The first round of the Riga Philharmonic design competition, which closed on May 10, attracted 38 design entries from European and Asian countries. The first round of the competition will select six designs and invite their authors to participate in the second round. The anonymity of the participants will be preserved until the results of the second round are announced. The second round of applications will have to be submitted within 18 weeks of the call.
Nauris Puntulis, Minister of the Culture: "I am pleased with the interest and involvement of Latvian and international architects in the Riga Philharmonic design competition. The road map for the concert hall is now clearly mapped out, and the first stage - the first round of the design competition - is nearing completion. I have always stressed that the concert hall is one of my highest priorities. The lull that has often been mentioned in the concert hall development project in recent months is only seeming - all parties are actively working to ensure that we have a tender winner this year. Acoustics, functionality and the architectural design of the building are important factors in the creation of a concert hall."
Mārtiņš Staķis, Chairman of Riga City Council: "We are one step closer to a high-level acoustic concert hall in Riga! I am pleased that the Riga Philharmonic design competition has attracted a great deal of interest, as evidenced by the significant number of international entries. Now, the jury, made up of outstanding professionals in their fields, will have an important role to play in selecting the best proposals."
On May 15, the members of the technical jury will start their evaluation work, each evaluating a specific area (traffic management, compliance with the competition programme, compliance with the regulatory framework, acoustics, landscape architecture, urban planning, historic preservation).
From June 8 to 10, the year will be judged by the international design competition jury, which includes: Pēteris Ratas, architect, Head of Riga City Architects Service; Juris Dambis, architect, Head of National Cultural Heritage Administration, member of the National Architecture Council; Liene Griezīte, architect, representative of the Latvian Association of Architects; Indra Purs, landscape architect, board member of the Latvian Association of Landscape Architects; Guntars Ķirsis, board member of VSIA "Latvijas Koncerti"; Rolandas Palekas, architect, representative of the Lithuanian Association of Architects; Katrin Koov, architect, representative of the Estonian Association of Architects; David Cook, architect, member of the German Association of Architects BDA, RIBA representative; Aivar Mäe, conductor, manager, Estonia; Indra Lūkina, director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra; the Jury is chaired by Gatis Didrihsons, architect, member of the Latvian Association of Architects, member of the National Council of Architecture, appointed representative of the Ministry of Culture.
From June 11 to 16, at the Riga Congress Hall for media representatives, students and other interested parties will have the opportunity to see all the submitted designs by prior arrangement (we will inform you about this later).
The total remuneration for the second round of the competition is EUR 240,000, or EUR 30,000 for each of the six applicants. If fewer than six participants are invited to submit a design in the second round of the competition, the jury has the right to divide the total amount of the estimated remuneration among the participants in the second round of the competition in equal shares. The prize fund for the second round of the competition is EUR 60,000: 1. the prize for the first place (winner) is EUR 30,000; the prize for the 2nd place is EUR 20,000; the prize for the 3rd place is EUR 10,000.
The Riga Philharmonic will be the permanent home of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian Radio Choir and the Latvian Radio Big Band, as well as VSIA Latvijas Koncerti.
The maximum contract amount for the design and supervision of the Riga Philharmonic (excluding construction supervision costs) is EUR 3,511,209. The design and supervision contract is expected to be finalised at the end of 2023.
Information was prepared by Solvita Brence-Kauste, External Communication Division Project Coordinator at the of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail address: solvita.brence@riga.lv