National Center for Contemporary Arts, Museum and Exhibition Complex, Russian Architecture Competition

National Center for Contemporary Arts, Russia

Russian Architectural Competition : NCCA – run by Ministry of Culture

29 + 28 Dec 2013

National Centre for Contemporary Arts Competition

Location: Khodynskoe Pole, Moscow, Russia

The winner of the competition for the architectural concept of the new National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) building has been announced

Moscow, December 2013 – the winner of the International Competition for the architectural concept for the new building for National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) at Khodynskoe Pole in Moscow has been announced. The winner is Heneghan Peng Architects from Ireland.

Heneghan Peng

On the 23th December the NCCA Board of Trustees determined the winner of the international contest. The final session of the international jury panel took place earlier, on the 12th December, in the course of which three finalists were selected from the ten companies that had taken part in the second round of the contest. They are Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos from Spain, Russian architectural studio Mel and the Irish bureau Heneghan Peng Architects.

Here is an abstract of the winner’s concept description:
«This proposal positions the NCCA building as a vertical element at the centre of Khodynskoe Pole rising above shopping moll Aviapark. The verticality concentrates the activities on the ground to create an intensity at a single point in this vast space. Given the scale and relative sparsenesss of activities in the area, the aim is to concentrate the flow of people to generate an excitement and energy which can then expand into other areas as the park develops. In this proposal, the exhibition spaces are designed as a series of stacked galleries allowing people to either visit a particular gallery of interest or browse through the entire collection. The advantage of the vertical organisation is that galleries are quickly accessible, allowing one to go straight to a single floor without moving horizontally though layers of gallery».

This competition is a landmark event in the cultural life of Russia and Moscow, and will serve to create a prominent architectural image in the large-scale project that is the redevelopment of Khodynskoe Pole. It is vital that the new NCCA becomes the main national institution for all manifestations of contemporary art, and that it opens up communication channels with similar centers in other countries around the world, uniting all who take part in the creation, study, promotion and advancement of contemporary Russian art.

NCCA Competition – Commentary

Denis Leontyev, General Director of KB Strelka
“It is crucial to understand that Khodynskoe Pole, the site of the future museum, is a location for new development of considerable scale. Simultaneous with the NCCA museum and exhibition complex, a new shopping center, park, hotel, residential and office buildings are being planned. A hybrid environment will result, where the most varied functions mix – cultural, commercial and residential. Such close proximity often acts as the catalyst for the appearance of striking and bold architecture. As an example, take the Guggenheim-Hermitage space created by Rem Koolhaas in Las Vegas, positioned in one complex with a hotel and casino. The competition for the new NCCA is a striving to look at a city, at a combination of functions and architectural forms, in a contemporary spirit.

I would also like to underline the openness of this competition: thanks to the mixed system of submission formats (by portfolio and sketches), participation has been open to young specialists and architectural firms just starting out on their careers, alongside the more fêted established professionals.”

About the Museum and Exhibition Complex of the National Center for Contemporary Arts Competition

The international open competition for the concept for the architectural project of the new National Centre for Contemporary Art building (“the New NCCA”) on the territory of Khodynskoe Pole was announced on the 24th July 2013 by the Russian Federation Minister of Culture V. R. Medinsky. The competition client is the National Centre for Contemporary Art, the organizer – the “New Art” Foundation for the Promotion of Contemporary Art. The Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design is acting as project consultant, elaborating the technical specifications and providing assistance in organizing all stages of the contest. The competition was held with the support of the Russian Federation Ministry of Culture, the City of Moscow Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning and in partnership with the Union of Moscow Architects. The NCCA Board of Trustees are financing the competition.

The international open competition consisted of two rounds, together lasting six months. More than 900 applications were handled and around 250 of them met the competition requirements. In the first round (20th August – 20th September), an elimination process took place ending with the jury’s selection of ten participants. To conclude the second round (2nd October – 22nd November), the international jury selected three finalists. After negotiations with the NCCA Board of Trustees the ultimate winner had been determined, which architectural concept underlies the final construction project. The integrated development of project documentation and the construction of the museum building will be financed by the state.

5 Aug 2013

Russian Arts Center Competition

Organiser: Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation

Location: Moscow, Russia

Russia NCCA Competition Announced

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation announces the international competition for the architecture concept of the Museum and Exhibition Complex of the National Center for Contemporary Arts. Registry applications can be submitted at the official competition website newncca.ru since August 20th, 2013. Architecture studios as well as young professionals are welcome to take part.

20 Sep, 2013 : competition application submission deadline

competition logo

Well-known professionals as well as large international practices can submit their portfolios. This type participants should present their related projects, relevant in their character, format or scope to the Competition task, and provide information on experience of their companies.

Registration start date: August 20th 2013.

10 candidates will be allowed to participate in Stage 2. Five companies will be selected after design concept assessment; five studios, after portfolio and experience examination. Short-listers will get the specifications to develop their solutions since October 2nd, 2013. They will be to present their projects till November 15th, 2013. 3 ranked finalists will be selected by the Jury in early December 2013 but only one project will be recommended for the further realization. The Jury will include Russian and foreign experts in architecture and urban development, and NCCA trustees as well as directors of the world’s foremost contemporary art museums and contemporary art experts. (The full list will be published at the Competition website).

The Competition is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Committee for Architecture and Urban Development of Moscow.
Client: National Center for Contemporary Arts.
Promoter: New Art Foundation.
Consultant: Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design.
Competition is fully sponsored by the Board of Trustees of NCCA.

National Center for Contemporary Arts Competition image / information received from Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation

Location:Moscow, Russia