ABSTRACT | This paper analyses the design and development of a novel museum proposal over several competition stages by the Laboratory for Explorative Architecture & Design Ltd. (LEAD). The work was conducted in the context of a multi-stage open competition in which the proposal was the third place award winner. Using jury’s evaluation reports the paper assesses the reasons for it being shortlisted for phase 2 and discusses the design changes that were implemented in response to the received score in phase 1. In parallel the international design community’s response to the competition itself is scrutinized. This study presents the challenges and opportunities presented by the project’s thesis, which states that generic design can be avoided and replaced with distinctive, innovative, and locally grounded outcomes when universally applicable digital design tools, geometries and structural principles are merged with local singularities. The paper concludes with possible ways forward for implementation of the design thesis in future competitions.