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Latvian Museum of Modern Art

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©Adjaye Associates (UK) with AB3D Images courtesy Malcolm Reading Consultants.

Poland and the Baltic states have been playing cultural catch-up with the rest of the world ever since the former gained their independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1989. These have included several high-profile competitions for museums in Poland, but also interesting projects in Estonia. Now Latvia and Lithuania are saying that they too should also have modern art museums on par with those in western Europe and Scandinavia. In Latvia, a movement to establish a modern art museum dates back to the early decade of the 21st century. It was then in 2005 that the ABLV Charitable Foundation, established by a local bank, provided endowment funds for purchasing modern art for a museum. They were joined in the museum project by The Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation, which was founded with the purpose of promoting culture.


Finland has always had close times culturally to the Baltic States, especially to Estonia, and the recent Guggenheim competition there could hardly have gone unnoticed by its southern neighbors. So it should come as no surprise that the Latvian sponsors engaged Malcolm Reading Consultants, the Guggenheim competition adviser, to organize their competition for the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art in the nation’s capital, Riga. Contrary to the Guggenheim competition, this time the finalists were the result of a closed shortlisting process.
They were:

  • Adjaye Associates (UK) with AB3D
  • Architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki (Finland) with MADE Arhitekti
  • Caruso St John Architects (UK) with Jaunromāns un Ābele
  • Henning Larsen Architects (Denmark) with MARK Arhitekti
  • Neutelings Riedijk Architects (Netherlands)
  • Sauerbruch Hutton (Germany) with Arhitekts Ingurds Lazdiņš
  • wHY Architecture (US) with Outofbox and ALPS

 

All of the shortlisted teams had at least some museum experience, and those having somewhat less exposure in this area could point to their expertise in a number of projects relating to the arts. Some had made their mark lately, most notably wHY architecture (US) and Lahdelma & Mahlamäki (Finnland), the latter having won the prestigious open competition for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. With the exception of Neutelings Riedijk Architects, all of the finalists included at least one local Latvian firm on their team. The ultimate competition winner, Adjaye Associates (UK), could bask in the huge amount of publicity generated by the September 2016 opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the Mall in Washington D.C.


The competition in many ways resembled a linear exercise, mainly dictated by the site and program. In the end, Adjaye Associates very straightforward, logical approach to the program won the day for the London firm. Although there were not enough jury comments to suggest how the other finalist team(s) were ranked, only one, Sauerbruch Hutton, was given a “mention’, although it was not to be considered as a ranking.

The museum will be built as part of New Hanza City, a new district at a former railway goods station in a northern district of Riga. Comprising 24.5 hectares, the development also will inclulde offices, apartments, a hotel, a nursery school and a public garden.

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Open Competitions

United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Competition

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Sponsors: Dept. for Communities and Local Government; UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation
Professional Adviser: Malcolm Reading Consultants
Type: Open, EOI, international, two-stage (No design is required for the first (EOI) stage.)
Eligibility: Seasoned practices are encouraged to combine with emerging talent. The teams should be structured under a lead consultant, who is an architect, identified within the submission.
Budget: £40M
Location: Adjacent to the Palace of Westminster in Victoria Tower Gardens, London
Fee: none
Timetable:

  • 17 October (14:00 BST) EOI Deadline
  • Early November Shortlist Announced
  • Mid-January Tender Deadline
  • Late January Exhibition Opens
  • Spring 2017 Jury Interviews
  • Summer 2017 Winner announced

Jury: TBD

Design Challenge
The design challenge is to create an outstanding and sensitively-designed Memorial and Learning Centre that is emotionally powerful while offering visitors an opportunity to deepen their understanding of humanity’s darkest hour. For some survivors – and those whose lives were affected by the Holocaust – survival stories can reveal glimmers of hope about human nature; for others, to perceive this moment in history as anything but unbearable is to compromise the Holocaust’s implacability.

For more information, go to:
https://competitions.malcolmreading.co.uk/holocaustmemorial/

All enquiries should be addressed to:
Jayne Broomhall

holocaustmemorial@malcolmreading.co.uk
+ 44 (0)20 7831 2998

Lamborghini Road Monuments

Sponsor: Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
Organizer: Young Architects Competitions (YAC)
Type: Open, one-stage, international
Timetable/Fees:
75€ +22% VAT – by 2 October 2016 (Standard Registration)
150€ +22% VAT – 3 to 31 October 2016 (Late Registration)
2 November 2016 – Deadline for Submissions
Prizes:
1st prize – 12,000€ + Construction
2nd prize – 4,000€
3rd prize – 2,000€
Hon Mentions (2) – 1,000€

Jury
• Patrik Schumacher – Zaha Hadid Architects
• Fabio Novembre – Studio Novembre
• Yama Karim – Studio Libeskind
• Nicola Scaranaro – Foster + Partners
• Giuseppe Cappochin – C.N.A.P.P.C
• Annalisa Trentin – UNIBO
• Stefano Domenicali – Automobili Lamborghini
• Franceco Dal Co – Casabella

Design Challenge
How to reflect the character and the values of one of the most renowned and valued brand of the international scenario in an architectonic installation?This is about designing two architectonic landmarks aimed at marking the entrances of Sant’Agata Bolognese and its plant. The two landmarks are to celebrate the legend and sculpt in form the history of speed, power and innovation. Aimed at creating an internationally known intervention, Lamborghini Road Monument will soon mark contemporary architecture significantly. Moreover, it will give the opportunity to value the talent of the designers working for the House of the Bull, which is one of the most prestigious and renowned brands in the world.

For more information, go to:
http://www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com/competition

New Cyprus Museum Competition

Sponsor: Government of Cyprus
Type: International, restricted (EOI), two-stage
Fee: none

Language: English
Eligibility: Licensed architects
Contract value: 410,000€
Timetable:

9 January 2017 – RfQ deadline
23 January 2017 – Deadline for dispatch of invitations
Jury:
• Mr. Alecos Michaelides
• Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou
• Sir Peter Cook
• Mr. Elias Zenghelis
• Mr. Michael Papageorgiou
• Ms. Elena Sofianou
• Ms. Athina Papadopoulou
• Mr. Angelos Ktorides
• Mr. Gregoris Patsalosavvis


For more information:
Public Works Department
165 Strovolos Avenue
For the attention of: Elena Kyriakou Georgiou
2048 Nicosia
Cyprus
Telephone: +357 22806715
E-mail: egeorgiou@pwd.mcw.gov.cy
Fax: +357 22498937

Website: https://www.eprocurement.gov.cy/ceproc/cft/prepareViewCfTWS.do?resourceId=1707321
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to:
Building of the Audit Office of the Republic of Cyprus
6 Deligiorgis Street
1406 Nicosia
Cyprus