The Competition Committee received over 200 entries from around the world

The Results of the International Architectural Competition for New UGM

client: Municipality of Maribor, Slovenia

size: 14.800 m2

competition results: March 2010

anticipated opening: July 2012

The Maribor Municipality (Slovenia) and the jury members under the auspices of the International Association of Architects announced the winners and award holders of the open international competition for the new UGM / Maribor Art Gallery! The Competition Committee received over 200 attractive entries from around the world proposing solutions for the new, 14,000m2 UGM including 8,000 m2 of gallery premises, a Children’s Museum, an Architectural Centre and a Creative Industry Centre, museum library and retail. The Maribor EPK - Drava 2012 competition connects three riverside developing projects - the new gallery, the new pedestrian bridge and redesign of the embankments - as Maribor prepares to became European Capital of Culture in 2012. Maribor Art Gallery congratulates the competition winners and award holders and thanks all participants, organisers and the jury members for their excellent work! The exhibition of architectural projects in the Maribor Art Gallery is announced for the beginning of June 2010!  

First prize: Tamás Lévai, Ágnes Jószai (Budapest, Hungary)

The winning solution of Hungarian architects presents an organic volume with elegantly designed "uniform, white resin-based plaster", a façade reflecting light like "wet skin". Especially distinguished are thoughtfully set corner windows, which uniquely connect the gallery with the city and its historical sights. The vivid and transparent lower part of the new UGM enlivens the happening on the streets along the Drava river. Sensuous curves, e.g. dynamic and inviting architectural waves, mark the gallery’s front, facing the river. In this project, the jury recognised a solution that answers the question about the ‘image and statement’ by demonstrating high architectural merit, that will in the long term enrich the city’s social life and ensure its international recognition.

Second prize: Family Architects / Dong-Ping Wong, Oana Stanescu (New York, USA)

The young New York architects inverts the protective courtyard block – the defining typology of the city center – in order to participate in the surrounding city and environment. The undulating profile of the museum creates courtyards, plazas and playgrounds between the building and the city while directing activities and views in and out of the site. All of the public programs are located at street level with the gallery spaces above, enabling the UGM to use its multitude of resources to directly engage the city without sacrificing the requirements of contemporary art exhibition. The jury finds that this very dynamic building and its amorphous form suggest a resonant relation towards the environment while the democratic openness defends a new way of connection with a diversified audience.

Equal third prize: Pedro Oliveira, Gilberto Reis, Pedro Morujao, Guilherme Carrilho de Graca, Leonor Cheis (Lisbon, Portugal)

In Maribor, a clear distinction between the historic city and the expanded newer part is obvious, interpreted in the open platforms of the city market between the old city walls and the new Gallery site, which mark the south-eastern part of the city. The proposed project of the Portuguese architects continues with the architectural language of the 'new city' offering a clear structure for a new townscape.

Equal third prize: Studio Up / Lea Pelivan, Toma Plejić (Zagreb, Croatia)

The intelligent project of the Zagreb bureau is based on a very schematic, two-fold solution: the lower floor offers various intertwining programmes while the upper floor presents four archetypal buildings.

Eight further projects received honourable mentions of the Jury: David Tajchman (Paris, France); Tadej Glažar, Andraž Intihar, Jernej Prijon, Vid Razinger, Primož Stražar (Ljubljana, Slovenia); Marcin Jojko, Bartlomiej Nawrocki, Tomasz Berezowski, Grzegorz Ostrowski (Katowice, Poland); BRUTHER / Stephanie Bru, Alexandre Theriot (Paris, France); MADE arhitekti, Mikelis Putrams, Linda Krumina, Edgars Racins (Riga, Latvia); Marko Cvjetko, Miron Hržina, Robert Jonathan Loher (Zagreb, Croatia); Lazslo Kalmar, Zsolt Zsuffa (Budapest, Hungary).  

The Competition European Capital of Culture - Drava 2012 is an important step toward opening Slovene architecture to the world. The numerous entered projects represent an opportunity for exchanging knowledge and planning schemes as well as for the excellent worldwide promotion of Maribor and Slovenia. International specialised media already cover news about the Competition results.