The Ross Development Trust has unveiled an exhibition featuring seven conceptual projects created by international teams hoping to design the new Ross Pavilion—a project to revitalize Edinburgh's historic West Princes Street Gardens. (The Ross Pavilion International Design Competition is being held by the Ross Development Trust, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organization, in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council.)
The pavilion and gardens, which hold great cultural significance in the city, will serve as a platform for arts and culture. The location, below Edinburgh Castle, hosts some of Scotland’s highest-profile events and is adjacent to a pedestrian-heavy area of Edinburgh. The pavilion will replace the current Ross Bandstand.
Chairman of the Ross Development Trust and the competition's chair of the jury, Norman Springford, said in a release that “the revival of this, one of Edinburgh’s best and most prominent sites, is a hugely exciting prospect and we now have seven fascinating design concepts from some of the world’s most in-demand creative minds.”
Design guidelines called for a flexible and contemporary space that respects the history of Edinburgh Castle and the surrounding area while heightening the aesthetic experience. The project will also include a visitor center and café.
The seven shortlisted designs were selected from a pool of 125 teams and 400 individual firms. The chosen teams include:
- Adjaye Associates
- Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
- Flanagan Lawrence
- Page\Park Architects, West 8 Lancscape Architects, BuroHappold Engineering
- Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter
- William Matthews Associates and Sou Fujimoto Architects
- WHY, Groves-Raines Architects (GRAS), Arup, Studio Yann Kersalé, O Street, Stuco, Creative Concern, Noel Kingsbury, Atelier Ten, and Lawrence Barth.
The exhibition, at Edinburgh's City Art Center, opened today and runs until July 30, with an online gallery available as well. Malcolm Reading Consultants, organizers of the two-phase competition, encourage viewers to comment on the designs at the competition and via email.
The jury is expected to announce the winner of the competition in early August, and construction of the pavilion will begin in 2018.
