Architectural design competitions
Notable constructions (that are part of WHS) where the architectural design was chosen after a competition.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Brasilia | Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer won a competition to design the new city in 1956 | |
| Canterbury | William of Sens won the competition for a master mason to rebuild the burnt-out church in a gothic manner in the 1170s (Wells, Heaven on Earth p165). | |
| Central University City Campus of the UNAM | The master plan for the campus was the result of an architectural competition, in which architects Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral were awarded (Unesco website) | |
| Florence | Brunelleschi won the competition for erecting the dome of the cathedral in 1418. The competition to design the new façade of the cathedral was won by Emilio De Fabris in 1864. | |
| Kazan Kremlin | "A special case in the Kremlin complex is the mosque of Koul Charif. There is no exact information about the original mosque, destroyed when the city was captured by Ivan the Terrible in 1552. The mosque can therefore be seen as a new building. The project for construction of a mosque was chosen at the architectural competition founded by the government. The approved project adheres to traditional vision of the spatial concept and decor; however, modern materials and structural systems are applied." (Official description) | |
| Paris, Banks of the Seine | Eiffel Tower: "A budget for the exposition was passed and, on 1 May, Lockroy announced an alteration to the terms of the open competition being held for a centrepiece to the exposition, which effectively made the selection of Eiffel's design a foregone conclusion, as entries had to include a study for a 300 m (980 ft) four-sided metal tower on the Champ de Mars. (A 300-metre tower was then considered a herculean engineering effort.) On 12 May, a commission was set up to examine Eiffel's scheme and its rivals, which, a month later, decided that all the proposals except Eiffel's were either impractical or lacking in details." (wiki) | |
| Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro | Hall of Realms : "The Prado Museum acquired the vacant building to display part of its collections and made its renovation the subject of an architectural competition. The brief was to redesign the space as part of the campus of the art museum for its 200th anniversary. It was won in 2016 by a scheme from the British firm Foster and Partners and the Spanish firm Rubio Arquitectura" | |
| Residence of Bukovinian & Dalmatian Metropolitans | "In 1860, the Religious Affairs Ministry issued a decree announcing a contest to select an architect for a new episcopal residence. The Czech architect Josef Hlávka was selected to develop the project." (wiki) | |
| Rome | De Sanctis won a competition to design the Spanish Steps in 1717. | |
| Skogskyrkogarden | "In 1912, Stockholm City Council acquired a tract of former gravel pits overgrown with pine trees for the purpose of creating a new cemetery. An international architectural competition for its design was won by two 30 year old Swedish architects, Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz. Work began in 1917 and the formal consecration of Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) and its Woodland Chapel took place in 1920." (Official description) | |
| Sydney Opera House | Utzon won a competition to design the opera in 1957. | |
| Town Hall and Roland, Bremen | "The New Town Hall was the result of an architectural competition, designed by Gabriel von Seidl from Munich, and built between 1909 and 1913." (Official description) | |
| Westminster | Westminster Palace - Charles Barry won competition for reconstruction in 1836. | |
| White City of Tel-Aviv | Dizengoff Circus - 1934. "Won" (actually she was placed 2nd and no 1st prize was awarded!) by Genia Averbuch. Nom File Page 65 - also |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Architectural design competitions?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source