February 2026
“Nature Within” published on Archilovers
The NOT A HOTEL Kitakaruizawa – Nature Within project by UNFORMED Design was published on Archilovers, featuring the villa as the Grand Prize–winning entry of the first NOT A HOTEL Design Competition.
The Archilovers entry presents the design by Hassan Elgendy and Nahed Zmeter — set amidst the lava boulders and forest of Kitakaruizawa — where the architecture is conceived as an inhabited landscape that weaves between natural rock formations and forest environment.
Published in early 2026, the feature places Nature Within within a global architectural portfolio of built and unbuilt works, offering detailed visual and project information for an international audience of architects and design enthusiasts
February 2026
Sales begin for Nature Within (NOT A HOTEL)
NOT A HOTEL has announced the launch of sales for Nature Within, the villa designed by UNFORMED Design as the Grand Prize winner of the first NOT A HOTEL Design Competition. The announcement details that the property will be built in the forested Kitakaruizawa area of Gunma Prefecture and is scheduled to open in Spring 2028, with prospective owners now able to submit sales applications.
Designed by Hassan Elgendy and Nahed Zmeter of UNFORMED Design, Nature Within integrates architecture with its natural surroundings — weaving indoor space through ancient lava boulders and dense forest to create a setting where nature is experienced as an inhabited landscape rather than a backdrop.
The press release positions Nature Within as a milestone in NOT A HOTEL’s evolution of its Kitakaruizawa resort area, adding to existing and upcoming properties and signalling a new phase where design-led residences become available for ownership within the evolving forest community.
January 2026
Nature Within featured by Casa BRUTUS
Nature Within, the winning proposal for the NOT A HOTEL Kitakaruizawa competition, was featured by Casa BRUTUS as part of its architectural coverage highlighting contemporary projects in Japan.
The article explores the project’s relationship with its volcanic landscape, where architecture is conceived not as an object placed in nature, but as a spatial sequence carved within it. Massive lava rocks, forest density, and topography are treated as active design elements shaping structure, atmosphere, and experience.
Through this feature, Casa BRUTUS situates Nature Within within a broader discourse on architecture that dissolves boundaries between interior and exterior, tradition and contemporary living—reflecting a growing interest in projects where nature becomes an inhabited space rather than a framed view.
August 2025
“Nature Within” included in unbuilt hospitality projects roundup (ArchDaily)
UNFORMED Design’s Nature Within is featured in ArchDaily’s curated review of unbuilt hospitality projects that are shaping new ideas for hotels and resorts around the world.
The article brings together eight unbuilt proposals spanning Japan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and beyond, each rethinking hospitality through ecological sensitivity, cultural specificity, and experiential design. Projects are presented as explorations of identity, landscape, and future modes of engagement between visitors and place.
By including Nature Within in this selection, ArchDaily frames the Kitakaruizawa design within a global context of architectural inquiry where sustainability, narrative, and environment are central to how hotels and resorts are conceived.
February 2025
UNFORMED Design featured in ArchDaily architecture roundup
UNFORMED Design’s Nature Within is included in ArchDaily’s survey of recent architectural work ranging from nature-inspired resorts to urban conversions.
The article presents a selection of projects from established firms including Gensler, Foster + Partners, and Herzog & de Meuron alongside international competition entries, among which Nature Within is highlighted. This contextual placement situates UNFORMED’s approach within a broader architectural dialogue at the start of 2025.
By featuring the project in a roundup focused on diverse design strategies — from integrating natural landscapes to adapting existing structures — ArchDaily underscores how Nature Within engages both ecological and formal dimensions of architectural thought.
February 2025
UNFORMED announced as NOT A HOTEL Kitakaruizawa competition winner (Casa BRUTUS)
Casa BRUTUS announced UNFORMED Design as the winner of the first NOT A HOTEL Design Competition for the Kitakaruizawa site in Japan.
The article documents the public review process and the jury’s evaluation, framing the selected proposal within a broader discussion on emerging hospitality models that blur the line between private residence, retreat, and hotel architecture.
By featuring the competition outcome, Casa BRUTUS positions UNFORMED Design’s work within an international architectural discourse that explores new relationships between landscape, dwelling, and contemporary lifestyles.
January 2025
Majlis House featured on BETA
UNFORMED Design’s Majlis House is featured on BETA – unbuilt architecture, a platform focused on visionary projects and architectural proposals in early design stages.
The article presents Majlis House as a compact 250 sqm desert residence in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, characterized by a layered spatial strategy that emphasizes privacy and cultural gathering. The ground floor unfolds as a sunken central majlis—a traditional space for social interaction—while the upper volume articulates primary living functions with environmental responsiveness.
Through its inclusion on BETA, the project is positioned within a community of unbuilt works that explore architectural ideas ranging from material expression and climatic adaptation to cultural narratives embedded in form and spatial sequences.
December 2024
Elliptical residence for NOT A HOTEL featured by designboom
UNFORMED Design’s elliptical residence for the NOT A HOTEL Kitakaruizawa project was featured on Designboom, one of the leading online publications for global architecture and design.
The article highlights how the residence emerges from Japan’s rocky hills, integrating rugged natural formations and forested terrain as integral elements of the architectural concept. Rather than imposing a conventional building form, the design responds to topography and weathered rock as structural and spatial generators.
Designboom situates the project within contemporary architectural discussions around sites where nature and structure coalesce. By embracing the character of its environment, the residence challenges typical boundaries between interior and exterior and underscores a design logic rooted in place and material logic.
December 2024
UNFORMED Design wins NOT A HOTEL Design Competition Grand Prize (NOT A HOTEL official announcement)
NOT A HOTEL has published the official results of its inaugural 2024 Design Competition, selecting UNFORMED Design’s Nature Within as the Grand Prize winner.
The competition drew 620 submissions from 23 countries, inviting architects and creators under 40 to propose new architectural interpretations for the NOT A HOTEL Kitakaruizawa site. Nature Within, by UNFORMED Design (Hassan M. Elgendy & Nahed Zmeter), was chosen by the jury for its concept that engages the surrounding landscape as an intrinsic part of the design.
The announcement underscores the project’s potential to be realized as the next NOT A HOTEL property, situating the work within an emerging global conversation about architecture that responds to environment and program with equal sensitivity.
July 2023
UNFORMED Design ranked 6th internationally in EPAC competition (Experimental Puppetry Arts Centre)
UNFORMED Design was ranked 6th in the International Open Architectural Competition for the Experimental Puppetry Arts Centre at the State Puppet Theatre in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
The competition invited designers from around the world to develop conceptual proposals for the EPAC — a new venue intended as an incubator for innovative live theatre and the advancement of puppetry arts. An international jury evaluated submissions and selected winners and ranked entries, among which UNFORMED’s proposal placed sixth overall.
This result places UNFORMED Design within a global field of architectural ideas imagined for cultural and performance spaces, reflecting the studio’s engagement with experimental programmatic challenges and design thinking beyond conventional typologies.
June 2020
Nahed Zmeter (co-founder of UNFORMED Design) wins Egyptian State Incentive Award for El Heiz Water Education Center
Nahed Zmeter, co-founder of UNFORMED Design, was awarded the Egyptian State Incentive Award in June 2020 for the El Heiz Water Education Center project. The prize was conferred by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture in recognition of the project’s contribution to environmentally responsive and educational architectural work within the “Environment-Friendly Educational and Research Facilities” category.
The El Heiz Water Education Center serves farmers, students, and community members with programs and facilities focused on sustainable water management and reuse—responding to Egypt’s urgent challenges of water scarcity and climate change.
This state recognition positions the project within Egypt’s national cultural and architectural narrative and highlights the role of design in addressing ecological and educational imperatives.
January 2020
UNFORMED Design (with Cosmos) runner-up in Egyptian Pavilion competition for Venice Biennale (Designboom)
UNFORMED Design collaborated with Cosmos Architecture on a proposal for the Egyptian Pavilion in the 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale, earning a runner-up placement in the competition reported by Designboom.
The project aimed to address ecological and cultural themes through a pavilion concept that questioned human-environment relationships, using spatial strategies and material expression to engage visitors in contemporary concerns around biodiversity and sustainability.
Designboom’s coverage situates the Egyptian Pavilion entry within broader discussions of national biennale representation, highlighting the strength of the concept and its capacity to contribute to the architectural discourse at one of the world’s most significant design events.
October 2019
UNFORMED Design awarded 3rd Prize in Rifat Chadirji Prize competition (Tamayouz Award)
NFORMED Design was awarded the 3rd Prize in the international Rifat Chadirji Prize competition for a proposal for the Barjeel Museum for Modern Arab Art in Sharjah, UAE.
The Rifat Chadirji Prize, part of the Tamayouz Excellence Award programme, invited architects from around the world to respond with design ideas for a museum housing the Barjeel Art Foundation’s collection, engaging with cultural identity and architectural expression in a contemporary context.
Third prize was conferred upon UNFORMED Design’s proposal by an international jury, positioning the entry within a diverse field of global submissions and contributing to the architectural discourse around museum typologies and cultural institutions in the Middle East.
September 2019
UNFORMED Design wins international proposal competition in Tianjin (Designboom)
UNFORMED Design was announced as the winner of an international architectural proposal competition for the North Design Union in Tianjin, China, as reported by Designboom.
The competition explored new architectural visions within Tianjin’s evolving urban context, inviting designers to propose forward-looking spatial and formal strategies. UNFORMED’s entry was selected for its conceptual strength and clarity in addressing the brief.
This recognition marked an early international milestone for the practice and reflects a continued engagement with competitions as platforms for architectural research and experimentation.
July 2019
UNFORMED Design awarded 4th Prize in Reviving NPAK competition
UNFORMED Design was awarded 4th Prize in the international “Reviving NPAK” architectural competition, as featured on ArchDaily.
The competition, initiated by the Boghossian Foundation’s urbanlab, invited designers worldwide to propose contemporary strategies for reviving the NPAK cultural centre in Yerevan, Armenia. Projects were evaluated for their social engagement, environmental awareness, and ability to sustain a dialogue with the site’s history and community legacy.
ArchDaily’s coverage highlights the range of international responses and situates UNFORMED Design’s 4th-prize entry within a global context of architectural ideas for cultural renewal and adaptive reuse.
May 2019
UNFORMED Design selected as Top 3 finalist in North Design Union Headquarters Competition (Designverse)
UNFORMED Design was announced as a Top 3 finalist in the international North Design Union Headquarters architecture competition in Tianjin, China. The competition called for forward-looking proposals redefining the headquarters for a design industry union, integrating office, research, and exhibition functions within a flexible and interactive space.
Being among the three finalist schemes positioned UNFORMED’s concept within the shortlist of leading international submissions, connecting the practice to global conversations about innovation in workplace and civic architectural typologies.
December 2018
UNFORMED Design awarded Honorable Prize in Dewan Award for Architecture School in the Iraqi Marshes (Tamayouz Award)
UNFORMED Design was awarded an Honorable Prize in the international Dewan Award for the Architecture School in the Iraqi Marshes competition, as announced by Tamayouz Award.
The Dewan Award invited architects and designers worldwide to develop proposals for an architectural school set within the unique ecological and cultural landscape of the Iraqi Marshes. Entries were evaluated for architectural ingenuity, environmental responsiveness, and engagement with local context.
The Honorable Prize recognizes UNFORMED Design’s contribution to this discourse, highlighting the project within a field of international submissions and affirming the studio’s engagement with socially and ecologically oriented design challenges.
March 2018
UNFORMED Design wins First Prize in The Cyprus Lighthouse competition
UNFORMED Design was awarded First Prize in the international “The Lighthouse” design competition organized by the Cyprus School of Architecture (CySoA). The competition called for conceptual proposals for a new unmanned lighthouse structure on Geroskipou Beach in Paphos, Cyprus, where innovation and formal expression were encouraged within the brief.
The winning entry was selected for its distinctive interpretation of the lighthouse typology, re-imagining a cultural landmark that interacts with its coastal context while exploring new sculptural and spatial qualities.
This recognition marked an early achievement for the practice and contributed to international visibility in global architectural competitions.
October 2017
UNFORMED Design founder wins Michigan Pavilion competition (ArchDaily)
The Michigan Pavilion project, designed by the founder of UNFORMED Design Hassan Elgendy, was published by ArchDaily following its selection as the winning proposal.
The competition explored how architecture could engage community, history, and art through a temporary pavilion structure. The winning design was recognized for its ability to translate local narratives into an expressive architectural form, creating a civic space that encouraged gathering, reflection, and interaction.
ArchDaily’s feature situates the project within a broader discourse on experimental pavilion architecture, marking an early international recognition that contributed to the foundation of UNFORMED Design’s design ethos.
March 2017
El Heiz Water Education Center opens in Egypt (design by Nahed Zmeter, co-founder of UNFORMED Design)
The El Heiz Water Education Center in El Heiz Village, Western Desert, Egypt, officially opened as a regional facility dedicated to water conservation and education. The center was designed by Nahed Zmeter, co-founder of UNFORMED Design, and serves as a space for farmers, students, professionals, and teachers to learn about sustainable water use, reuse, and management.
Operated in collaboration with the Research Institute for a Sustainable Environment (RISE) at the American University in Cairo, the center addresses critical challenges of water scarcity and climate change through workshops, interactive displays, and hands-on educational programs. Since opening, it has hosted numerous visitors and community members in learning activities focused on integrated water solutions.
The project exemplifies an architecture that supports community engagement and environmental education, reinforcing the role of design in responding to ecological and social needs in rural contexts.