Although 236 teams or individual participants registered, in the end 158 projects were submitted to the competition for the remodeling of the Plaza de El Almacén. A figure that has broken the record in all the competitions convened by Rethinking Competitions, the international platform specialized in architecture competitions to which the Cabildo of Lanzarote commissioned this new public call.
The 158 projects submitted have come from 63 different countries, including Spain, Portugal, Holland, United Kingdom, USA, Turkey, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
"We are very happy and satisfied with such high participation. Now we can only trust that the winning project chosen by the jury will live up to the expectations that the competition itself has generated. We are sure that it will meet our objectives of turning the Plaza de El Almacén into a new green lung and a space for cultural revitalization of the island's capital", said the Councilor for Culture of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Óscar Pérez, after learning the data.
The competition, which was convened under the name of Lanzarote Dynamic Square, has a material execution budget of 350,000 euros, and its objectives include enabling this space of more than 1,000 m² of Arrecife to transform it into an "urban point of culture and social gathering".
Sustainability, energy efficiency and versatility
As determined by its bases, the winning project must take into account the possible activities to be carried out in this space, including outdoor cultural activities (film screenings, concerts, etc.), removable outdoor markets, temporary art exhibitions, bar or terrace installations, videomapping, network connections, etc.
The competition jury must assess characteristics such as sustainability and energy efficiency, environmental protection, treatment of facades of surrounding buildings, shade elements and the inclusion of vegetation, accessibility for people with reduced mobility, routes for loading and unloading material or versatility for the different planned uses, among other aspects.
Amount of the prizes
The first prize will be awarded 6,000 euros, the second prize 4,000 euros and the third prize 2,000 euros. The team that is awarded the first prize will be obliged by the prize to carry out the corresponding execution project that completes the basic project delivered within a maximum period of six (6) months from the signing of the corresponding contract with the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
The result of the competition will be known around the second half of May. The Jury is composed of: Antonio Cárdenas (Engineer of the Cabildo of Lanzarote); Javier López Rivera (ACTA Studio. Professor of Architectural Projects at the ETSAS); Javier Terrados Cepeda (Javier Terrados Studio. Professor of Architectural Projects at the ETSAS); José Carlos Márquez (Coordinator of the Culture Area); and Juan Palop Casado (Urban Architect. Professor of Urban Planning at the ETSA Las Palmas de Gran Canaria).
