The Basque Culinary Center launches the architectural design competition for the EDA Drinks & Wine Campus locations
The Basque Culinary Center has initiated the architectural design competition for the EDA Drinks & Wine Campus with the aim of selecting the best proposal that provides excellent solutions from sustainable, functional, technological, environmental, and aesthetic standpoints for constructing the buildings in Vitoria-Gasteiz and Laguardia.
This is an open international architecture competition aiming to select an architectural proposal encompassing both locations under a unified concept and approach, meeting the project's vision and the need to become reference spaces in the region.
The architectural projects should create an open and distinctive space that serves as a magnet for talent, entrepreneurship, research, and innovation. Sustainability will be a primary value and criterion for both buildings, which must seamlessly integrate into the urban and natural landscapes in an organic and participatory manner with the immediate surroundings.
The competition also seeks to select exceptional architectural designs embodying EDA's vision to position Araba and Euskadi as prominent regions in the wine and beverage domain.
The EDA Drinks & Wine Campus locations will not only be advanced study spaces but also symbols of innovation and sustainability. In Laguardia, it will be situated near the "Casa del Vino" on a 3,900 m2 plot, where a new 2,500 m2 building will be constructed. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, the EDA headquarters will span 4,000 m2 on an 8,610 m2 plot, located in the Lakua neighborhood adjacent to the bus station (opposite the Basque Government headquarters).
The competition is open to architecture firms and design teams worldwide. Participation offers an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to creating a cutting-edge space that merges academic excellence, innovation, and a commitment to sustainability.
PHASES
The competition officially opens on January 3, published on the Euskadi contracting profile and the Official Journal of the European Union. It initiates a process culminating in the selection of three finalist firms shaping EDA's architectural identity. The initial phase involves merit evaluation, giving architecture firms approximately a month to submit their credentials.
The jury, constituted within two days after the deadline, will be chaired by a representative of the Basque Culinary Center. It includes a secretary from EDA, two independent architects, and a technical representative from each participating institution (Basque Government, Provincial Council of Álava, Laguardia City Council, and Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council).
In this process, the jury will preselect the finalist submissions based on criteria defined in the competition guidelines. Evaluation will focus on assessed CVs and accredited references of projects for new construction buildings dedicated to innovation spaces, encompassing areas for experimentation, research, technological development, and teaching, with sustainability and landscaping as key values. Additionally, factors like adaptability to diverse environments, the studio's working philosophy, and experience in designing buildings related to the gastronomy and beverage sector will be considered.
The jury will announce the three finalist firms a month after its constitution. At this stage, the finalists will receive detailed information on the needs program and urban requirements for designing and constructing both locations, conducting at least one technical visit to the sites before preparing their proposals.
In the second phase of the selection process, criteria such as architectural solutions, compliance with the needs program, urban intervention, integration with the surroundings, cost analysis, adherence to the schedule, energy efficiency, and design uniqueness will guide the selection of designs. Additionally, coherence with the entire Basque Culinary Center ecosystem will be assessed.
The three finalist firms must present their proposals anonymously within two months to ensure impartiality in selection and prevent traceability of authorship.
The jury will assess the submitted proposals, scoring based on the mentioned criteria visible in the published guidelines, and select one winning proposal and two finalists, which will receive an honorable mention.
The winning study and proposal will be announced in May 2024, marking a significant milestone in the development of the EDA Drinks & Wine Campus.
For additional details about the competition, requirements, regulatory documents, and key dates, the public can access information on the public procurement platform in Euskadi.