The open international competition for an architectural concept of public spaces in the heart of Katowice City Center – the Market Square – was decided today in the forenoon. The jury was confront to decide between sixteen projects and finally chose to not award the first prize.
“We did not award the first prize winner as the presented architectural projects do not propose a sufficient and convincing design that would meet expectations of the entire group of jury” – said Michał Buszek, chairman of the jury.
The winning architectural studio was to sign a single-source contract worth PLN 1,6 million and to prepare a complete design documentation including all administrative decisions and permissions enabling to implement the first prize’s project. In view of lack of the winner, the contract will not be granted.
That means the City Hall of Katowice, on behalf of which the competition was conducted, will have to find another solution to push forward the designing works. According to Daniel Muc, a press spokesman of the City Center’s redevelopment, an alternative plan is being working out at present by the City officials. “As the competition did not give any answer how the Market Sq. would look like, the City Hall is working on a legal solution that enables to choose and contract a company which will design and prepare a detailed project of the Market Square’s public spaces. It will take a few weeks because the procedures have to be in accordance with the public procurement law” – he explained.
In the opinion of Michał Buszek, it can not be excluded, that the today’s second award winner (PLN 35 000) – a consortium of two architectural studios from Kaków, GPP Grupa Projektowa and Agencja Projektowa Architektury EKSPO – will be invited to give a facelift of theirs project and to implement it as the final scheme. The corrections to be put in the design were already suggested by the jury today.
There were also three honorable mentions (PLN 11 666 each) that the jury awarded to AiR Jurkowscy, Biuro Projektów Architektonicznych and Riegler Riewe Architekten.
One of the competition assumptions was that the implementation of the architectural project (a construction work) can not exceed PLN 40 million including Value Added Tax.
II prize – GPP Grupa Projektowa and Agencja Projektowa Architektury EKSPO
Honorable mention – AiR Jurkowscy
Honorable mention – Biuro Projektów Architektonicznych
Honorable mention – Riegler Riewe Architekten
