Check out the winning designs from The Architect's Chair competition

Buildner commentary: "Bunker Stuhl aims to create a cutting edge volume, resembling a brutalist architectural structure. A play on the contrast between the volume and the void, an original block transformation is carved and shaped into space and straight lines that becomes a functional seat, a backrest and a base. The environmentally-friendly chair is made of 100% recyclable polyethylene with a smooth and polished look that balances massiveness with thin edges."

2nd Place Winner: Elsie Chair by Appareil Atelier in collaboration with Les jardins de métis and L'Autre Atelier (Canada)

Buildner commentary: "The Elsie chair is a tribute to Elsie Reford, the creator of the historic Reford Gardens in Grand-Métis, Québec, Canada, and inspired by the classic bentwood chairs of the 19th century. It is the testimony of a deep desire to do better with material and human resources. It aims to develop a new expression of the classic vocabulary by removing all superfluous elements while keeping the essence of the chair, its seat and back. The result is striking in its purity and fluidity. The four chair legs support the seat and continue upward where they become the back and the arms. The thinness of the seat highlights the seven bars that make up the chair and whose size is larger than the tradition. The oversized nature of these pieces attracts the eye, but also invites touching and exploration."

Read a full interview with the 2nd Place winners here.

3rd Place Winner: Purvottanasana Chair by Emad Lajevardi (Germany)

Buildner commentary: "'Purvottanasana' chair with its radical minimalism emphasizes on geometric purity and appreciates the intrinsic beauty of its wooden material. Its elemental geometry brings simplicity in construction and solidity in appearance. Each trame on the side consists of three rectangular pieces of walnut wood connected by mortise and tenon joints. The seat connects the frames and the wooden block, which is placed on the frame as backrest and armrest, revealing its wooden and cracked nature. According to the author, the employment of legible geometry, as exemplified in the works of designers like Donald Judd and Alvar Aalto, helps to accentuate the distinct properties of materials."

Read a full interview with the 3rd Place winner here.