Entries are due 1 February, after which the jury — of which Domus editor-in-chief Joseph Grima is a member — will meet 15-16 February. The results will be announced on the 16th, at 7PM, followed by the People's Choice Award on 1 March. DomusWeb will publish selected results following the announcement of the winner.
The competition poses the double challenge of reviving the memory of the sea at the Bab al Bahrain square and proposing a viable urban site taking into consideration the new changes in lifestyles and behaviorism in the Arab World. Considering the recent political events that have taken place across the region, the competition seeks to question what a contemporary public space in the Arab World should look like, answering the questions How will it be used?, Who will use it?, How will it integrate within the rest of the urban fabric of the City?, What will it represent?
The Bab al Bahrain square is one of the few existing public spaces in Bahrain, and has been progressively turned into a series of surface parking lots. Still, due to its historical importance and its centrality within the Island, it holds the potential to become a lively urban public square; located at the entrance of the Manama Suq it has the advantage of belonging to a tight urban structure which still benefits from a natural pedestrian network.
Participants will need to take into account existing buildings and neighborhoods, the square's connection to the seafront, its landscape and sense of place.
Bab al Bahrain Square Open Ideas Competition
Bahrain
Deadline 1 February
Pearl Square photo by flickr user Aljazeera English