Timber in the City 6: Urban Habitats
Think Wood in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is pleased to announce TIMBER IN THE CITY 6: Urban Habitats Competition for the 2025 academic year. This national design competition invites architecture students—working individually or in teams—to explore how innovative wood construction can help meet the growing demand for attainable, sustainable housing in our urban areas.
Participants are challenged to design for a real underutilized site, using wood to interpret, invent, and deploy forward-thinking building systems. The goal is to unlock housing types that fall between single-family homes and high-rise apartment buildings—typologies that increase housing diversity and supply by producing gentle density in infill neighborhoods. These solutions should challenge outdated perceptions of multifamily housing and promote walkable, sustainable communities with a reduced reliance on cars and parking infrastructure.
By coupling simple, highly repeatable designs and cost-effective, renewable materials like mass timber, students will demonstrate through their designs how thoughtful architecture can create vibrant, livable neighborhoods while addressing affordability, environmental impact, and urban resilience.
Projects will be evaluated in three building categories:
- Small Buildings (<1,000 square feet)
- Medium Buildings (up to 10,000 square feet)
- Large Buildings (up to 20,000 square feet)
With $40,000 in awards up for grabs for students and faculty advisors, TIMBER IN THE CITY 6 offers students a unique opportunity to shape the future of housing through innovative wood design and practical architectural solutions. To participate, faculty advisors must register their students before the December 3rd, 2025 deadline.
