Results of the meeting of the Jury Members of the 1st Stage of the “Re-think Athens” Competition
It was unanimously decided that nine proposals qualify for the next stage of the Competition
After two days of long meetings, the jury members of the first stage of the Rethink Athens Competition have selected the proposals that qualify for the next and final stage of the European Architectural Competition for the reconstruction of Athens City Centre, along the axis of Panepistimiou Street. The decisions of the jury will pleasantly surprise the audience as they reflect the quality and great interest of the proposals submitted to the Onassis Foundation that organizes and funds the competition.
Specifically, the jury members have unanimously qualified nine (9) proposals to the next and final stage, instead of three (3) to eight (8) proposals that they initially planned because of a tie between two proposals; according to the terms of the competition they were both accepted. Furthermore, they have selected one (1) additional utopian proposal, which will be announced and presented upon the completion of the competition. Each of the nine proposals will receive an honorarium of 25,000 Euros, whereas the utopian proposal shall receive an honorary award of 10,000 Euros (it is noted that the latter does not qualify for the next stage of the competition). The members of the jury of the first stage of the competition have expressed their satisfaction regarding the proposals they reviewed and the dynamics they can confer to the Athens City Centre, in terms of development, environment, urbanism and society.
Ms. Marianna Moschou, Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Onassis Foundation and member of the jury stated that “The selection of the first stage was successfully completed with 9 proposals qualifying to the second stage. Our distinguished jury members with an extensive experience in similar projects worldwide with specific and viable solutions, are supporting us in undertaking this important task”.
The jury has also decided to reward three (3) additional proposals with the amount of 5,000 Euros each, as they expressed interesting point of views that could be used in the future development of the project.
The conclusions of the meeting of the jury members will be recorded and edited in the following days, so that the announcement of the second and final stage of Rethink Athens can be made in November. This announcement will include additional information and suggestions to the candidates, based on the new information that has arisen. On October 19th the participants of the first stage of the competition will be notified through the competition’s website at www.rethinkathenscompetition.org whether they have qualified for the second stage of the competition (Concept Drawings Competition). The final purpose of this inspired project is to reconstruct the Athens City Centre, in such a way that it favours both entrepreneurship and residence.
Anthony Vidler, the Chairman of the 1st Stage Jury, declares that, “Rethink Athens is both innovative and optimistic; Innovative because it is a call for the creation of a wide range of urban and environmental ideas for the rejuvenation of the Athens City Centre, which is currently partly abandoned; Optimistic, because in this period of deep recession and lack of development, it aspires to create better life conditions in the heart of Athens, which is the metropolis and the capital of the country. The exceptional procedures of the competition favour the participation of international, national and local candidates, in order to face complex social, architectural and urban planning problems in the area, ensuring the widest possible range of public discussion on the matter. The participation of experts from Greece and abroad in the first stage jury broadens the entire procedure, allowing for the comparison between the special circumstances in Athens to other similar urban development projects.”
We would like to remind you that the Members of the Jury of the First Stage of the Competition responsible for the decisions were:
- Αnthony Vidler, CHAIRMAN OF THE 1ST STAGE JURY - Dean & Professor of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, Cooper Union School of Architecture, New York City, USA.
- EranBen-Joseph, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Head, Joint Program in City Design and Development MIT, USA.
- Alfredo Brillembοurg, Architect, Guest Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture & Planning at Columbia University, Co-founder of the Sustainable Living Urban Model Laboratory at Columbia University, USA.
- Yannis Evmolpidis, Urban Planner, Special advisor of the Mayor of Athens in urban planning and regeneration.
- Marianna Moschou, Secretary of the Board, Onassis Foundation.
- Konstantinos Moraitis, Architect, Assoc. Professor at the School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
- Richard Plunz, Director, Urban Design Program, Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, Columbia University, USA.
- Charles Waldheim, John E. Irving Professor and Chair Department of Landscape Architecture Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
- Vana Xenou, Professor, Department of Architecture, Painting Workshop, NTUA, Greece.
