Announcement of the urban planning and architectural competition "Amphitheater Košice"

Announcer / public procurer /:
City of Košice
Tr. SNP No. 48/A
040 11 Košice
ICO: 00691135
www.kosice.sk
Contact email address: sutaze@kosice.sk
Contact persons: Ing. Martin Vasko, +421 55 6419363

Type of competition
This is a procedure in accordance with § 103 - § 108 /design competition/ of Act No. 25/2006 on public procurement as an urban-architectural public competition for an unlimited number of participants leading to the award of a contract for the provision of services according to § 58 paragraph 1 letter h) of the Public Procurement Act. According to § 4, paragraph 3, letter a) of the Public Procurement Act, it will be an award of a contract above the limit for the provision of services (for the procurement of complete project documentation for the construction including engineering activities and author supervision).

Subject of the competition
The subject of the competition is the urban-architectural design of the reconstruction of the amphitheater building in the Festival Square in Košice into a multifunctional space with year-round operation, including the conceptual solution for the surrounding area.

Purpose of the competition
The purpose of the competition is to find the optimal design for the reconstruction of the amphitheater into a modern space for organizing cultural events - concerts, theatrical performances, film festivals, dance performances, folk festivals, congresses, ... with the possibility of year-round operation. By reducing the capacity of the amphitheater, there is an opportunity to utilize the released areas. The proposed solution for the area around the amphitheater should functionally support its purpose while allowing the use of the location even outside the times of organizing cultural events. The mass and height of the extension should complement the amphitheater complex, sensitively approach the pedestrian route of the Stations of the Cross leading to the Calvary, and suitably address the area in contact with the Festival Square and the surrounding buildings.

Prizes and awards granted in the design competition
1st prize in the amount of 4,000 €
2nd prize in the amount of 2,400 €
3rd prize in the amount of 1,600 €
For unawarded proposals, the jury may grant a reward of up to 1,000 €,
with a total amount to be distributed as rewards amounting to 3,000 €.

Provision of competition conditions:
Competition conditions can be requested by interested parties only on the basis of a written request (a photocopy of the request can be sent electronically in advance to the email address sutaze@kosice.sk and subsequently by postal mail) to the address of the announcer stated in point 1. no later than by 12.11.2010. The competition conditions will be provided for download on the announcer's website only on the basis of a written request. No fee is required for the competition documents.

The deadline for submitting competitive proposals expires on: 22.11.2010 at 14:00 CET.
 
Description of the subject of the competition
The amphitheater is located in the Northern part of the city under the hill known as Calvary. The area is one of the most significant traffic hubs in the city, closely touching the urban ring road and with direct connections to bus and tram transport. Plans for addressing the traffic hub in this area consider off-level routing of communications, thereby resolving the conflict-free relationship of activities in the area with public transport stops.
According to the valid UPN HSA Košice, the area in the western part is designated for urban and metropolitan civic amenities and in the eastern part for public green space. The contemplated change to the land use plan will define a more general definition of land use as a multifunctional area of urban and metropolitan amenities and green spaces (greenery will be incorporated throughout the area of civic amenities).
The current area of the amphitheater utilizes the natural relief of the terrain with an increase under the last ring. The projection area is statically supported by the back-office building for the amphitheater.
The amphitheater is a unique phenomenon in the city layout, which at the end of the 20th century represented one of the main centers of culture in the city. Film festivals, concerts, folk festivals,... Visits were also unique within Czechoslovakia - for example, the film "Vtedy na západe" was seen by 24,000 visitors. Later, a reconstruction of parts of the grandstands and seat replacement was realized. Currently, it has a reduced capacity. Its current use is occasional and does not correspond to the costs of its maintenance.
Capacity: seating with plastic chairs approx. 7000, tiered seating approx. 3000

The area is a significant spiritual place thanks to the Stations of the Cross and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows on Calvary. This route also serves as a pedestrian link to the suburban recreational area of Bankov.

More information at the announcer's website www.kosice.sk/uz_planovanie.asp