[AC-CA] has shared the results of the London Olympic Games Information Pavilion International Competition. This idea’s competition was hosted to generate progressive contemporary design solutions and promote architecture experimentation, specuation and discussion. The site of the competition was Trafalgar Square in the heart of London. The ten winning entries were selected out of a total of 164 proposals that were submitted from all over the world.
Read on for a closer look at the selected entries after the break.
The winning entry, submitted by Jose Carlos Cruz, Ines Guedes, Miguel Santos and Antonio Cruz of Porto, Portugal was chosen for its elegence and relevance to the subject of the competition. Although it might seem quite literal, it is a project that lends great potential to the architecture below the ‘rings’: curving spaces with intriguing opportunities for natural light and views. The proposal shows great spatial awareness and an understanding of the significance of the space that the form of the architecture creates around it. The jury commended the proposal for its clear ideas of interlinking and harmonious relationships to the site and its use of recycled metal. The curvature of the forms creates no identifiable back or front for the pavilion, opening it up completely to the Trafalgar Square and inviting visitors to enter from all sides.
Second prize was awared to OH!SOM Architects from Marseille, France which included Stephanie Durniak, Marie Fade and Baptiste Franceschi. This design was chosen for its poetic and ambitious proposals that utilized contemporary digital technologies. The design captures the festive atmosphere of the games and gives the event an image of an iconic space, transforming it with the creation of a new free-floating roof-like bubble around the square. It captures the spirit of the games and projects the visual imagery of the games around the Trafalgar Square, readable by everyone.
The third prize was awarded to Matthew Clare and Rob Duncan of Dowling Duncan & WN Design from San Francisco, USA. The clear concept and strong idea of this design was positively accepted by the judges for its strong imagery and clever use of elements associated with the Olympic Games such as the running track. The push for an un-obstructive and transparent view to other structures around the square makes it particularly intriguing.
The honorable mentions of this competition are:
Vlado Hrivnak, Miroslav Gabriel Sedlak, Marta Bimova, Iveta Kollarikova of Kurtis and Partners Country: Czech Republic // Team Type: Architect
Yashido Yoshida, Masafumi Yanada Country: Japan // Team Type: Architect
Sang-Uk Park, Heeyun Bang Country: South Korea // Team Type: Student/Architect
Nuno Fontarra Country: Netherlands // Team Type: Architect
Lee Dongsub, Park Jinyoung, Choi Heonyoung Country: South Korea // Team Type: Student
Shahram Agaajani, Thierry Cruchten, Serge Schitgen, Matthieu Ristic Country: Luxembourg // Team Type: Architect
Sachin Bhoite, Chintan Raveshia, Ahmad Harun Country: United Kingdom // Team Type: Architect
The winners of the London Olympic Games Information Pavilion were selected by a jury of three: Matthew Lloyd, Architect (British); Brigitte Lodolini, Architect/Lecturer (French); and Juan Carlos Sanchez Rodriguez, Architect (Columbian) along with an [AC-CA] consultant overseeing each stage of the judging process. Entries were evaluated on five main criteria: intelligent and appropriate use of design principles, use of space and percieved traffic flow within the space, design’s aesthetics and originality, the use of sustainable materials and clarity and comprehensibility of the design.
