Three finalists are competing to design Lithuania's new Kaunas M.K. Čiurlionis Concert Centre

Two British teams and one from Lithuania have been announced as finalists in the international design contest for the new €30M Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis Concert Centre in Kaunas, Lithuania. 

The three chosen finalists are:

• Adam Khan Architects (United Kingdom)
• Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (United Kingdom) 
• UAB Paleko Archstudija and UAB Baltic Engineers (Lithuania) 

The city, selected as European Capital of Culture 2022, is considered one of the Baltics' most up and coming regions for arts and culture, however Kaunas – and Lithuania – lacks a state-of-the-art concert hall that offers the acoustic quality and facilities needed to host leading orchestras and also provide multi-functional spaces for conferences, congresses and symposia.

Six teams also received honorable mentions:

• Mark Foster Gage Architects (US) 
• Ja Architecture Studio (Canada) 
• William Olmsted Antozzi Office of Architecture, TARI Architects and Derek Pirozzi Design Workshop (US) 
• Ateliers O-S Architectes (France) 
• RARE architecture (United Kingdom) 
• Studija Heima, MB and Vaidas Saveikis (Lithuania)

The jury, chaired by Malcolm Reading, comprised Jonas Audėjaitis, Kaunas Faculty Dean, Vilnius Academy of Arts, and Member of Kaunas City Council; Gražina Janulytė Bernotienė, Architect, Gražinos Janulytės Bernotienės studija; Ingela Larsson, Partner, Architect, Henning Larsen Architects; Povilas Mačiulis, Vice Mayor, Kaunas City Municipality; Edgaras Neniškis, Architect, Arches; Modestas Pitrėnas, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra; Daniel Rosbottom, Co-Director, DRDH Architects; and Neill Woodger, Acoustics and Theatre Designer.

The concert hall is expected to open its doors by 2022, the year of Kaunas' reign as European Capital of Culture.