Planar House © Studio MK27 Ph. Fernando Guerra
Promo
Launch Promo 15% OFF on registration fees using the Promo Code: TWT15XTVC
To be applied during the registration procedure. Valid only for Early Registration fees until December 22nd
Intro
THE WATER TOWER – ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION
Nestled in the heart of Milanino’s Garden City, the historic Water Tower stands as one of the district’s most recognisable landmarks: currently marked by decades of decay, yet rich with architectural and cultural potential. The Water Tower competition invites participants to reimagine this structure as a contemporary cultural hub, transforming it into a place that is alive, accessible and used daily by people of all generations.
The challenge calls for a complete renovation of the tower’s interior and exterior spaces: from flexible cultural rooms, coworking areas and exhibition zones to terraces, micro-plazas and outdoor gathering spaces that complement the building’s new functions.
How could a vertical structure of this kind serve as a point of reference for the entire neighbourhood, hosting events, creative activities and community initiatives throughout the year?
The aim is not merely to restore an abandoned building, but to give it a new identity – one that respects its historical value while embracing experimentation, innovation and contemporary living. Participants are invited to propose original concepts capable of turning Milanino’s Water Tower into an architectural catalyst for culture, creativity and social connection.
Files
Download Competition Brief (.Pdf): English, Italiano, Español, Français
Download Competition Files (.Zip)
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09.12.2025 – 20.02.2026
3:00 pm CET
20.02.2026 – 10.04.2026
3:00 pm CET
10.04.2026 – 30.04.2026
3:00 pm CET
Prizes
PRIZE POOL
16.000 €
+ PUBLIC EXHIBITION
FIRST PRIZE
8.000 €
SECOND PRIZE
4.000 €
THIRD PRIZE
2.000 €
5 GOLDEN MENTIONS: COUPON FOR A FREE MEMBERSHIP
10 HONORABLE MENTIONS: COUPON FOR A FREE COMPETITION
30 FINALISTS: PUBLISHED ON TERRAVIVA CHANNELS
All Prizes (14.000€) and Mention Coupons (2.000€) are covered by the Municipality of Cusano Milanino & Terraviva.
Upload
Two A1 Panels 594 x 841 mm (horizontal)
A brief text describing the proposal
30.04.2026
3:00 pm CET
01.06.2026
12:00 pm CET
*Upload is under maintenance. We’ll be back soon*
* The “Extend” service allows you to extend the submission deadline by an additional 72 hours. The “Verify” service conducts a formal compliance check to ensure your submission meets all required rules.
* If your are unable to complete your project, the “Flex” service allows you to withdraw without losing your registration fee.
Jury

LIDIA ARDUINO
Comune di Cusano Milanino
[Cusano Milanino, Italy]
Lidia Arduino, born in Milan in 1945 and graduated in Architecture in 1969. From 1972 to 1987 she taught drawing and design in a secondary school. In 1989 she wrote a textbook on drawing titled Dal cucchiaio alla città, published by the Zanichelli…

LUCIANO CRESPI
Politecnico di Milano
[Milan, Italy]
He is regarded by the international scientific community as the founder of the new design approach to regeneration of Abandoned Spaces. Associate Professor in Architectural Technology at the Faculty of Architecture of Milan since…

LULA FERRARI
Lula Ferrari Studio
[Milan, Italy]
Lula Ferrari was born in Milan, where she currently lives and works. She graduated in Architecture at Politecnico di Milano. Working as an architect and art director for various companies, she has managed a wide range of projects: from…

PAOLO CESARETTI
pc-|< Paolo Cesaretti Arch-
[Florence/Milan, Italy]
Paolo Cesaretti is an Italian architect and creative director whose work revolves around designing spaces as relational systems for sharing information and experiences. His portfolio spans a diverse range of projects across commercial and cultural…

MATTEO SCALTRITTI
Semarchitettura
[Gallarate, Italy]
Matteo Scaltritti graduated in Architecture from Politecnico di Milano with a thesis in restoration, where he also obtained a PhD in Maintenance Planning and Redevelopment of Building and Urban Systems. For over a decade, he carried out research…

LUANA LA MARTINA
MVRDV
[Rotterdam, Netherlands]
Luana La Martina is a Senior Visualizer, Art Director, and visual storyteller working at the intersection of architecture, design, and digital media. She holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture and a II Level Master in Digital Architecture from…

MICHELE CASSINO
Studio 3Mark
[Cuneo, Italy]
Michele Cassino is an architect and co-founder of Studio 3Mark. Born in 1980, he graduated in Architecture from the Politecnico di Torino after a formative experience at the École d’Architecture de Normandie in Rouen. With Studio 3Mark…

LETIZIA MELZI
Tectoo
[Milan, Italy]
Graduated in Technological and Environmental Design from the Politecnico di Milano, she developed from the outset a strong interest in sustainability, technological innovation, and the evolution of design processes. From the early years of her…
Memberships’ Monthly Plans provide free access to all competitions maintaining the same price regardless of the period in which they are purchased, guaranteeing significant savings compared to Early/Standard/Late Registrations. All prices are exclusive of taxes. 22% VAT rate will be added at the time of payment (Italian regulation DPR 633/1972).
Professional Plan
Are you an architecture office which would like to have full access to all our competitions for an entire year, participating with an unlimited number of employees and collaborators? For more info, please contact us at: info@terravivacompetitions.com
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Learn more about Terraviva’s group discount options and additional perks. For more info, please contact Alexandra at: alexandra@terravivacompetitions.com
FAQs
At TerraViva, we believe that the integrity and recognition of an artist’s work are as important as the work itself.
TerraViva recognizes the legal and philosophical basis of the moral rights of creators with respect to creative and artistic works. Moral rights are the exclusive rights granted by the law to the author in order to protect his personality. Such rights are inalienable, indefeasible and can never be given up. They are independent from the economic rights resulting from the creation of the work, even after the transfer of such rights to third parties.
Such right of authorship may be exercised at any time by the author (art. 20 of Italian Copyright Law). Complete terms and conditions are available on Terms & Conditions.
- Register to the competition: only the personal data of the team leader will be necessary. In case you participate as a team, the other members of your group will be indicated during the submission process.
- After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with your registration code. If you do not see the email in a few minutes, check your “junk mail/spam” folder.
- Work on your project and submit your proposal within the deadline, carefully following the instructions in our Upload Section.
- Wait until the announcement of the jury’s verdict and check out the competition results on our website.
The “Order Number” (ex. 12345) will be available after complete your registration. In addition will be sent also at your email address.
The competition is open to students, architects, designers, urbanists, engineers, artists, makers, activists and anyone interested in the architectural design.
The competition prizes comprise both monetary awards and coupons. The coupons’ value is determined by the allocation of “Rookie” subscriptions and “Late Registrations” entries.
Registration fees are used to cover the running costs of the competition and to improve customer care services. The registration fees cover taxes, web services, database services and everything related to computer security and the processing of personal data. Registration fees allow us to organize new initiatives to promote creativity and to feed the debate on present and future issues regarding climate change, natural-based solutions and social engagement.
Participants can join the competition either individually or with a team. If you register with a single competition registration (either Early, Standard, or Late), there is no limit to the number of team members. However, If you are participating through a Monthly Membership plan, the registration allows for a team composed of the team leader plus up to 4 additional members for a total of 5 participants maximum.
During the registration we only need the personal data of the group leader. The other team members will be indicated in the final submission package at the end of the competition. You will find all the instructions after registering.
Yes, you can participate with your Company. To issue your invoice, we ask you to provide your Tax identification number or your VAT Number on the registration procedure. If your Company is based in Europe, we should verify the correctness of your VAT number via the EU Tax authorities (VIES VAT number validation).
If you have not received your receipt please check the spam or junk folder of your e-mail account. For any inquiry, please contact us at: info@terravivacompetition.com
For any inquiries regarding the competition, please email us at info@terravivacompetitions.com with the subject line: “FAQ – [Competition Title]”.
Answers to all questions will be posted in the FAQ section of the Competition Shared Folder, accessible to registered participants. This section will be regularly updated with relevant questions from all participants.


(*) The prize amounts are shown in US Dollars (USD) for reference and communication purposes.
For fiscal and administrative reasons, all cash prizes will be paid in Euros (EUR) at a fixed nominal exchange rate of 1 EUR = 1.25 USD.



