Denver Affordable Housing Challenge Winners Announced

Denver, Colorado (December 10, 2025) – Colorado architects, the City of Denver, and Buildner, a leading global design competition platform, have announced the 10 winning entries in Denver’s Affordable Housing Challenge.

The competition attracted 148 qualified submissions from around the world. Entrants explored how affordability, sustainability, and design excellence can be combined to create innovative housing solutions tailored to Denver’s local context. Submissions were reviewed by a jury of globally renowned architects, City of Denver leaders, and affordable housing developers.

“This reveal shows what is possible when creativity, community, and commitment come together,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. “The ideas showcased in this challenge push us to think boldly about how Denver can deliver affordable, sustainable housing solutions for every resident. We are grateful to the architects, partners, and jurors who brought their talent to this effort, and we look forward to turning innovation into real solutions for Denver families.”

Launched on April 10, 2025, the competition called on architects and students to submit ideas that elevate affordability through design, with the goal of generating new models and insights for future housing in Denver. Registration opened in April and closed September 11^th. Winning entries will help inform ongoing dialogues about how thoughtful architecture can support equitable growth in the region.

Winning projects have been awarded from a $20,000 prize pool jointly funded by the City of Denver, AIA Colorado, and Buildner. The 10 awards include first, second, and third place, along with a Student Award, a Sustainability Award, and six honorable mentions. 

All winning projects can be viewed at Buildner.

“The volume and quality of entries show that architects are eager to bring fresh thinking to the future of housing in Denver,” said Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA, CEO, AIA Colorado. “This challenge proves that affordability and design excellence do not have to be competing priorities. We’re also proud to see two of the winning submissions from Colorado architects.”

About the Affordable Housing Design Challenge
Launched on April 10, 2025, the competition called on architects and students to submit ideas that elevate affordability through design, with the goal of generating new models and insights for future housing in Denver. Registration opened in April and closed September 11. Winning entries will help inform ongoing dialogues about how thoughtful architecture can support equitable growth in the region.

Colorado architects and City of Denver representatives gathered for the public reveal of the winning entries in Denver’s Affordable Housing Challenge to celebrate the winning entries:

All event photos available to download.

1^st Place Prize: X-MU-X (Australia)

X-MU-X reframes zoning as a design tool by showing how a historic Queen Anne home can be reconfigured into multiple equal-ownership dwellings that enable gentle, character-preserving growth in Denver’s suburbs. 

• Damien Madigan, PhD, GAICD, FRAIA, Associate Professor of Architecture at University of South Australia, Non Executive Director, The Cottage Homes Incorporated, Brisbane, Australia

2^nd Place Prize and Sustainability Award: re FRAME (Colorado)

re FRAME delivers a community-focused homeownership model that places six CLT-built homes on a single lot with shared courtyards, adaptable layouts, and sustainable, cost-saving design strategies.

• Meghan Kress, Assoc. AIA, Sopher Sparn Architects, Boulder, CO
• Maggie Krantz, Assoc. AIA, Locus Architecture, Minneapolis, MN
• Sean Pike, Populous, Denver, CO

3^rd Place Prize: Alley Town La Alma (Denver)

Alley Town La Alma introduces a new alley-house building type and zoning strategy that allows residents to add small homes without demolition, doubling density while preserving the character of La Alma’s historic district.

• Ozi Friedrich, AIA, Alex St. Angelo, AIA, and Archer Squire, Radix Design, Denver, CO

Student Award: Can Denver Afford Us? (Vietnam)

Can Denver Afford Us? proposes a flexible modular housing system for rooftops, parking lots, and infill sites that creates walkable, human-scaled neighborhoods without expanding Denver’s footprint.

• Thiên Trí Võ, Gia Bao Luong, duc Tue Nguyen, Phuong Uyên Pham, H? Chí Minh City Architecture University, Vietnam

Honorable Mention: The Missing Middle (Finland)

This proposal demonstrates how rethinking scale, parking, and shared green space on a Denver site can create diverse, human-scaled homes that support walkability, sustainability, and affordability.

• David Gallo, Ep Jerlel, and Maria lomiak, ALA Architects, Helsinki, Finland

Honorable Mention: RE Alley (United States)

RE Alley envisions Denver’s alleys as vibrant community corridors by introducing modular ADUs, shared amenities, and coordinated infrastructure that empower homeowners to create gentle, affordable density.

• Yingzhuo Wang, HOK, Chicago, IL

Honorable Mention: Common Spaces (United States)

Common Spaces offers a low-rise model for affordable density that pairs compact micro-units with generous shared amenities, creating a connected community that fits seamlessly into its Five Points context.

• Matthew Scarlett, AIA, things meet, Long Island City, NY

Honorable Mention: RE-GROUND (United States)

RE-GROUND transforms a former brownfield into regenerative housing by pairing on-site soil remediation with prefabricated CLT and recycled-brick construction to create healthy, sustainable homes.

• Shenglu Qiu, Assoc. AIA, HOK, San Francisco, CA
• Kexuan Shang

Honorable Mention: Parked Grounds (South Korea)

Parked Grounds reclaims downtown parking lots by reusing milled asphalt as building material and introducing terraces, courtyards, and porous landscapes to create affordable, climate-responsive housing.

• Jongseung Lee, JK-AR architecture, Seoul, South Korea
• Habin Park

Honorable Mention: Alleyway Commons (United States)

Alleyway Commons turns underused alleys and backyards in Chaffee Park into a shared civic corridor, enabling modular ADUs and community-led development that expand housing options and neighborhood cohesion.

• Tian Ouyang, Assoc. AIA, Gensler, Chicago, IL
• Yibin Yang, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Chicago, IL

All winning projects can be viewed at Buildner.