COST*:
Early Registration (15 Jul - 25 Sept): 79 €
Standard Registration (25 Sept - 13 Nov): 99 €
Late Registration (13 Nov - 11 Dec): 139 €
*Subscribe from €19/month for unlimited access to multiple competitions.
For generations, the cascina has stood as one of Lombardy's most distinctive architectural legacies: a self-sufficient agricultural complex where family life and productive work unfolded side by side around a shared courtyard, the aia. Many of these farmhouses have since been lovingly restored into homes, agriturismi or coworking spaces — and Cascina Maestà is no exception. Nearly the entire complex has already been rehabilitated, its courtyard transformed into a garden with a swimming pool. Only one building remains frozen in time: the Stable, a two-storey brick structure once home to livestock and hay storage, its upper floor now empty and waiting for its next purpose.
This is where the competition begins. Participants are asked not simply to renovate, but to translate a building designed for agricultural production into a comfortable, contemporary home for modern family life — without erasing the traces of its past. The brief calls for two independent duplex dwellings, each with its own character, carved thoughtfully out of the Stable's generous proportions, exposed brickwork and timber roof structure.
A former stable, standing quietly at the edge of the fields for decades, is now waiting for its next story. Rural Housing II is an invitation to prove that thoughtful design can turn agricultural heritage into inspired living — without losing the soul of what came before
Ready to give this Lombard landmark its new chapter? Let your creativity flow and submit your vision today!
