Organized by the Norwegian National Association of Architects, this competition is seeking proposals for a landmark new concert venue at Edvard Grieg’ Place in downtown Bergen.
The “Griegkvartalet” project is part of the planned new cultural quarter development. Five shortlisted teams will receive £48,200 (NOK 600,000) and be invited to participate in the design phase of the competition, which will conclude in November.
According to the brief: ‘Through the Griegkvartalet project, Grieghallen Utbygging AS will establish a new musical theater at Edvard Grieg’s Place. Thus the contracting authority needs to have a multidisciplinary solution proposal prepared by a team of architects and consultants.
The solution proposal prepared in the planning and design competition will be used as the basis for the project in the following work. Moreover, the contracting authority needs to make a post-contract for the architect and consulting services during the project.
Located on Norway’s west coast about 250 km from Oslo, Bergen is the second largest city in the country with 283,929 residents. The latest competition comes nearly two years after a British team including Haptic Architects, Gort Scott, Morris and Company and Turner Works. It won an international competition to the Remasterplan Bergen Laxivog Waterfront area.
Applications for the “Griegkvartalet” competition will be judged on their relationship to the surrounding area, the overall urban environment, architecture and functionality, environmental efficiency and energy use, and feasibility. A feasibility study for the project has already been completed by Rampol.
Three winners will be announced in February or March 2024. Each winner will receive a prize of £8,040 (NOK 100,000) and be invited to negotiate a design and delivery contract.