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Architectural competition for the New Business Center of Thessaloniki

Architectural competition for the New Business Center of Thessaloniki
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ALUMIL

At ALUMIL we strive for perfection every day.

Through modern production facilities and strict quality controls, we ensure the creation of superior products with high added value. Continuous research and development leads us to offer unique solutions with many innovative features that fully meet the needs of our customers.

With more than 30 years of experience and 2,200 employees, we are one of the most advanced architectural aluminum systems design and manufacturing companies worldwide. At the same time, all 12 of our factories in Europe have the most modern production lines.

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Objective Action

As in the 1st Arxellence competition, the aim was to promote best practices of architectural design and sustainable construction, with the aim of highlighting innovative design as the ideal tool for the creation and success of a new Business Center in Thessaloniki, in an important and historical area of the city which has been discussed many times for its upgrading. At the core of Alumil's philosophy is the formation of favorable conditions for citizens in the local communities in which it operates. In our company we "pursue perfection every day" and we know that in order for our efforts to be reflected, we must contribute to urban development, maximizing the possibilities provided by our area of operation.

ArXellence 2's greatest legacy is that it now has a platform of excellent architectural ideas distinguished by design pluralism and based on the spirit of sustainability and viability. In a time of generalized crisis, our company implemented an international architectural competition of high standards, drawing the attention of the international architectural community to Thessaloniki.

 

Target Audience

The competition was open to architects from all countries. Eligible architects had to have the right to practice in their respective countries. Participants may be natural persons, legal persons or partnerships of natural persons. Multidisciplinary teams could participate provided they were led by an architect. Contestants could participate in only one team. The competition is not open to students. The following persons could not participate in the Contest: Members of the Jury, the Technical Committee, as well as any person directly or indirectly related to the Contest Sponsor or Jury.

Participation was free. The value of the prizes amounts to €60,000 and the 6 winners together with the 4 commendations:

1st prize 20,000 euros
2nd prize 15,000 euros
3rd prize 10,000 euros
4th prize of 7,000 euros

5th prize of 5,000 euros
6th prize of 3,000 euros

 

Duration

The start of the competition was on 9/3/2020, with the announcement of results on 25/11/2020 and the award ceremony was held on 11/12/2020.


Description

The western coast, including the port of the city of Thessaloniki, was for many years an industrial zone, while it is placed in a strategic position that can promote the development of the city and its regeneration into a modern urban center of international scope. Unfortunately, however, today the western seafront of the city is a run-down urban area that represents perhaps one of the most underdeveloped areas of the city, thus weakening its image, viability and productivity. There have been several previous initiatives and efforts to promote change in the direction of urban development in the region, but without any positive result. The challenge still remains.

The Architectural Competition "ArXellence 2" was an open International Ideas Competition, with free participation, which aims to highlight innovative design as the ideal tool for the creation and success of a new Business Center in Thessaloniki. The competition was sponsored and organized by ALUMIL- and has been approved and validated by the International Union of Architects (UIA). It was conducted in accordance with the UNESCO regulations for international competitions of architecture and urban regeneration, as well as in accordance with the best practices recommended by the UIA.

More specifically, the subject of the competition was the design of a new Business Center (CBD - Central Business District) in a wider area of 120,000 m2 behind the port. The area's advantageous location next to the port and the historic city center, very close to important road and rail networks, but also close to industrial zones and logistics infrastructure, offers unique opportunities for sustainable economic development. In addition, the area is set to be significantly upgraded with the completion of major future infrastructure projects, such as the upgrade of the port, the Thessaloniki Metro network and the very likely development of the western suburban railway. Finally, the ongoing upgrade of Thessaloniki's "Macedonia" airport is also particularly important, which will lead (by 2021) to an expanded modern airport with a significantly increased capacity, creating the necessary conditions for strengthening the interconnection of the city with the international environment.

Therefore, in view of the strong development of the area in case of a successful redesign, the Architectural Ideas Competition "ArXellence 2" constituted an important urban regeneration challenge. It is the first and most decisive step towards fulfilling the expectations for the redefinition of Thessaloniki as a modern, cosmopolitan city.


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Impact on Society

The entries in "ArXellence 2" exceeded all expectations. The numbers speak for themselves: 1464 entries from 90 countries and 173 architectural proposals submitted for evaluation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the evaluation of entries took place online. In February 2021, an online event honored the outstanding entries and the architects spoke about their experience of the competition and the design challenges they faced.

This particular competition had the following benefits:

1) Attempt to upgrade a degraded urban area that represents perhaps one of the most underdeveloped areas of the city, thus weakening its image, viability and productivity of the city

2) Monetary reward for awarded studies: €20,000 for the first prize, €15,000 for the second, €10,000 for the third, €7,000 for the fourth, €5,000 for the fifth, €3,000 for the sixth and 4 honorable mentions.

3) In the case of project implementation, the study is compulsorily assigned to the award-winning architect, in which case his name will be associated with the project

4) If the project is implemented, the award-winning architect will be seen in the wider area and this distinction may result in future collaborations and project assignments

5) promoting the International Union of Architects as a prestigious organization

6) printed version of the official catalog of studies, with a wealth of useful information about the submitted architectural proposals

7) from September 11 to 26, 2021 the official exhibition of the architectural proposals, in the heart of the western entrance of the city, in the Old Slaughterhouses. The 173 architectural proposals were presented outside the International Center for Digital Transformation and Digital Skills - Cisco (DT&S), opening a "dialogue" with the area itself, its current image and the testimonies of its people.

During the period of the exhibition, a series of parallel actions were carried out, with the aim of highlighting the pivotal importance of the implementation of one of the proposals, the contact of citizens with the history and special characteristics of the area, as well as the "polling" of the residents' preference of Thessaloniki for the form they want the western entrance of their city to have:

  • Roundtable discussion: "Looking for the possible and the obligatory in the relationship between cultural heritage & contemporary architecture" [Saturday 11 September 2021]
  • Photo Contest [August 12 to September 10, 2021]
  • Thematic guided tours [Saturday 11/9, Friday 17/9, Sunday 19/9, Friday 24/9]
  • Online public vote in relation to the proposals [3-26 September 2021]
  • Program of visits to schools, institutions, etc. [September 13-26, 2021]


Initiative Location

The competition took place in Greece with the possibility of participation from all over the world.


Working with Organization

We have communicated our vision to all relevant authorities, stating our intention to organize a competition of the highest standards. Thus, we secured the patronage of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Region of Central Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Association of Architects of Thessaloniki, as well as the Technical Chamber of Central Macedonia. In addition to the support of the local authorities, the event was approved by the International Union of Architects (UIA) and continuously monitored by the UIA International Competitions Council (ICC Council), to meet Unesco specifications.


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Workers Participation

The Marketing department took charge of setting up and promoting the contest.

The company's social media were utilized, a video was created to publicize the competition (internet and social media) and newsletters, which were sent to all the architects the company has on its base. The competition jury was salaried at Alumil's expense. The judges had no knowledge of the names of the contestants.


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Benefits for Οrganization

The benefits of the contest:

1) in case of implementation of the proposal that won the first prize, maybe the company's systems would be used, so the Alumil brand would become more known and the company would be associated with a project where the purpose is sustainable construction

2) it was a very useful vehicle for approaching new architectural offices and strengthening relations with existing ones

3) utilization of the company's architectural systems in the contestants' studies, so familiarity with our systems also by architects who did not know them

4) we gave an incentive to professional architects in Greece and abroad to get to know our products and visit the company's showrooms in Athens, Thessaloniki, and abroad

5) connecting Alumil with competitions that promote architecture. As it was the 2nd competition, the company proved that it remains faithful to the promotion of architecture

6) connecting Alumil with corporate social responsibility actions in the local communities in which it operates




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