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Kaunas M.K. Čiurlionis Concert Centre architectural contest to be organised by MRC

One-stage contest to launch in early summer 2017

Competition Site Taken From Above Aleksotas Looking Towards Old And New Towns (C) Kaunas City Municipality

Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) has been appointed by Kaunas City Municipality to run a one-stage design contest for Kaunas’ new M.K. Čiurlionis Concert Centre. The substantial new building for this leading Lithuanian city, which has just won the title European Capital of Culture 2022, will encompass a world-class concert venue as well as multifunctional spaces for public and community events.

The one-stage contest will launch in early summer and conclude in the autumn. The initiative follows the success of the recent Science Island contest, which was the most popular architectural competition in Lithuania’s history.

Commenting on this collaboration, Malcolm Reading, MRC Chairman, said:

‘Kaunas is a European city to watch – it has a distinguished architectural heritage and is rapidly achieving prominence as a key hub within the Baltics.
‘We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Kaunas. This project is a perfect successor to the recent Science Island competition – a more complex building, setting a challenge to competitors in urban design, landscape and satisfying technical requirements. We are looking forward to a creative response from the global design community.’

MRC will shape the design brief for the project, develop the design criteria, advise on jury selection, launch and propose the competition through a dedicated microsite, and manage the tender process. MRC is currently running high profile competitions for the UK Holocaust Memorial in London, the Ross Pavilion in Edinburgh, and the Art Mill in Doha, Qatar.

Final preparations for the competition are in progress, with full details to be announced at the launch. Interested architects and designers are invited to visit the website to sign up and receive notification of launch.