The competition seeks conceptual proposals for a landmark new cultural complex featuring a new home for Montenegro’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Natural History Museum, House of Architecture, and Park of Culture and Art.
The project – backed by Montenegro’s Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism – will transform the 81,500m² watefront site of the former Morača military barracks close to Podgorica’s landmark Millennium Bridge (pictured).
The anonymous competition is the latest in a series of contests held by the ministry in recent years – including a recent open call for a new accident and emergency department next to Podgorica’s Brutalist-style Clinical Centre of Montenegro complex.
Unlike previous the competitions however the international firms Sou Fujimoto of Tokyo, Junya Ishigami of Tokyo, Diller Scofidio + Renfro of New York, Snøhetta of Oslo and Henning Larsen from Copenhagen have all been pre-invited to apply. The overall winner will receive a €100,000 top prize and the design contract is valued at around €1.5 million.
According to the brief: ‘The site is situated within the former Morača military barracks and occupies central position in the capital city. Therefore, it is extremely important to valorise this area by creating new spatial content and a zone that will become a cultural centre of the city.
‘The objective of the competition is to select a competition solution that will provide the highest quality proposals for urban design of the space, with a conceptual architectural design of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Natural History Museum, House of Architecture and the Park of Culture and Art.
‘Other cultural content should be developed from a master plan perspective and an architectural design should be elaborated. Additionally, participants are expected to offer a solution that, through its representatives, design and materialization, contributes to the transformation of the visual identity of both the immediate and wider urban centre.’
Podgorica – formerly named Titograd after the Yugoslavian communist statesman Josip Broz Tito – is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. It is located at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and was heavily reconstructed following significant destruction during the Second World War.
The latest competition comes two years after Podgorica launched an open international contest to upgrade Golootočkih žrtava Square. In 2020, the city launched a separate competition to transform the banks of the River Morača into a new safe, comfortable and sustainable recreational zone with better connections to the surrounding historic city.
Alongside the new cultural complex feauring a 10,000m² Museum of Contemporary Art, a 5,000m² Natural History Museum and a 2,000m² House of Architecture – the project will also deliver new 10,000m² botanical garden and Park of Culture and Art with landscaped spaces and recreational facilities along the riverfront.
Teams participating in the contest must include a landscape architect and must also have won at least one award in an international architecture competition for a public facility such as a museum, theatre, opera house, cultural centre, educational facility, healthcare centre or civic space.
Judges will include Decq; Vladan Stevović, chief state architect in the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism; Vladislav Šćepanović, director of the Museum of Contemporary art of Montenegro; Dominique Perrault of Dominique Perrault Architecture; Maurizio Meossi from Zaha Hadid Architects; Robert Schmitz of White Arkitekter; and Mike Wood from studio ARUP.
The overall winner – to be announced on 26 March– will receive a €100,000 top prize while a second prize of €50,000, third prize of €26,000 and three honourable mentions worth €8,000 each will also be awarded.
Competition details
Project title Competition For Conceptual architectural design of the Museum of contemporary art, Natural history museum and Park of Arts & Culture with associated cultural facilities
Client Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism of Montenegro
Contract value Tbc
First round deadline 25 December 2023
Restrictions Persons who have their residence or registered office in the territory of Montenegro may participate in the competition, as well as the persons with residence or registered office in the territory of another country. At least one of the authors of the competition entry (an individual or the leader of the author’s team) is a responsible person of the architectural profession (licensed architect). At least one member of the authoring team must have received an award in an international architectural competition for a public facility (museum, theatre, opera house, cultural centre, educational facility, healthcare facility, public administrative facility, etc.)
More information https://www.architecturalcompetitions.me/en/detaljno/competition-for-conceptual-architectural-design-of-the-museum-of-contemporary-art-natural-history-museum-and-park-of-arts-culture-with-associated-cultural-facilities