Foreword

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.

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Great 
Kemeri Bog 
Visitor Center
Official partner
Great 
Kemeri Bog 
Visitor Center

1st Prize Winner

Project name

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

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.

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Authors Jan Tomas Ciesla, Iva Potůčková, Miroslav Krátký,
Country Czech Republic

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

A Forest Pond

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.

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Authors Rodrigo Zagarzazú, Lucia Rehermann, Renzo Bonina, Christian Flores
Country Uruguay

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

Scape Architecture

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.

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Authors Sauvineau Florent,
Country France

BB STUDENT AWARD

Project name

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

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

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Authors Aleksandra Kubiak, Marta Buchner,
Country Poland
+76 points Buildner University Rankings

BB GREEN AWARD

Project name

Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

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? :)

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Authors Dalya Ortak, Jinsoo Kim,
Country Germany

Honorable Mentions

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Project name

Dive in - Visitor Center

Country Czech Republic
Project name

Visitor Center in the Forest

Authors Heeseung Choi, Kyungha Kwon, Donghoon Kim, Heepyo Ryu
Country South Korea
Project name

Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Authors Federico Rodriguez Fragela, Elias Martinez Ojeda,
Country Uruguay
Project name

Exedra

Authors Adrian Hill, Milena Patru, Florina Pop
Country United Kingdom
Project name

Ark

Authors Eldar Hajdarević, Germán Goldschmidt,
Country Austria

Shortlisted projects

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Space of transition

Nataliya Orekhova

Andrey Sviridov

CXEMA

Russian Federation

The Inhabited Bridge

Jade Moore

Group Nine

United Kingdom

Visitor Center in the Forest

Heeseung Choi

Kyungha Kwon

Donghoon Kim

Heepyo Ryu

Lawrence Kim / A+U LAB

South Korea

Creature of the Forest

Gleb Sheykin

United Kingdom

Daniela Cardona

Christian Coles

United States

GKB

Max Fabris

United Arab Emirates

FRAME.SCALE.

Kinga Komáromi

Attila Szabó

Gergely Vörös

Kamilla Zámbó

Budapest University of Technology and Economics

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Hungary

Kemeri Tree Top Route

Yair Pery

Tal Rotchild

Spain

The Frame

Abdulkadir Çağlar

Gökhan Yıldırım

AKS1 YAPI MİMARLIK

Turkey

This is not a rock

Jan-Hubert Bisschops

Merijn Hermsen

Netherlands

'eli works' Elina dirba

Latvia

the great Kemeri hedgehog

Richard Touzjian

Lebanon

GREAT KEMERI BOG VISITOR CENTER

Nana Zaalishvili

IDAAF ARCHITECTS

Georgia

Canvas

Orsolya Godra

László-Gedeon Bedő

Hungary

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Pimrampha Saenyakorn

Cattlee Wattanasinpanich

Assumption University of Thailand

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Thailand

Floating visitor pavilion

Osnat Mamon

Eran Binderman

Israel

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Jan Tomas Ciesla

Iva Potůčková

Miroslav Krátký

Czech Republic

Underbog

Markas Grinevičius

Reda Petravičiūtė

Karolina Baltrušaitytė

Ona Makuškaitė

NOARCHITECTS

Lithuania

Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Federico Rodriguez Fragela

Elias Martinez Ojeda

Uruguay

In // Between

Mindaugas Arlauskas

Julija Vaitiekunaite

Gabrielius Varnelis

Mantas Kitkauskas

Lithuania

GREAT KEMERI BOG VISITOR CENTER

Antoine Béchet

William Guild

Louis De saint affrique

Thierry Syriani

United Kingdom

RED MOSSES KEMERI

Dmitriy Tarasov

Aleksey Orlov

Anna Gandrabura

Ekaterina Bakhireva

PI ARENA

Russian Federation

Ark

Eldar Hajdarević

Germán Goldschmidt

Austria

Forest to the bog

Mariana Shinzato

Lisandro Aloi

Argentina

Exedra

Adrian Hill

Milena Patru

Florina Pop

United Kingdom

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Aleksandra Kubiak

Marta Buchner

Warsaw University of Technology

+76 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Teymur Melikov

Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Ukraine

fowls den

Bartosz Szczęsny

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

The Nest

Samuel Morley

United Kingdom

Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Dalya Ortak

Jinsoo Kim

Germany

Benjamin Nicaud

Joanna Orłowska

France

Dive in - Visitor Center

Jiří Bužek

Aleš Javůrek

Czech Republic

THE LITTLE PRINCE - ELEPHANT IN THE SNAKE

Gabor Kruppa

Blanka Klenk

Reka Czina

Tamas Butora

Hungary

KEMERI GARDENS

Danny Truong

Australia

Oracle

Frederick Biehle

Erika Hinrichs

Anna Oldakowski

United States

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Centre

Andrew Daly

David Gan

Amelie Devaux

Rob Meyerson

Australia

A Forest Pond

Rodrigo Zagarzazú

Lucia Rehermann

Renzo Bonina

Christian Flores

Uruguay

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center

Karlis Kukainis

Linda Ledina

Jatiphak Boonmun

United Kingdom

Guido Mitidieri

Venessa Mok

Finland

A Return to Laugier

M. charles Kirkham

United States

Prelude

Kamila Szatanowska

Paulina Rogalska

Michał Morzy

Jakub Nanowski

Poland

Visitor Center - The Great Kemeri Bog

Zbigniew Czaja

Magdalena Mucha

Joanna Ubik

Warsaw University of Technology Faculty of Architecture

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

Sense of place

Mariana Steiner Gusmão

André Bihuna d'Oliveira

Pagus Arquitetura

Brazil

Great Kemeri Bog Visitor Center_a new landmark for the Kemeri National Park

Adrien Thivolle

France

Scape Architecture

Sauvineau Florent

France