International Architecture Competition

Great
Kemeri Bog
Visitor Center

Results

Foreword

Competition organisers

Great 
Kemeri Bog 
Visitor Center

Official Partners

Great 
Kemeri Bog 
Visitor Center

Kemeri National Park covers 380 km² in western Latvia. It is the third-largest national park in one of Europe’s greenest countries, situated one hour by train from Latvia’s capital city of Riga. The park is home to a wide range of wildlife including black stork, and moose, deer, elk, foxes, wolves, wild cattle and horses. It was established in 1997 to protect an important region of Latvia’s forests, lakes, natural mineral springs and marshlands.

Nearly 25% of the park consists of rich wetlands, the largest collection known as the Great Kemeri Bog - a popular destination where visitors can walk along a network of boardwalks that spans several kilometers. Here, one can discover up close the wetlands and its special collection of flora and fauna, including mosses and stunted trees.

The Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center architecture competition invited participants to submit designs for an iconic entryway to the park. The competition is run in partnership with the Latvia Nature Conservation Agency, the organization charged with managing and protecting the park, and which has expressed interest in constructing the winning proposal.

This is the second architecture competition in a series organised by Bee Breeders in conjunction with the conservation agency. Earlier this year, the Kemeri Park Observation Tower Competition delivered design proposals for a buildable observation structure situated along the boardwalk system that allows visitors new ways to view and experience the Great Kemeri Bog.

In the current competition participants were tasked with designing a visitor center on a site located at the entry to the Great Kemeri Bog boardwalk. The site is currently used as a car park and gathering point for boardwalk visitors.

The proposed design program consists of: an information centre with a cafe, terrace, and external ticket window; a camping site with access to shower and toilet facilities; a children’s playground; and a car park with the capacity for 100 vehicles. It was requested that structural elements be made from durable materials. There were no dimensional requirements or budget.

As the winning projects will be considered for construction, designs were judged for their integration within the park and sensitivity to the environment, the use of sustainable materials, and constructability. A range of ideas were submitted at various scales. The jury in particular focused on designs that have the potential to become a new landmark for the park and for Latvia.

The high quality of the winning projects as well as the honorable mentions reflects the outstanding level of work submitted. Bee Breeders would like to thank all entrants for their participation.

1st Prize Winner

Project name

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Authors

Jan Tomas Ciesla
Iva Potůčková
Miroslav Krátký

Czech Republic

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

As most of our works are built, the focus is on the functionality of the execution, rather than the vision. In our day-to-day practice, we miss having the freedom to have a complete control over the vision. Competitions are a chance to show that we care about it and we want to show what our vision is.

Jury feedback summary

This project is perhaps the most effective at establishing a gateway to the Great Kemeri Bog. The rectangular-bar form set perpendicular to the entry drive firmly separates the vehicular entry from the camping grounds and pedestrian network of pathways, and filters visitors through a single access point that also becomes the starting point for the bog’s network of wooden boardwalks. The sectional drawing expresses the project’s constructability, and the interior images reflect its simple use of natural materials. The varied layout of its vertical facade module gives the otherwise harsh block form a more natural aesthetic that is clearly related to the trees of the surrounding forest.

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

A Forest Pond

Authors

Rodrigo Zagarzazú
Lucia Rehermann
Renzo Bonina
Christian Flores

Uruguay

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

Architecture vision competitions give us an excuse and an opportunity to explore different ideas and concepts that we can later incorporate in our everyday practice.

Jury feedback summary

The project stood out to the jury for its simple, strong form. The circular visitor center’s repetitive and visually permeable facade of timber posts both connects to the surrounding site and encloses a space which monumentalises the relationship of the site with water. The central exterior space offers a quiet meditative area that focuses on the pond and the sky, yet it also has the potential to be used for group events. The walkable roof offers special views of the park. The drawings and images are extremely effective at describing the circular form’s minimal disruption to the site. While the building’s central location on the site clearly sets it apart from the parking and within a natural ‘reservation area’, the jury would recommend the designer to further consider the building’s access from the car park and drive, as well as its connection to the bog boardwalk.

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

Scape Architecture

Authors

Sauvineau Florent

France

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

I participate in architecture vision competitions to compete with talented enthusiasts from all over the world. This particular mindset challenges your ability to develop conceptual approaches and strengthen your ability to communicate your proposal.

Jury feedback summary

The design is commended for its use of a repeatable and constructable module that manages to create an organic, landscape-like form. The project proposes a burned-wood cladding that fortifies it against Latvia’s variable weather, and interiors of natural wood that connect it well with its forest surroundings. The section drawings and details are especially well-considered for modularity and construction using sustainable materials. The building’s plan form strongly establishes a central gathering space, however the jury questions the vertical pitches and dips and wonders if the geometry might rather relate more strongly to its internal program. The project certainly has the potential to become a park landmark.

BB STUDENT AWARD

Project name

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Authors

Aleksandra Kubiak
Marta Buchner

University

Warsaw university of technology
+76 points Buildner University Rankings!

Poland

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We decided to participate in this contest to test our abilities as young architects.
BB GREEN AWARD

Project name

Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Authors

Dalya Ortak
Jinsoo Kim

Germany

Why do you enter architecture
competitions?

We always wanted to work together and then this competition came up. The matter was interesting so we thought we should give it a try. Additionally it was a great opportunity to practice the design process. Learning by doing, right? :)

Honorable mentions

VIEWclose HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Project Name

Dive in - Visitor Center

Country

Czech Republic

Project authors

Jiří Bužek
Aleš Javůrek

Project Name

Visitor Center in the Forest

Company

Lawrence kim / a+u lab

Country

South Korea

Project authors

Heeseung Choi
Kyungha Kwon
Donghoon Kim
Heepyo Ryu

Project Name

Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Country

Uruguay

Project authors

Federico Rodriguez Fragela
Elias Martinez Ojeda

Project Name

Prelude

Country

Poland

Project authors

Kamila Szatanowska
Paulina Rogalska
Michał Morzy
Jakub Nanowski

Project Name

Exedra

Country

United Kingdom

Project authors

Adrian Hill
Milena Patru
Florina Pop

Project Name

Ark

Country

Austria

Project authors

Eldar Hajdarević
Germán Goldschmidt

Shortlisted projects

VIEWclose Shortlisted projects

Russian Federation

Cxema

nataliya orekhova
andrey sviridov

United Kingdom

Leeds Beckett University

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
jade moore
group nine

South Korea

Lawrence kim / a+u lab

heeseung choi
kyungha kwon
donghoon kim
heepyo ryu

United States

daniela cardona
christian coles

Hungary

Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
kinga komáromi
attila szabó
gergely vörös
kamilla zámbó

Turkey

Aks1 yapi mimarlik

abdulkadir Çağlar
gökhan yıldırım

Netherlands

jan-hubert bisschops
merijn hermsen

Georgia

Idaaf architects

nana zaalishvili

Hungary

orsolya godra
lászló-gedeon bedő

Thailand

Assumption University of Thailand: AU

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
pimrampha saenyakorn
cattlee wattanasinpanich

Czech Republic

jan tomas ciesla
iva potůčková
miroslav krátký

Lithuania

Noarchitects

markas grinevičius
reda petravičiūtė
karolina baltrušaitytė
ona makuškaitė

Uruguay

federico rodriguez fragela
elias martinez ojeda

Lithuania

mindaugas arlauskas
julija vaitiekunaite
gabrielius varnelis
mantas kitkauskas

United Kingdom

Delft University of Technology, TU Delft , Technical University Delft

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
antoine béchet
william guild
louis de saint affrique
thierry syriani

Russian Federation

Pi arena

dmitriy tarasov
aleksey orlov
anna gandrabura
ekaterina bakhireva

Austria

eldar hajdarević
germán goldschmidt

Argentina

mariana shinzato
lisandro aloi

United Kingdom

adrian hill
milena patru
florina pop

Poland

Warsaw University of Technology , Politechnika Warszawska

+76 points Buildner University Rankings!
aleksandra kubiak
marta buchner

Ukraine

KNUBA - Kyiv National University of Building and Architecture

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
teymur melikov

Poland

Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Politechnika Wrocławska)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
bartosz szczęsny

United Kingdom

University of Sheffield

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
samuel morley

France

benjamin nicaud
joanna orłowska

Czech Republic

jiří bužek
aleš javůrek

Hungary

gabor kruppa
blanka klenk
reka czina
tamas butora

United States

frederick biehle
erika hinrichs
anna oldakowski

Australia

andrew daly
david gan
amelie devaux
rob meyerson

Uruguay

rodrigo zagarzazú
lucia rehermann
renzo bonina
christian flores

United Kingdom

karlis kukainis
linda ledina
jatiphak boonmun

Poland

kamila szatanowska
paulina rogalska
michał morzy
jakub nanowski

Poland

Warsaw University of Technology , Politechnika Warszawska

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
zbigniew czaja
magdalena mucha
joanna ubik

Brazil

Pagus arquitetura

mariana steiner gusmão
andré bihuna d'oliveira
 

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