Top architecture firms take part in competition in Iași

Leading architecture firms are taking part in the competition launched by developer Iulius in Iași, in eastern Romania, to build an architectural landmark for the city, the company announced.

Iulius plans to develop a landmark complex in the Sf. Andrei–Palace of Culture Square area of Iași, a complex “designed to observe the architectural values of the city, while also adopting a contemporary approach.”

The solutions will be proposed by Foster+Partners, MVRDV, UNStudio and Zaha Hadid Architects, Iulius said.

The competition theme was developed by also drawing on how Iași residents see the future development of the city, following a survey conducted by Iulius in November 2021, the developer said. Most residents said they want a sustainable evolution for their city, taking into account the heritage and the inhabitants of the city.

The architects of the four firms have visited the project site in Iași and are designing in accordance with the competition design theme. The new edifice will “integrate and showcase the recently discovered archeological vestiges on site, providing a sustainable contemporary solution that anticipates and generates the necessary transformation of the public spaces nearby.”

This endeavor is coordinated by a team of specialists including historian Cătălin Turliuc and architects Șerban Țigănaș, Augustin Ioan, Dragoș Ciolacu, Mihai Corneliu Drișcu and Matei Bogoescu.

The international architecture firms will present their solutions to the jury at the end of June.

The Foster + Partners portfolio includes edifices such as the Apple Park headquarters in California, the European headquarters of the Bloomberg news agency in London, the famous office building on 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin) in London, the Great Court at the British Museum of London, the transformation of the German Parliament (Reichstag) building.

Some of the best-known projects of MVRDV include the Markthal in Rotterdam (a mixed-use building that also includes a market often deemed ‘one of the most beautiful in the world’), the Tianjin Binhain library in Tianjin, China, the Seoullo Skygarden in Seoul, the Depot ‘art deposit’ in Rotterdam, and the Valley mixed-use building in Amsterdam.

The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, the Four Frankfurt mixed-use complex, the Arnhem Central Station, Doha Metro, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam are some of the buildings designed by UNStudio.

The buildings designed over the years by Zaha Hadid Architects include museums such as Maxxi: National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Rome, offices such as Galaxy Soho in Beijing, stadiums such as the Forest Green Rovers Eco Stadium in Stroud, UK (pending development), residential buildings such as 520 West 28th Street, New York, the Morpheus Hotel & Resort at City of Dreams in Macau.