Downtown cultural centre Architecture Competition

In Estonian

Tartu city government in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Architects will organize the international architecture competition for the Tartu downtown cultural centre. Architects from all over the world are invited to design one of the most important future cultural spaces in the second biggest city of Estonia, in the very heart of university town Tartu.

The purpose of the competition is to find the best architectural design for the building and outdoor space of the cultural centre, which suits the given location and milieu the most and creates a whole with the urban space along the river Emajõgi.

Participants are invited to design a building for city library, art museum, event centre with multifunctional black-box and other activities supporting the cultural centre with a biologically diverse and active park and human scale public space.

News

• January 2, 2023: The architecture competition was announced. Press release.
• January 16, 2023: Opening seminar of the architecture competition, where the competition's objectives and conditions were presented.
  • Recordings: Watch the broadcast I Photos by Mana Kaasik
  • Presentations: Tartu Public Library I Tartu Art Museum I City Architect I Architecture competition
• May 5, 2023: Submission deadline of the architecture competition. 105 entries were submitted. Press release.

Important goals of the architectural solution:

• Good fit into the urban space and the integrity of the surrounding public space, including a coherent mobility and landscape architecture solution.
• Outstanding quality, freshness and innovation.
• Functional, user-friendly architecture that meets the requirements of the competition task.
• Energy efficiency and adaptive to climate change, environmental sustainability and biodiversity.
• Expediency, construction economic efficiency and minimal costs during the life cycle of the object (construction and maintenance).

Open one-stage competition to all professional teams of architects entitled to practice in their country of residence.

Participation is open to architects whose place of residence is in Estonia, Member State of the European Union, contracting state of the European Economic Area or in a country that has acceded to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).

Please look at the document „Rules of design contest“ p. 4:
Any undertaking (hereinafter the participant) that is situated in Estonia, another EU Member State, EEA Contracting State, or a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), as well as consortia made up of the above persons (hereinafter jointly and individually the joint participant), can participate in the contest.

There is meant that participant = company and its location has to be Estonia, another EU Member State, EEA Contracting State (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway), or a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). You can find the list of the last mentioned states here - https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/memobs_e.htm As India/Turkey etc. are observer, it is unfortunately not possible.

• Urmas Klaas, mayor of Tartu, jury chair
• Kristina Pai, director of Tartu public library
• Joanna Hoffmann, director of Tartu art museum
• Priit Metsjärv, Tartu city government, head of construction service
• Tõnis Arjus, Tartu city architect
• Enrique Sobejano, architect, Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, Spain
• Lina Ghotmeh, architect, Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture, France
• Tõnu Laigu, architect, QP Arhitektid, Estonia
• Martin Allik, landscape architect, MARELD landskapsarkitekter, Estonia/Sweden

Backup member:

• Veronika Valk-Siska, Estonian Association of Architects

• Cultural heritage – Egle Tamm
• Museum – Nele Ambos
• Library – Ülo Treikelder ja Katre Riisalu
• Accessibility – Jüri Järve and Villu Urban
• Cultural centre – Rain Raabel
• Ecology and biodiversity – Aveliina Helm and Mart Meriste
• Construction budget – Marko Potsepp
• CO₂ footprint and energy efficiency – Kimmo Sakari Lylykangas, Targo Kalamees and Anni Oviir
• Construction structures – Ivo Roolaht
• Fire safety – Kajar Laus (Rovalis OÜ)
• Multifunctional building expert - Dirk Nijdam (Forum Groningen, Director)

• 02.01.2023 Competition launch
• 05.05.2023 Submission deadline

• First prize 60 000 Euros
• Second prize 40 000 Euros
• Third prize 20 000 Euros
• Three special rewards each 10 000 Euros

All competition material can be downloaded from the Estonian Public Procurement Register.

Participation documents and design proposal must be submitted both electronically via the Public Procurement Register and in paper form durign the same term.