The competition to design a cultural complex at London's new 'Olympicopolis' site formally opened today, seeking to attract "an exceptional team" of architects, masterplanners, engineers and landscape designers to transform the site next to London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Organizers Malcolm Reading Associates say that the competition has already registered over 960 expressions of interest from firms worldwide before the details were even announced, thanks to their early announcement seeking interested parties in July.
The complex will house outposts for the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, Sadler’s Wells and University of the Arts London. The designs for the complex will also respond to proposals for a new campus for University College London which is planned for an adjacent site, making it "one of the most exciting international developments in arts and culture," according to Director of the V&A Martin Roth.
Read on after the break for more details of the competition
The competition will be a two-stage process, with the jury selecting five finalists from the initial expressions of interest. These five finalists will then complete designs, with the winning team selected in March.
The Jury appointed by London Mayor Boris Johnson consists of:
- Paul Finch, programme director of the World Architecture Festival and editorial director of the Architectural Review and Architects’ Journal
- Neale Coleman, Deputy Chair, London Legacy Development Corporation
- David Edmonds, Chair Investment Committee, London Legacy Development Corporation
- Munira Mirza, Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture
- Martin Roth, Director, Victoria & Albert Museum
- Moira Gemmill, Director of Design, Victoria & Albert Museum
- Alistair Spalding, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Sadler’s Wells
- Nigel Carrington, Provost, University of Arts London
- Amanda Burden, Principal, Bloomberg Associates
- Louisa Hutton, Principal, Sauerbruch Hutton Architects
- Martha Thorpe, Executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
To enter, see the details on the competition website.
