Foreword
Competition organisers
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
Launched as the second in a series of architecture competitions focusing on the natural splendor of the Pape Nature Park in Latvia, the Pape Nature Park Gateway architecture competition tasked participants with envisioning iconic and creative projects for an entranceway into the park, combining functional services and aesthetic design on a scale that would welcome guests and imprint a memory not soon forgotten.
The Pape Nature Park is something of a natural wonder in itself, spanning some 51,000 hectares in the south west region of Latvia. It has become a birdwatching paradise as it sees over 50,000 migratory birds each year, and even reintroduced other wildlife back into nature. Most notably was the reintroduction of wild horses, who had been driven from the area by human agriculture and settlements.
Participants balanced their desire to create an iconic landmark with the properties necessary for day-to-day life at the park, including a ticket booth, visitor accommodation, a terrace for campers, and a playground for the kids in their project designs. For this competition, the jury focused its attention on each project’s buildability, and how it would carefully consider environmental impact while at the same time working within a limited budget.
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.
jury commentary
Though a rather long-winded title, “LEARNING FROM ASCETISM - Against austerity: for a fundamentalist materialism” really captured the jury’s attention with its simplicity. A simple tower built of wood, straw, and earth, with a stone foundation that anchors it to the landscape, balancing the strength of the elements in its very structure. The jury loved the straightforward design, and how the participants created such a bold and elegant statement that shared such a strong connection with the earth and green design. It managed all this while fitting in the suggested budget, accommodating the competition programme and incorporating a new function, an observation platform. For this reason it was awarded both first prize and the BB Green Award.