Program:
Design a visitor centre and café for the Tower of London that integrates the historic fabric.
Description:
The new building is expected to be around 9,600 m² providing a new cultural space, integrating, exterior areas of the Tower of London with its main access and also developing the relationship between the tower and the river Thames.
That includes a dedicated pier as an alternative access point as well as the use of the beach in the summer that can be
considered. The views to the tower from the developed area are part of the visual Heritage to be preserved, including the layers of
different juxtaposed constructions visible from this point of view.
The Middle Tower is also another Principal Heritage element that needs to be preserved and protected. For the purposes of this architectural competition, any existing undercroft construction will be omitted and the proposals can consider below-grade developments.
Calendar:
-Opening of competition registration: January 27th 2014
-Closure of competition registration: March 31th 2014
-Project entry closure: April 15th 2014
-Jury: End of April 2014
Exhibition of selected projects at the Venice Architectural Biennale 2014.
Presentation of the Wilmotte Foundation:
The Wilmotte Foundation aims to encourage the exploration of architectural heritage and its relation to the architectural creation. As part of the competition this year, it is planned to design a cultural and event centre at the tower of London.
The competition is open to students and young architects of architecture schools from the European Union and Switzerland, who graduated after december 31st, 2010. They will have to justify their current or past inscription in a school.