SITE GALLERY

international architecture competition

EVALUATION REPORT
June 2016
OVERVIEW This international one-stage architecture competition invites all architecture students,
young architects and young professionals with a degree in architecture studies (≤ 40
years old) to develop and submit compelling ideas for the design of a contemporary
Site Gallery located near the River Tower (Torre do Rio) in the bank of the Guadiana
River and adjacent to the fortified walls of the village of Mértola, in the southeast of
Portugal.

The River Tower (Torre do Rio) is a significant landmark on a prominent landscape,

a place of great cultural heritage and historical significance with characteristics that
must be fully preserved.

When generating a vision for an intervention located within such a spectacular place,
it is essential that each proposal emphasizes, respects and celebrates the site, while
providing visitors with a unique experience.

JURY EVALUATION May 20 - June 03, 2016

Daniele Durante (Italy) _ Studiobv36

Stéphane Fernandez (France) _ atelier fernandez & serres
Alberto Mottola (Italy) _ demogo

The jury members reviewed and evaluated all eligible competition proposals and
then selected the 3 winners and 7 Honorable Mentions. The jury members based
their decision on their own expertise, the work submitted by the participants and the
information made available on the competition website.

Evaluation criteria will be based on:

• Originality and quality of the proposal’s design vision
• Responsiveness of the proposal to the competition’s objectives
• Appropriateness to the site and its context
• Quality and clarity of the presentation

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SUBMISSIONS 76 Total (44 Young Professionals + 32 Architecture Students)

| Entries

SG16001 SG16025 SG16045 SG16066

SG16002 SG16026 SG16046 SG16067
SG16003 SG16027 SG16048 SG16069
SG16005 SG16028 SG16049 SG16072
SG16007 SG16030 SG16050 SG16073
SG16008 SG16031 SG16052 SG16074
SG16009 SG16032 SG16053 SG16075
SG16010 SG16033 SG16054 SG16076
SG16012 SG16034 SG16055 SG16077
SG16013 SG16035 SG16056 SG16078
SG16014 SG16036 SG16057 SG16079
SG16015 SG16037 SG16058 SG16080
SG16016 SG16038 SG16059 SG16081
SG16019 SG16039 SG16060 SG16082
SG16020 SG16040 SG16061 SG16083
SG16021 SG16041 SG16062 SG16084
SG16022 SG16042 SG16063 SG16085
SG16023 SG16043 SG16064 SG16086
SG16024 SG16044 SG16065 SG16087

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AWARDS 5 Young Professionals + 5 Architecture Students

| Winners 1st Prize: SG16048 Anna Nawrocka (Poland)

Jury’s remarks:
The project obtained a positive judgement for its silent nature. The candidate
buries the building under the ground level and thus does not change the skyline of
Mértola, characterizing itself as a pure line in the panorama. Its strong and amazing
relation with water and rock underlines an approach that respects the context.

The project “resonates” with the landscape and embodies the spirit of the site
with high sensitivity and elegance. The decision to develop all of the building in
an underground level permitted to frame a new unconventional point of view. The
alignments and the references to the site are well arranged and the formal result
amplifies the evocative character of the environment. It is a high spirit approach and
at the same time respectful of the historical context.

Extremely delicate project. The work of the frame and the point of view reveals the
site. It is the project of ground that speaks to the rock in the sky and in the bank. The
man becomes the vibrating heart of silent architecture.

2nd Prize: SG16024 Grzegorz Maczka, Marta Maczka (Poland)

Jury’s remarks: 
The building, unusually placed under the massive pre-existent ruins, creates an
interesting entrance to the exhibition space and opens the view towards the river.
The project is well-controlled at different scales: the plan is balanced and has a
clear connection with the marked line of the city.

The project deals with the existing historical presence by re-interpreting the acquired
notion of an infrastructure. The ruins become the leading signs of a new paradigmatic
approach, as a protruding platform from the Mértola Citadel that engages the river as
an ideal port, a gate and an open square. The overall architectural design result looks
clear, powerful and synthetic.

A project in the powerful expression which puts forward the thickness of the bank. It
creates a base and a foundation in the elements of the heritage. The material of the
site and the project takes its strength of the horizontal of the water.

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 3rd Prize: SG16040 João Varela, Ana Santos, João Tavares, Paulo Dias (Portugal)

Jury’s remarks:
Placed on the opposite riverbank of the area, the project does not directly affect the
archaeological site. The candidate actually proposes a monolith projected over the
river and directed towards the panorama, imaging not only a visual connection from
the Belvedere, but also a physical relation: the magnificent interior space is directly
accessible from the river.

The project shows a unique and different idea on where to place the project by
docking the building into the opposite bank. Exhibition spaces can therefore enjoy
the view of the old city and serve as a connection port to navigate from the other side.
It is also remarkable that the project alignment recalls the ancient route of a Roman
commercial way but clearly proposes a contemporary “vis-à-vis” with the old city.

| Honorable mentions SG16019 Karol Krawczyk, Katarzyna Klaczek (Poland)

SG16032 Brion Basha (Austria)
SG16060 Jean Paysant, Benoist Desfonds (France)
SG16086 Andrea Cosentino, Emanuele Cavaglion, Giovanni Cavaglion,
Zaira Colombo (Italy)
SG16016 Paulina Małkowiak, Barbara Seweryn (Poland)
SG16030 Javier Durán Heras, Carlos García Brome (Spain)
SG16057 Iuri Pereira, André Bengochea (Portugal)

Note: This is strictly an ideas competition, an academic exercise and will not be built.  ArkxSite
or any other organisations do not have the authority nor intention to award contracts for design
services as a result of this competition. Awarded proposals should consider their award as
recognition of excellent work in this competition.

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On behalf of ArkxSite, we congratulate all of the participants for the great quality of
submitted work!

A special thank you to the jury members Daniele Durante, Stéphane Fernandez,
and Alberto Mottola for their valuable time and dedication throughout the evaluation
period and to our media partners for their support in this competition.

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All rights reserved, © 2016

No part of this competition brief may be reproduced in any form, by print, photocopy,
or any other means, without the written permission of ArkxSite, Lda.

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