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The Municipality of Plovdiv (Bulgaria) and One Architecture Week invite worldwide architects to participate in an open international competition for concept design. The competition is to outline the future of the Central Square in Plovdiv—an emblematic location where most of the significant historical periods of the city overlap. A solution for their untroubled co-existence is yet to be found.
The competition is international and anonymous. Eligible for participation are Bulgarian and foreign architects or teams with at least one member who is an architect and in legal capacity to practice architectural design.
The winners will be selected in two stages of evaluation.
Stage 1: The international jury distinguishes 3 finalists
Stage 2: Following a public discussion, the Municipality of Plovdiv selects the final winner among the 3 finalists.
Participation in the competition is free. No preliminary registration is required. Projects should be submitted online via special form on this website which will be accessible between 14 June and 20 June 2014.
The three finalists will receive financial rewards as follows:
First prize: 20 000 BGN (~10 000 EUR)
Second and third prizes: 10 000 BGN (~5 000 EUR)
| 11 April 2014 | Competition announced |
| 11 April–20 June 2014 | Projects development. Questions and answers. The answers to the frequently asked questions will be published here. |
| 14–20 June 2014 | Project submission |
| 21–23 June 2014 | Technical committee |
| 24–27 June 2014 | Expert committee |
| 28–29 June 2014 | International jury meeting. Announcement of the 3 finalists. |
| 30 June–14 July 2014 | Public discussion of the finalists. Final winner selection. |
| 15 July 2014 | Final winner announced. |
Architect Saša Begović, 3HDL, CroatiaSaša Begović graduated in architecture in 1994 in Zagreb. He is one of the founding partners of the acclaimed Croatiаn 3LHD architectural studio. He also teaches at the University of Split, Croatia. Some of the most distinguished projects by 3LHD are the Riva Split Waterfront, Zamet Center, Sports Hall Bale, the Croatiаn pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2010.
Architect Jeroen Zuidgeest, MVRDV, the NetherlandsJeroen Zuidgeest is Project Manager at MVRDV with focus on strategic urban planning. He has been involved with significant design projects all over the world, many of which have required research and urban planning concepts commissioned by state institutions. He also teaches at The Berlage Institute, The Why Factory and other institutes.
Architect Elena Arguirova, Olivier Gahinet Architecture, FranceElena Argurova graduated from the Strassbourg National School of Architecture. She has completed a MA course in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage offered by the schools of architecture in Strassbourg and Belleville, Paris. Since 2009 she is one of the chief architects at Olivier Gahinet Architecture, Paris. She has been on archaeological missions to Delphi, Greece and Petra, Jordan.
Architect Ilko Nikolov, Chairman of the Municipal Council of PlovdivChairman of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria - Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Deputy Chairman of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria, Chairman of the Association for Sustainable Development and Analyses. Chief Architect of Central Region in the period 1993-1996
Architect Roumen Roussev, Chief Architect of the Municipality of PlovdivFormer Chief Architect of Trakia Region, former Deputy Mayor for Urban Development and Construction of the Municipality of Plovdiv.
Architect Ljubo Georgiev, One Architecture WeekLjubo Georgiev studied architecture at the IUAV University of Venice (Italy) and at the Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands). Upon graduating in 2007, he worked for Claus en Kaan Architecten in Amsterdam and for MVRDV in Rotterdam. In 2012 he moved to China to work for Turenscape (Beijing). Curator of Sofia Architecture Week 2011. Director of One Architecture Week since February 2014.
Architect, BulgariaTo be announced
During the evaluation process the international jury will be joined by an expert committee comprising:
Central Square is a difficult place ridden with problems. Most of the historical and architectural layers of the city intersect right here – archaeological excavations, a socialist Party House, a Modernist and later renovated post office, а park from the late 19th century and a number of transport conflicts.
The aim of the competition goes beyond renovation of the square and its adjacent areas. The challenge is to provide a strategy for harmonizing all these layers into an actively functioning, attractive and distinctly contemporary space.
Competition projects should propose:
The package contains all materials necessary to start project development: site plan (DWG file) and competition assignment (PDF file), including the competition program, requirements, drawings, historical overview.
Download competition assignment ZIP, 29 MB
Important: This competition assignment is pending registration as a public contract in accordance with the Public Procurement Law of the Republic of Bulgaria. Therefore there is a chance that the project submission procedure described in this document might be subject to change. All changes shall be announced not later than 14 June. Check for updates on this website or on the Facebook page.
© 2014
The competition assignment and this website have been produced by WhAT Association
upon invitation by the Municipality of Plovdiv and One Architecture Week and are legal property of the Municipality of Plovdiv.
