10 Cubic Meter Challenge

International Design Competition

Rethinking Density, Adaptability, and the Future of Small Space

Download Brief

Registration Opens 15th December 2025

Overview

The Ten Cubic M Challenge invites designers, architects, artists, makers, and creative thinkers to reconsider space, meaning, and experience through the discipline of a strict spatial boundary.

Participants are asked to design a spatial idea, structure, object, or installation contained entirely within a maximum volume of 10 cubic meters. Your micro-architecture may be functional, symbolic, emotional, speculative, portable, or expressive — a compact shelter, a ritual chamber, a sculptural monument, a portable module, or a conceptual spatial artifact.

This volumetric mandate changes the exercise from a simple task of making things smaller to a critical study of functional density and spatial optimization. To get the most use out of such a small space, you need to look into kinetic architecture, which means that things like walls, furniture, and storage spaces have to change and serve more than one purpose. The 10 m3 limit is the competition's most important strategic asset because it makes sure that the solutions that come out of it are hyper-efficient, modular, and easy to replicate.

This competition is not about building big, but about thinking deep. A tiny space can be a vessel for memory, care, provocation, adaptation, or future possibility.

How can a small volume reveal new ways of living, feeling, or imagining the world?

Roots of the Micro-Space

Throughout history, architects and designers have experimented with reducing space to its most essential form. These explorations reveal how compactness can be both a design strategy and a response to human need.

Nakagin Capsule Tower
Built around the idea of minimal, self-contained capsules, this project explored how compact units could form a flexible and replaceable vertical community. Each capsule functioned as an independent living pod with integrated utilities, demonstrating extreme efficiency within a small footprint. It became an icon of micro-living and modular adaptability in dense urban environments.

Khudi Bari
Created as a lightweight and transportable dwelling, this project redefines compactness as a tool for resilience. Its small frame can be built quickly using local materials and moved when floodwaters rise, providing secure shelter within a minimal volume. It proves that compact design can carry both practicality and compassion, offering dignity through small space.

The Core Challenge

Participants must design a spatial concept that fits entirely within:

A fixed maximum volume of 10 cubic meters.
Volume is fixed. Shape is free.
Your 10m³ may explore themes such as placemaking, symbolism, portable systems, modularity, climate-responsive design, outer space micro-habitats, or miniature monumental forms.
There is no thematic restriction. Interpretation is fully open.

Registration

📝 Registration Key Dates:

Early Bird Registration Ends: 21st December 2025 — 15 USD
Regular Registration Ends: 11th January 2026 — 30 USD
Standard Registration Ends: 31st January 2026 — 45 USD
Last Minute Registration Ends: 15th February 2026 — 75 USD

Open to students and professionals of any creative sectors like, architecture, engineering, industrial design, interior design, and related creative fields. Individual or team entries (maximum 4 members) are allowed. Interdisciplinary collaboration is strongly encouraged.

Competition Schedule

Registration Opens
15th December 2025

Early Bird Registration Ends
21st December 2025

Regular Registration Ends
11th January 2026

Standard Registration Ends
31st January 2026

Last Minute Registration Ends
15th February 2026

Submission Deadline
15th February 2026

Announcement of Winners
Around mid-March

Awards & Recognition

Winning participants will receive prizes totaling BDT 1,50,000 (USD 1500). Awards will be distributed as follows:

Excellence in Design Ingenuity

Prize: BDT 50,000 / USD 500 + Certificate

For the entry that best manipulates the volume and geometry

Excellence in Narrative Depth

Prize: BDT 50,000 / USD 500 + Certificate

For the entry with the most powerful story or emotional resonance

Excellence in Future Resilience

Prize: BDT 50,000 / USD 500 + Certificate

For the best adaptive, climate responsive, or technical solution

3 Commendation Certificates

Certificate of Recognition

Top 30 Shortlisted Entries

Certificate of Recognition

All Participants

Certificate of Participation

Submission Guidelines

Submission Requirements:

1. A1 Presentation Board (Mandatory)

Format: A1 Portrait (594 × 841 mm) — Digital PDF + JPG (High Res).
Team Code should be mentioned in the board.
Concept Statement: 100–150 words embedded on the board.
Visuals: Renderings, drawings, collages, or model photos that communicate the experience.
Volume Logic Diagram: A clear diagram illustrating how the form adheres to the 10m³ limit.
Technical details: Materiality, construction logic, or system diagrams (if relevant).
Anonymity: No logos or names on the board.

2. Project Description (Mandatory)

Write in the specified section of the submission form.
Length: Maximum 500 words
Content: Key design intention and selected Lens
Spatial, symbolic, or functional strategy, user experience narration
Explanation of how the 10 m³ constraint shaped the design

Terms & Conditions

By participating in the “10 Cubic Meter Challenge” Design Competition, all entrants agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. Originality

All submitted work must be original and solely created by the participant(s).
Any entry found to be previously submitted to another competition, publication, or platform will be disqualified immediately.

2. Copyright and Usage Rights

Participants retain the copyright of their submitted work.
By submitting an entry, participants grant Claymire and the 10 Cubic Meter Challenge Competition Team the right to use their materials (with proper credit) for promotional purposes, including but not limited to: website features, social media, exhibitions, and publications.
No commercial use will be made without further consent from the designer.

3. Submission & Guidelines Compliance

All entries must strictly follow the Submission Guidelines outlined in the competition brief.
Incomplete, incorrect, or non-compliant entries may be disqualified without notice.

4. Registration & Fees

The registration fee is non-refundable under any circumstances, including failure to submit an entry after registration.

5. Jury & Evaluation

The jury’s decision is final and cannot be challenged.
Participants agree that under no circumstance may they request a review, appeal, or negotiation of the jury’s decisions.

6. Disqualification

The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any submission if:

Plagiarism or uncredited work is detected
Submission violates copyright or intellectual property of others
Submission guidelines are not followed

7. Communication

All competition updates will be communicated via the official email or social platforms.
Participants are responsible for checking updates regularly.

8. Acknowledgment

By submitting their entry, participants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to all the above terms and conditions.

FAQ

1. Who can participate in the ' 10 Cubic Meter Challenge' Competition?

-The competition is open to students from all fields of study, professionals in design-related disciplines, and anyone with a passion for creativity and design.

2. What is the deadline for submissions?

-All entries must be submitted by January 31 no later than 11:59pm BST (Bangladesh) UTC+06:00.

3. Can teams participate, or is this an individual competition?

-Both individual and team entries up to 4 members are accepted. Team compositions can be disclosed in the registration process.

4. Do I need a credit card to pay the registration fee?

-No. You can pay using bKash, Nagad, Rocket, mobile banking, or any debit/credit card.

5. The website shows the fee in USD. Do I have to pay in USD?

-No. Although the fee is displayed in USD, you can pay in BDT or any other currency. Your payment method will automatically convert it.

6. Will I be charged any extra fees for currency conversion?
Any small conversion fee (if applicable) depends on your bank or payment provider, not Claymire.

7. What if my card does not support international transactions?
-No problem—you can still pay using bKash, Nagad, or other mobile banking methods.

8. Is the payment method secure?
-Yes. All payments are processed through secure and verified payment gateways.

9. Who can I contact if I have more questions?

-For further inquiries, please contact our support team at info@claymire.site. We are available to assist you with any additional questions you may have.

Jurors

Phnam Bagley designs the future of everything, on and off planet Earth. She is a French industrial designer, futurist and aerospace architect creating cutting-edge hardware and experiences in Wearables, Healthcare and Wellness, Education, Robotics, Transportation, and Aerospace. She specializes in turning groundbreaking technologies into attainable, intuitive, and beautiful products and experiences that help humans become the best versions of themselves. Her work is exclusively focused on initiatives that promote the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and benefit mankind, the environment, and innovation.

Phnam serves startups, Fortune 500s, and governments on four continents. NASA, Intel, Facebook, Atari, Philips, Alpine, Mistletoe, Halo Neuroscience, and others are clients.

She lectures globally on “Designing the Future of Everything,” addressing sustainability, design, space exploration, education, and human happiness.

Dr. Khandaker Shabbir Ahmed is a Professor of Architecture at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He holds a PhD from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London. His research and teaching over nearly three decades focus on environmental design, bioclimatic urbanism, and sustainable cities, emphasizing simulation-driven approaches to design. A recipient of the PLEA Best Paper Award (University of Cambridge, 2000) and the FORMAS Award (Swedish Research Council, 2006), Shabbir has published widely on human comfort, urban microclimate, and low-energy architecture. He served as Head of the Department of Architecture at BUET (2016–2019), advancing design pedagogy, digital integration, and research-led education. Also he is a former President of The Institute of Architects Bangladesh.

Maryam Saleh, is the Executive Director of the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Tech Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Illinois Tech, where she leads programs that connect technology, entrepreneurship, and workforce development in high-growth sectors such as AI, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and energy. A technology and innovation leader with a passion for turning ideas into market-ready solutions, she holds a PhD in Computational Neuroscience from the University of Chicago and a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Brown University. Her career spans VC-backed startups, academia, and innovation hubs—most notably as a founding member of Cyberkinetics developing BrainGate™, one of the earliest brain-computer interfaces restoring movement to paralyzed individuals. She has also served as VP of Programs at MATTER and led market strategy at Machinify, an AI-driven healthcare payments company later acquired by New Mountain Capital in 2025. Maryam also contributes to multiple boards and advisory councils, supporting emerging startups and responsible tech innovation.

Ar. Rizvi Hasan is a Bangladeshi practicing architect whose work focuses on community-driven, context-responsive, and culturally rooted design. Since the start of his career, he has worked across Cox’s Bazar, Ukhiya, Teknaf, Sylhet, Jhenaidah, Chandpur, Sirajgonj, Kurigram, and Mirsharai, collaborating with Bangladeshi communities and Rohingya refugees. His practice emphasizes local identity, collective making, and architecture that reflects both the construction process and lived spaces. He has worked with Archeground Ltd., EK Architects, Co.Creation Architects, BRAC HCMP, and IOM–UN Migration. His work has received major international recognition, including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022 for community spaces in the Rohingya refugee response, along with honors such as the UN-OCHA Real Life Hero (2020), the ASF Award (2021), and the Civitella Ranieri Architecture Fellowship (2025).

** Claymire reserves the right to change, modify, or update any policies, terms, conditions, or services at any time without prior notice. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting or notification.

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