Arquivo see off competition from field of 248 entries

Spanish firm Arquivio have won the architectural design contest for a new National Concert Hall in Vilnius, Lithuania. The international competition received widespread interest, with 248 firms taking part from countries as far afield as the US, UK, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, Finland, China and Brazil. The winning concept seeks to integrate the new hall into the unique surrounding parkland environment on the Taurus Hill site. 

The building will contain a great hall with up to 1,700 seats, alongside a smaller hall for 500 people. A spacious lobby will provide views over the city skyline, while providing facilities for a variety of cultural activities. The design concept creates a green corridor by connecting the various elements through the use of an open ground floor. Daniel Fraile, co-founder of Arquivio, stated: “The only constraint in competitions like this is we ourselves as professionals. We take a very responsible look at the entire process, the purpose, the expectations and desires, the deadlines, the correlation of the created model with the city and its environment, its integration into the landscape.”

A former Trade Union building will be demolished to make way for the new structure, which will be accessed through the neighbouring Lutheran Gardens and cemetery complex. The total value of landscaping projects, including EU support, is about €14m, while the construction costs for the hall are estimated to be €52m. Mayor Remigijus Šimašius stated: “I believe that the selected architecture of the building is unique, memorable, inspiring and will become a new sign of the city – sounding, inspiring and reflective of the era.”

The contest was organized in cooperation with the International Union of Architects, the Lithuanian Union of Architects and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. All the competition entries will be exhibited to the public in Taurus Park until the 13th of October.

Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Head of Research

This competition was first published by TenderStream on 27.02.2019 here

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