Dozens of leading architectural firms from around the world participated in the first phase of the International Architectural Design Competition for the revitalisation of the Thessaloniki Exhibition and Conference Centre. 15 of these firms were selected on 5 December to move on to the next phase.

The head architects of the 15 Contestants come from the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Finland, and Kuwait.

55 technical offices from 17 countries are participating in the selected groups, while 9 Greek technical offices or individual architects are participating in 7 of the 15 selected groups.

Furthermore, 222 engineers, of whom 55 are Greeks, are participating in the Competing project teams.

The Judging Panel made its decision based on the candidates’ capability and potential of providing design proposals that will combine the construction of an emblematic and modern exhibition and conference centre which will include a 15 acre urban park. This project will transform the centre of Thessaloniki, providing a new and unique landmark, improving the quality of citizens’ daily life from a bioclimatic perspective.

The fifteen Candidates who were selected are presented below in alphabetical order:

1. ALA ARCHITECTS (FI), MARELD LANDSKAPSARKITEKTER (SE)
2. AMANDA LEVETE ARCHITECTS (UK), STUDIO SEILERN ARCHITECTS (UK), VLADIMIR DJUROVIC LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE (LB), FHECOR NGENIEROS CONSULTORES (ES), R. ÚRCULO INGENIEROS CONSULTORES (ES)
3. BRUTHER ARCHITECTES (FR), ROBBRECHT EN DAEM ARCHITECTEN (BE), LIST (FR), GLOBAL – ARCHITECTURA PAISAGISTA (PT), SCHNETZER PUSKAS INTERNATIONAL (CH), DUSS (BE)
4. HEATHERWICK STUDIO (UK), M. DEDA AND ASSOCIATES (GR), BURO HAPPOLD (UK)
5. HOPKINS ARCHITECTS (UK)
6. KENGO KUMA AND ASSOCIATES (JP), AKT II (UK), HILSON MORAN (UK), GEORGES BATZIOS ARCHITECTS (GR), DOXIADIS+ (GR)
7. LINA GHOTMEH ARCHITECTURE (FR), VOGT PAYSAGE + URBANISME (FR), LAN (FR), LOT (GR), TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING (FR), SYSTEMATICA (IT)
8. OMA STEDEBOUW (NL)
9. PROEM ARCHITECTS (KW), YANNIS KITANNIS (GR), OMETE (GR)
10. SAUERBRUCH HUTTON (DE), GUSTAFSON PORTER + BOWMAN (UK), ELENA STAVROPOULOU (GR)
11. SOU FUJIMOTO ARCHITECTS (JP), GUY NORDENSON AND ASSOCIATES (US), CRACKNELL LANDSCAPE DESIGN (AE)
12. UNSTUDIO (NL), SCHEMA4 (GR), OKRA LANDSCHAPSARCHITECTEN (NL)
13. VALODE & PISTRE ARCHITECTES (FR), MICHEL DESVIGNE PAYSAGISTE (FR), VP & GREEN ENGINEERING (FR), ESPACE TEMPS (FR)
14. WILKINSON EYRE ARCHITECTS (UK), GRANT ASSOCIATES (UK), BIODIVERSITY BY DESIGN (UK), ELENI PAVLIDOU (GR), ATELIER ONE (UK), ATELIER TEN (UK)
15. WILMOTTE & ASSOCIES (FR), EGIS BÂTIMENTS INTERNATIONAL (FR), NEVEUX ROUYER PAYSAGISTES (FR)

Alternate Candidates (by order of preference):

1. ADJAYE ASSOCIATES (UK), MAKRIDIS ASSOCIATES (GR), AGIS PAPADOPOULOS (GR), STAVROU P. TZIOTZIOS G. (GR)
2. XAVEER DE GEYTER ARCHITECTS (BE), INSIDE OUTSIDE (NL), NEIHEISER ARGYROS (UK), DAIDALOS PEUTZ BOUWFYSISCH INGENIEURSBUREAU (BE), UTIL (BE)
3. STEFAN RUTZINGER (AT), JAN KNIPPERS INGENIEURE (DE), GREEN4CITIES (AT)

The next phase is that of submission and inspection of the standard documentation by the 15 Candidates, and on 1 February 2021 they will receive the detailed technical specifications and necessary plans for the main phase of the Architectural Design Competition to commence.

Their design proposals for the multifaceted project for the revitalisation of the TIF facilities will be submitted 4 months later, in late May 2021, and then the International Judging Panel will select the winner of the Competition.

The full composition of the Judging Panel met for 3 days, from 3 to 5 December 2020, and selected the 15 Candidates. The panel is composed by:

Regular Members of the Judging Panel:

1. JOAN BUSQUETS, President of the Judging Panel (Spain), Architect, Urban Planner, Head Professor of Urban Design at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
2. FARSHID MOUSSAVI (Great Britain), Architect and Professor in Practice of Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
3. RENA SAKKELARIDOUArchitect, Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Architecture.
4. SIMON EWINGS (Norway), Architect and Head of Haptic Architects in Oslo.
5. SAMULI MIETTINEN, UIA Representative (Finland), Architect and partner at JKMM Architects in Helsinki.
6. ARETI MARKOPOULOU (Greece), Architect. Director of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) in Barcelona.
7. IRENE DJAO-RAΚIΤINE (France),Landscape architect and member of the Landscape Institute, United Kingdom.
8. DIMITRIOS KERKENTZES (Great Britain), Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions, Paris, France.
9. KYRIAKOS POZRIKIDIS (Greece), CEO of TIF-HELEXPO S.A.

Alternate Members of the Judging Panel:

1. FANI VAVILI (Greece), Professor of Architecture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Architecture.
2. SIMON HARTMANN, UIA Representative (Switzerland), Architect and Visiting Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
3. DANIEL FÜGENSCHUH (Austria), Architect and President of the Austrian Chamber of Architects.

TIF-Helexpo S.A. Management would like to sincerely thank the 116 candidates who participated in the pre-selection phase. The came from 33 countries, which indicates the multifaceted character of the revitalisation of the Thessaloniki Exhibition Centre and the international interest surrounding it.

11/12/2020 – 13:40