Seven big-name teams shortlisted for Ross Pavilion Design Competition in Edinburgh

In the latest effort to rejuvenate the culturally significant Ross Bandstand and West Princes Street Gardens in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland, over 125 teams (made up of some 400 individual firms) representing 22 countries vied for a chance to participate in the design competition for the £25 million Ross Pavilion and Gardens. Efforts to repair the Ross Bandstand and Gardens trace back to 2004 and a previous design competition to repair the site was first launched in 2006, but was canceled due to funding constraints. Today, the Ross Development Trust in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council and Malcolm Reading Consultants jointly announced seven finalist teams to submit design concepts for the Ross Pavilion.

Each multi-disciplinary team includes architects, landscape designers, engineers, and other specialists. By August, only one team will be commissioned for the project. Scroll down to see which big-name architects will lead their teams in phase two.

The shortlisted teams are:

• Adjaye Associates (UK) with Morgan McDonnell, BuroHappold, Turley, JLL, Arup, Plan A Consultants, Charcoalblue and Sandy Brown Associates
• BIG Bjarke Ingels Group (Denmark) with jmarchitects, GROSS. MAX., WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Alan Baxter Associates, JLL, Speirs + Major, Charcoalblue and People Friendly Design
• Flanagan Lawrence (UK) with Gillespies, Expedition Engineering, JLL, Arup and Alan Baxter Associates
• Page \ Park Architects (UK) with West8, BuroHappold, Muir Smith Evans and Charcoalblue
• Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter (Norway) with GROSS. MAX., AECOM, Groves-Raines Architects and Charcoalblue
• wHY (USA) with GRAS, Groves-Raines Architects, Arup, O Street, Creative Concern, Noel Kingsbury, Yann Kersalé Studio, Lawrence Barth, Stuco, Alan Cumming, Aaron Hicklin, Alison Watson, Peter Ross, Adrian Turpin and Beatrice Colin
• William Matthews Associates (UK) and Sou Fujimoto Architects (Japan) with GROSS. MAX., BuroHappold, Purcell and Scott Hobbs

“The brief at stage two asks for a serious piece of architecture but one that’s also celebratory,” stated Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture Convener and Festivals Champion for the City of Edinburgh Council.

Finalists will have until June 9, 2017 to submit their concepts for the main event Pavilion along with a visitor center and cafe, and subtle improvements to the West Princes Street Gardens. The finalist concepts will soon be displayed in a public and online exhibition for feedback. 

“The quality of the 125 teams on the longlist sent a strong signal that the international design community regards this as an inspirational project for Edinburgh that has huge potential to reinvigorate this prestigious site,” stated Jury Chair Norman Springford, who is also the Chairman of the Ross Development Trust. “Selecting the shortlist with our partners from City of Edinburgh Council was an intense and demanding process.”

The competition jury will interview each team before choosing the winning team, which is expected to be announced in early August. Construction for the project is currently expected to begin in 2018.

So far, the jury includes Ada Yvars Bravo, Director, MYAA Architects; Sir Mark Jones FSA FRSE, former Director of the National Museums of Scotland and the Victoria and Albert Museum; Riccardo Marini, Director, Gehl Architects; Alexander McCall Smith, writer; Malcolm Reading, Architect and Competition Director; and Norman Springford (jury chair), Chairman, Ross Development Trust. Additional jury members — including an elected City of Edinburgh Council member (following the upcoming local elections) — will be later announced in the competition process.

All photos courtesy of Malcolm Reading Consultants.