Notre Dame to Get New Landscape Structure: Bas Smets Wins Competitiveness to Reimagine the Cathedral’s Surroundings
Courtesy of Bureau Bas Smets
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In parallel with the restoration will work underway at the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, the metropolis of Paris has introduced a style level of competition to redevelop the cathedral’s surroundings. On June 27, the jury declared the group led by landscape designer Bas Smets as the winner of the level of competition. The challenge, planned to start off in 2024, will reimagine the square and the underground parking spaces beneath it, which includes the archeological crypt, the Jean XXIII square positioned guiding the cathedral, the Seine riverbanks, and the adjacent streets. This intensive task aims to deliver Parisians again to the heart of Paris and welcome the 12 million website visitors coming every 12 months in improved ailments.
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The job made by landscape architect Bas Smets, architect and urban planner GRAU, and Neufville-Gayet as heritage collaborators, provides viewing opportunities toward the cathedral. It reimagines its romance with the river Seine. The sq. in the front of the cathedral is imagined as an open up place surrounded by greenery that highlights the jap façade of Notre Dame. The surrounding trees will give shade for the sitting down locations. At the exact same time, a slim layer of h2o will once in a while trickle down to awesome the forecourt in periods of fantastic warmth, producing ephemeral reflections.
Courtesy of Bureau Bas Smets
For 800 yrs, Notre Dame has been a privileged witness to the city’s transformation. Rethinking its environment usually means to start with questioning which general public areas for the city of tomorrow. The city figures, these types of as the forecourt, sq., alignment, and riverbanks, are all current all-around the cathedral, but in a fragmented way. The challenge reveals the excellent of just about every put and rethinks each of these figures from the double angle of the collective and the local weather. – landscape architect Bas Smets
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Notre Dame Update: Restoration Work Advancements and US Learners Rebuild Just one of Its Roof Trusses Making use of Medieval Procedures
The square at the rear of the cathedral, presently divided by hedges and fences, will turn out to be an enough ongoing public room opening towards the cathedral’s apse. The gardens to the south and the existing trees will be built-in into a large riverside park 400 meters long. A overall of 131 new trees will be planted. The existing underground parking place, positioned below the recent major sq., is proposed to be remodeled into an interior promenade. This will household the Notre Dame reception places of more than 3000 square meters and give access to the archeological crypt and an opening onto the Seine.
Courtesy of Bureau Bas Smets
Comprehensive general public session was carried out from May well to November 2021 concerning the future of the surroundings of Notre Dame. The undertaking is also based mostly on a few strategies of affiliation of citizens, who intervened at diverse levels of development in the advancement of the task: prior session, in which the typical general public was invited, a citizens’ commission, and a higher education of citizens/associations invited as component of the jury. The city of Paris aims to start off building in 2024 and entire it by 2028.
On September 27, 2021, 4 groups ended up chosen to operate on the redevelopment of the environment of the cathedral, following an worldwide session launched in the spring of 2021. The finalists are:
The staff led by Bureau Bas Smets, with architectural and city planner GRAU, and heritage skilled collaborator Neufville-Gayet
The staff led by landscape architect Michel Desvignes Paysagiste, with the agencies Grafton Architects, h2o, and urban planner City Eco
The team led by the architecture agency of Aymeric Antoine and Pierre Dufour, with landscape business office Ateliers jours, and urban planner Auxilia
The team led by urban-landscape designer Jacqueline Osty & associés with architect Bernard Desmoulin and heritage architects Orma Architettura
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A’Design Award and Competition: Meet the 2021-2022 Winners
Xi’an Qujiang Art Center by Xiaoxia Wang – gad. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
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“Good design deserves great recognition”. This statement encapsulates the A’Design Award and Competition, an award for designers, innovators and companies that wish to stand out and attract the attention of the media, editors and buyers. These aspects are especially important in the world of design, where millions of products and projects are launched every year, and often end up being swallowed up and not receiving due recognition. To address this, every year projects are submitted to the A’ Design Award with a focus on innovation, technology, design and creativity. It offers a chance for recognition, with the valuable curatorship of a renowned jury and the possibility of a successful international launch. The A’Design Award contains a series of public relations, advertising and marketing services to celebrate the success of its winners. In addition, and unlike other design awards, it is completely free of charge.
Every year, on April 15, the results are released. In the 2021 and 2022 edition, there were winners from 114 countries in 110 different design subjects. The submissions were carefully evaluated by an internationally recognized jury panel, consisting of established scholars, prominent press members, creative design professionals and experienced entrepreneurs who devoted great care and attention to detail during the voting process. Below, we present some of the winners of the 2021-2022 A ‘Design Award.
Platinum A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Oriental Movie Metropolis Theater Exhibition Hall by Shanxing Gao. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The Oriental Movie Metropolis Theater is an exhibition hall in Qingdao, China. The proposal concept comes from a conch – one of the most ancient marine creatures. Combined with the unique marine culture of Qingdao, the show theatre creates an abstract and dynamic shape with a vertical conch texture. Integrating the artistic design of form as well as the construct of NURBS curves and surfaces, the elegant double shell concept fits well with the function of the theater.
Platinum A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Xi’an Qujiang Art Center by Xiaoxia Wang – gad. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
Facing the height difference between the site and the 10 meter green belt of the road, the landscape design gives a poetic answer. The gentle slope of the urban green belt is built into a silk belt trail, leading the walk in. The walk experience becomes a way of dialogue with the site, and also a more close interaction between the site and the city. The landscape and architectural sequence constitute the designer’s narrative of the space, which naturally triggers the emotion and experience at that moment.
Platinum A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
SZ Int’l Satellite Concourse Airport by GDAD and Aedas. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport Satellite Concourse is a key step in the expansion project of one of the most important aviation hubs in South China. It will support the growing needs of the airport and serve up to 22 million passengers per annum. The signature streamlined elliptical section gives the concourse its unique appearance and spatial character. The layout of the roof skylights bring natural light deep into the heart of the building. The dynamic external facade shading devices vastly reduce heat gain and, in tandem with internal shading systems, contribute significantly to energy saving.
Gold A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Skyboat Cafe and WalkOn Glass by Xin Yuan. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The structure cantilevers 36m over the 613m deep sinkhole. The top is extremely narrow, which can only accommodate a small passageway. Skyboat is proposed to span over the passageway and cantilever out to each side of the mountain ridge. Similar to tumbler toys, it is proposed to lower the structure centre of gravity and utilize the minimum area (10 metres by 30 metres), in which way, the self-balance of the structure is therefore achieved.
Gold A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Haus Am See Residential House by Carlos Zwick Architekten BDA. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The architectural concept of the house pays tribute to the historical roots of the place. Without compromise, it subordinates itself to them without touching their essence. The structure floats above the terraces, respecting their space and form. The large crowns of the ancient oaks and chestnuts take the modern tree house with its restrained wooden facade in their midst.
Gold A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
City Above the Clouds Multifunctional Office by gad. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The thoughts of the architects were to balance life and work. Attract the youth from online to offline to communicate with others and embrace nature and provide a community living space. Four main buildings are stacked on double-storey circular commercial podium buildings respectively to form a central green park. The commercial space on the first floor has multiple entrances connected to the city, creating a vibrant, three-dimensional and open ideal city. The architects integrated the natural environment, hence creating the ideal town for the future.
Gold A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Entry Building to Sberbank Entrance to Headquarters by Evolution Design. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The intervention should link the two towers and create a strong design statement within the narrow space, without compromising daylight into the lower levels of the towers. The architects responded to the ambitious brief with a hyperbolic parabolic form that rises up at either end enclosing the space between the towers. The column free space is covered by a glazed roof that consists of an intricate triangulated structure. The first and second floors are made of concrete slabs, with the middle level designed as a dynamic curved shape that delivers two restaurant terraces facing the front entrance. An oval opening in the core of the building also connects all floors.
Silver A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Espacio Kaab House by Matia Di Frenna Muller. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
Espacio Kaab is a house project for a young couple, where the fundamental requirement was the interaction with the environment and the use of materials visually and conceptually integrated with the natural context, such as stone and earth, giving a modern touch with steel and concrete. The difficult topography of the land gave the opportunity to do a strong and unique character in the area, it is a project with a lot of interesting spaces, beautiful views and environments that blend with nature.
Silver A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
RGB Hotel Homestay by Xiaobing Yao. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The design strategy is, while improving the basic programs and functions, to make the architecture more open and public, capable of serving more people, and blend in the new building equipped with architectural and structural innovation with the surrounding environment and its traditional culture. Although the second floor uses the contemporary architectural system, the material selection echoes the local traditional way. The roof is made of local bark soaked in tung oil, combined with the modern white wall to deduce the beauty of ancient and modern integration.
Silver A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Shanghai Edge Mixed Use Building by Aedas. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
Shanghai EDGE is a prime mixed-use development at the heart of Shanghai, the project revitalizes the old city blocks along Suzhou Creek. As a direct result of the city’s zoning regulations, the building’s shape is divided into four stepping tiers. These setbacks are used to create dramatic rooftop terraces, which serve as leisure areas, informal meeting spaces or event venues. The uplifting movement creates attractive open space that is dedicated to the city, to address the street corner and to create a gateway for the entire river bank development.
Silver A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Pugongshan Geology Museum by Baofeng Li. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
In order to promote the concept of sustainable development, the museum was designed by transforming the kiln head into a viewing platform, and using one of the old kilns as the main entrance of the museum, making the mine, the old gypsum kiln and the new museum an organic whole. The building is constructed by local workers, some of whom are descendants of the lime kilns built in the past, with the most common local technology to build this museum. The building skin is recycled from discarded concrete, with human-scale textured hanging panels, emphasizing the architectural The affinity with people also emphasizes the environmental protection significance of using recycled materials.
Silver A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Rice Wine Town Reception Room Cultural Exhibition by Wei Zhang and Kesuo Wu – gad. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The site is surrounded by a dense water network. In ancient times, it was the waterway of Shaoxing Grain transport, facing the Dashu River in the east, with good landscape conditions. The design makes full use of this advantage, the three-story building volume is stacked and retreated back from south to north, forming a number of roof terraces overlooking the Dashu River, creating more possibilities for the later use of the restaurant. Through the investigation and comparison of various materials, the facade decoration is made of recycled bamboo as the main material of the exterior wall. The bamboo planks are preprocessed into L-shaped members in the factory, which reduces the on-site assembling workload and joint treatment, and improves the construction speed and the accuracy of on-site installation.
Bronze A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Hyangsimjae Clinic by 100A Associates. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
Hyangsimjae Clinic that offers advanced medical services different from conventional hospitals by combining Family medicine and Dermatology. Architects created an atmosphere of private area for healing and cure by limiting simultaneous access and the number of people staying there. Furthermore, they contemplated on the programs for comfort and building intimacy so that a handful of patients can take a full rest by owning and enjoying natural elements such as light during their stay in this place. Exterior design targeted to make a crude and plain appearance in contrast to the chaotic city. This project worked by hand to develop a sense of coarse texture, obtaining artistic presentation. As metals and glass were applied to give an exquisite touch to its rough exterior, this place also reflects urbanism at the same time.
Bronze A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Stone White Villagers Activity Center by Minjie Si and Xianfeng Ye. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The design comes up with the challenge that how to intelligently preserve the original structure and build on the existing traces. A new light-structured white house therefore was designed to rise above the heavy stone walls. The activity center for villagers was built during epidemic time, mainly by the locals through community participatory process with low-tech methods. A balance is achieved between built and preserved, specificity and generality, immediacy and evolutionary instinct. The objective is to build open public infrastructure, by reusing the existing traces and imagining their future development. It’s a matter of reading the richness of a specific context in order to plan new rurality, capable of stimulating both villagers and out comers.
Bronze A’ Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category
Farmer House in Kudara Country Home by Masato Sekiya. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The design was based on the concept of a low-rise volume that would not block the sunlight against the surrounding farmland, taking into consideration the landscape and sunlight, and aiming for harmony with the beautiful paddy fields. As a farmhouse, the challenge was to secure space for cargo handling and aisles, while arranging functions within the limited area and proportions of the house. Therefore, all small functions (storage, TV, piano, refrigerator, washbasin, and workspace) were placed on the west side of the house. The bedrooms, dining room, and other living rooms are dynamically connected through the courtyard to create a practical space.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Office Space by Teodora Panayotova and Max Baklayan. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The space needed to represent every employee of Tavex – modern, bold, and ready to challenge the present day issues with creativity and out of the box thinking. Tavex is a unique place to work at, as is their new HQ; the guiding principle is: “Work and Play – but never mix the two.” Walk through the door, and you are greeted by a 6-meter island bar/kitchen dressed in black marble, tall ceilings, Persian rugs, and evergreen plants. To your right, two mirroring meeting rooms with towering glass walls. Two balcony floors accommodate offices, meeting rooms, and training facilities. Glass walls and custom lights create all the rift necessary.
Iron Ore Center Production Command by Saiwen Liu. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
Daye iron ore has a long exploitation history, for over 1700 years until now. The rest mine resources exploitation age limit is less than 10 years. In order to not make the waste due to the repeated investments, when the central control hall was designed, it was considered its exhibition function, that is to meet the requirements of current enterprise central control operation, and also offer a small-scale museum for the future tourism development. The feeling of time tunnel which is built by the linear lighting would connect the modern times with the past, let the whole central control hall design flavour to be uncopyable and unique.
Fusing with Nature Office Design by DB and B Pte Ltd. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
Drawing insights on collaboration patterns and the needs of different departments, it was planned a diverse range of configurations to suit different group sizes and work settings. This agile design creates a palette of place that encourages people to change postures, move around throughout the day, and be more engaged with their workplace. With a focus on employee wellness and sustainability, the design team sought to create a pleasant work environment with the use of thematic collaboration hubs that evoke the dynamic qualities of nature, bringing the outdoors in to fuse workspace and nature into one.
Jinan Cultural Archives Center Library by Muchuan Xu, Minxi Cai and Xin Yan. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
As a very iconic urban cultural building, the library provides a place for residents to develop a good reading habit, and facilitates them to carry out various social, cultural, entertainment, and sports activities, and builds sharing community. In response to the theme of sharing and the trend of the era, it was started from people’s perception and experience, optimized the sight relationship in the space, placed space nodes, added functional spaces, reorganized people’s social behavior, and promoted the realization of “shared knowledge”.
Joaquim Folding Screen by Pedro Galaso. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
The main goal was to create a piece of furniture that could provide users with various options together with connecting people and nature, a pungent trend during pandemic times. Made of carbon steel and pink peroba, this piece can be used as a dividing screen, bookshelf and mobile vertical garden. This piece covers almost every audience. Joaquim is versatile, carries a strong personality and its functionality is dictated by the way the piece is laid out in the room.
Xizhimen Port Apartment by Zhe Wang. Image Courtesy of A’Design Award and Competition
As a trendy apartment for innovative young people, its appearance needs to jump out of the surrounding old community environment, but can not affect the harmonious coexistence. Inspired by the scenery of the lunar eclipse, the facade is designed with bright colors which bring rich expression. The inside of the window sleeve changes from orange at the top to pale yellow at the bottom, like the color spectrum of the lunar eclipse, and also celebrating Beijing’s golden autumn while the Port Apartment opens in October.
Check out the full list of winners of the 2020-2021 edition, plus all the categories considered in the awards. Registration for next year’s A’ Award Design Award is now open. To sign up and give your work a chance to gain the recognition it deserves, visit to this link.
DeSean James, operator of the Yard Escapes landscaping company, shows the oversized test presented him Wednesday night time as winner of the Demonstrate of Palms organization competition sponsored by Wheeling Heritage.

WHEELING – Yard Escapes mowed down a victory in the Show of Arms small business level of competition Wednesday night time.
Now proprietor DeSean James ideas to use the winnings to order not just 1 even bigger mower, but two of them for his landscaping corporation.
James took home $4,470 immediately after getting the most votes from those people attending Exhibit of Arms, which was structured by Wheeling Heritage. For the duration of the occasion, 4 local business owners current their ideas to start off a enterprise or increase their existing business.
Attendees shell out $5 for a ballot to vote on which presentation they think is most effective worth the financial investment. Winners receive a minimum of $4,000, as well as the cash paid out at the doorway.
The in-human being Show of Hands occasion took position at the Artisan Centre in downtown Wheeling on Wednesday night soon after two a long time of digital competitions.
A Ga native, James advised the group he initially started aiding his contractor father do get the job done when he was just 7 yr old. He has been in the landscaping company for about 20 many years – due to the fact he was just age 16.
James additional he came to Wheeling for “a female,” who is now his spouse.
He does landscape construction and servicing, tree climbing and outdoor kitchens. He also cleans and installs gutters, and will even set in cupboards throughout winter months.
“Landscaping to me is important,” James claimed. “When you occur property from a long working day, you must be capable to appear house, unwind and love a magnificent property. That is what I feel I carry a support to.
“My companies aren’t wanted by all people. But for the folks who really feel they do require my products and services – particularly household – I like them to sense they have the features of a fine resort or anything.”
He mentioned he doesn’t seriously mow grass, but goes properly over and above that.
“We actually upkeep yards,” James said.
James begun Yard Escapes previous yr, and reported the small business is expanding. He now has employees and insurance plan charges to shell out every thirty day period.
James is now seeking to get more effective products, this sort of as a employed 60-inch wander-powering mower he expects to value about $5,000. He has saved some money for the obtain, and he now needs to use the income won at Display of Hands to buy a next smaller utilised mower at about $3,000.
He thanked not just these voting for him Wednesday, but his household and mentors who supported him above the a long time.
James even singled out a competing landscape organization operator, Michael Sneigle of Sneigle Landscaping and Garden Treatment, for allowing him to use some of his tools all through his very first year in company.
Other firms competing in Clearly show of Palms had been Art’s Aged Town Bicycle Repair, The Cheese Soften Bar and Grill and Fortunate Candies 2.





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Comet NeoWise Environment, Marin photographed by Tanmay Sapkal, Mt. Tamalpais, Marin, California, United states
From the outstanding dancing aurora of Iceland to Comet NeoWise hurtling over Mount Tamalpais, the winning shots of the 2021 Intercontinental Landscape Photographer of the Year contest capture a varied and fascinating array of Earth’s topographies and phenomena. The yearly levels of competition is in its eighth year and garnered more than 4,500 entries centered on a range of topic make a difference, such as a mystical wood at Alcornocales Purely natural Park in Cadiz, the fairytale-esque flowers of France’s Vallée de la Clarée, and a wildlife fire in Yosemite Countrywide Park that seems much more like a sunset on the horizon than enormous blaze.
We have integrated our favorites from the 101 winners under, and you can see the entire selection on the contest’s web site. For a further dive into the tales driving the shots, select up a duplicate of the 2021 e-book.
Dancing Queen photographed by Roksolyana Hilevych, Arnarstapi, Iceland
Ghost Cave photographed by José D. Riquelme, Kirkjufell, Iceland
Silvia photographed by David Aguilar, Alcornocales Purely natural Park, Cadiz, Spain
Earth’s Contacting photographed by Pierandrea Folle, Pollino Countrywide Park, Serra delle Ciavole, Italy
Get together in the Valley photographed by Kassem Kalo, Vallée de la Clarée, France
The Cap on the Snowy Mountain photographed by Jana Luo, Tongariro Nationwide Park, New Zealand
Compelled by the Main photographed by Daniel Laan, In the vicinity of Moddergat, the Netherlands
Hearth photographed by Marcin Zajac, Yosemite Countrywide Park, United states of america
Primeval Arch and Columns photographed by Simon Xu, Mono Lake, Lee Vining, California, United states
Born of Fireplace photographed by Filip Hrebenda, Fagradalsfjall place, Iceland
Long To Be photographed by Kai Hornung, Highlands, Iceland
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Kengo Kuma Wins Competition to Design the New Kamal Theatre
First Place. Image Courtesy of Galiasgar Kamal Tatarian State Academic Theatre
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The Open International Competition for the Development of an Architectural Concept for the Galiasgar Kamal Tatarian State Academic Theatre has announced its results. The consortium including Kengo Kuma & Associates was granted the first place, while the second place went to a proposal led by Asif Kahn Studio and the third place to Coop Himmelb(l)au and his team.
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Scheduled to be implemented in 2025, the winning proposal imagined by Kengo Kuma & Associates, Werner Sobek AG, Wowhaus bureau, and the Personal creative workshop of architect Bakulin German Alekseevich will create a new space for the Galiasgar Kamal Theatre, one of the region’s oldest Tatar national theatre. Located in Kazan, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, the Galiasgar Kamal Theatre is characterized by its “interpretations of the Tatar art, its rich repertoire, and the use of different techniques and Tatar language”.
Aligned with the main purpose of the competition, which is to use “architectural language to express the part of the national culture that has been cherished and interpreted by the theatre company for decades”, the winning proposal put in place a project inspired by the rare natural phenomenon of “ice flowers” present on the Kaban Lake. Transformed into a landmark, another attraction for the city, the building connects to the unique surrounding ecosystem and to the center of vivid urban life. The intervention will take on three halls: main, universal, and eastern, as well as creative and educational laboratories, a public area, and rehearsal and administrative spaces.
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Kengo Kuma & Associates and Ingarden & Ewý Architects Merge Cinematography and Architecture for the CAMERIMAGE Film Festival Competition
Held in two stages, the open competition attracted 87 companies from 14 countries. 537 architects from across the world submitted their applications to the competition. The second stage held in October 2021 defined eight finalist consortia.
Read on to discover the three winning concepts with their respective brief descriptions.
1st place
Kengo Kuma & Associates, Werner Sobek, Wowhaus Bureau, and Personal creative workshop of architect Bakulin German Alekseevich
First Place. Image Courtesy of Galiasgar Kamal Tatarian State Academic Theatre
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The geometry of the new theatre is inspired by a rare natural phenomenon: “ice flowers” on the Kaban Lake. In winter, the building’s volume will merge with the surroundings and become part of the lake. In summer the unity with the landscape will be achieved through the multifaceted reflections of the transparent facades on water. The “pointedness” and aspiration are characteristic features of Tatar culture, architecture, and art.
The new building is conceived as part of the topography of the place, as a park with pedestrian routes and recreational areas integrated into and picking up from the existing waterfront improvements. A form inspired by the Tartar soul itself: sharp/closed on the outside and soft/hospitable inside. The lighting concept is to light up the warm inner space of the foyer and gradually dissolve the light with the triangular panels of the façade. The brightly ornamented paneling in the interior refers to traditional Tatar crafts creating a welcoming atmosphere.
The foyer, devised as an ‘urban living room’ visually connects the city and the lake. Entrances from all sides of the building draw pathways for visitors naturally providing at the same time light and ventilation. The concept builds a comfortable environment and convenient navigation for all theatre workers: a spacious floor for artists and administration, and comfortable accommodation for all workshops. The underground floor area is minimized in order to facilitate access and maintenance and to reduce construction and operating costs.
2nd place
Asif Khan Studio, Charcoalblue, AKTII, Atelier Ten, and Bespoke
Second Place. Image Courtesy of Galiasgar Kamal Tatarian State Academic Theatre
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The look of the new facades is a reference to the complex, multi-layered cultural context of the Kamal Theatre. There are pieces of paper here — formerly handwritten texts of scripts for theatrical productions, now a perfect background to intensify the colors of nature. The silhouette of brick facades hides not only the image of the Kazan Kremlin and its white stone walls but also the aesthetics of both Sufi philosophy and Soviet modernism, which strives for purity of form. Not a direct quote, but a call to discover.
The building does not suppress the existing landscape but becomes a part of the shore of Nizhny Kaban Lake. All facades of the theater are equally important, as are the different worldviews, languages, cultural layers, and traditions within Tatar society. The only part that rises above the facades is the vertical cubic capacity of the stage box, representing a symbolic axis, the city’s cultural life.
Panoramic glazing helps include the interior into urban views, making them even more eye-catching. The arched windows of the new theater resemble the silhouette of the old theater, which can be seen in the distance. So a strong connection between the past and the future can be felt. The large carved entrance door is another homage and reference to the ancient wooden architecture of the Tatar people.
3rd place
Coop Himmelb(l)au Wolf D. Prix & Partners, Metropolis and Miriada Group
Third Place. Image Courtesy of Galiasgar Kamal Tatarian State Academic Theatre
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The new Galiasgar Kamal Tatar State Academic Theatre embodies an open, consciously outwardly unstable architecture and thus reflects the idea of democracy. While the theater is aesthetically considered as a functional monument, the building itself is not just a solid structure. It is, rather, an open space, receptive to both its surroundings and the possibilities around it.
The conceptual design of the new theater is dedicated to all visitors and to the citizens of Kazan. The new Kamal Theatre is not only a theater venue but also a new public space that embodies architecture beyond its material incarnation. On the one hand, the theater exists in balance with the forces of nature, such as the sun, wind, water, and soil, while on the other hand, it is deeply rooted in local traditions and culture, thus becoming an ecologically oriented building and a place of cultural development.
The building and site, located between the city and the shore of Lake Kaban, can connect citizens with this natural landscape, becoming a new point of attraction. Infrastructural development and the creation of new connecting hubs will help develop the theater site, which will become a vibrant public space as well as a new tourist attraction for the city.