01
Client
Post your brief
Describe the house you need and pin down the hard constraints — plot, zone, budget, bedrooms, deadline. The clearer the brief, the better the entries.
04 · sheet c-1today on smartguta · competitions
Open briefs · live competitions
Post a brief. Architects compete.
Describe the house you need and the constraints it has to live within. Verified architects answer with concept designs — the best one wins a commission and a place in its author’s portfolio. The format follows the Institute of Architects of Zimbabwe’s competition rules.
This cycle
2
open briefs
64
entries in
12
architects
9
awarded ytd
ACZ-approved format
how a competition runsbrief → concepts → award → portfolio
02
Architects
Concepts come in
Verified architects take the brief and submit concept designs. Entries are anonymous to the panel, so the drawings win, not the name on them.
03
Panel
Adjudication & award
A panel scores entries against the brief. The winner takes the prize and the commission to develop the full, council-ready set.
04
Outcome
Into the portfolio
Winning and commended concepts land in each architect’s public portfolio and can be listed on the marketplace — work that pays twice.
two ways to run itopen · ideas
Open competition
Anyone registered can enter
Best for projects of public interest. The brief is open to every verified architect, entries are judged anonymously, and the platform runs submissions, adjudication and the award.
- Open to all verified architects
- Anonymous adjudication
- Run end-to-end by SmartGuta
Ideas competition
You shortlist by portfolio
You pick a handful of architects on the strength of their previous work and invite them to compete. Invited architects are paid an honorarium for their concept — as required by the Architects Council.
- Shortlist on portfolio
- Paid concept honorarium
- Architects Council approval
A note on the rules. Every architectural competition in Zimbabwe must be approved by the Architects Council, and architects invited to an ideas competition must be paid for their concept work. SmartGuta keeps briefs inside those rules so your competition is valid from day one.
05 · sheet c-2open briefs · 5 shown
Briefs on the board
BR-041Open for entries
Three-bed starter home for a young family
Private client · Chitungwiza
A phased, brick-and-mortar starter that can be built in two stages. Must read as finished after stage one.
Unit L, Seke
Zone R3
300 m²
stand
$22k – 30k build
budget
3 bed
Open
Phased buildCross-ventilationBorehole-readyCouncil-ready set
$900 + build commission
—11 entries
BR-039Open for entries
Low-density family residence with home office
Private client · Borrowdale
Quiet modern villa with a separate home-office wing, north-facing living, and a courtyard the house wraps around.
Borrowdale West, HRE
Zone R1
2 000 m²
stand
$120k – 160k build
budget
4 bed
Ideas
Courtyard planNorth-facing livingDouble garageSolar-ready roof
$2,500 honorarium
—5 entries
BR-036In adjudication
Eight-unit cluster for a stokvel co-op
Simba Housing Co-op
Eight repeatable two-bed units around shared open space. Identical footprints, two roof variations for character.
Cowdray Park, BYO
Zone R2
4 800 m²
stand
$310k total
budget
2 bed
Open
Repeatable footprintShared courtyardPedestrian-firstPhased servicing
$3,200 + full commission
—17 entries
BR-034In adjudication
Compact cottage on a sloped stand
Private client · Mutare
A one-bed cottage that steps down a 1:8 slope, using the fall for a lower studio that can be let out.
Murambi, MUT
Zone R1
650 m²
stand
$28k build
budget
1 bed
Ideas
Split-levelRetaining minimisedRentable studioRainwater capture
$800 honorarium
—8 entries
BR-028Awarded
Townhouse pair for an infill stand
Mainway Developments
Two mirrored townhouses sharing a party wall, each with a private north court. Awarded to Studio Mhlanga.
Avondale, HRE
Zone R2
900 m²
stand
$95k total
budget
3 bed
Open
Party-wall pairPrivate courtsStreet-facing stoepCouncil-ready set
$1,800 + commission
Closed23 entries
Run your own competition
Have a plan in your head? Let them draw it.
Post a brief in minutes, set your constraints, and choose how the competition runs. You only commit a commission when you award.
A good brief pins down
- Plot size, frontage and the stand’s zone
- A realistic build budget and currency
- Bedrooms, bathrooms and must-have rooms
- Orientation, slope and any servitudes
- The deadline and the prize or commission
Competition format adapted from the Institute of Architects of Zimbabwe. All competitions are subject to Architects Council approval.