Open Call: Architects And Engineers Invited To Participate In UNESCO Competition To Reconstruct And Rehabilitate The Al-Nouri Complex In Mosul, Iraq

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the launch of an international design competition for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Al-Nouri Complex in Mosul, Iraq.

The contest, which is being run by the UNESCO Office in Iraq, has been organized in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and Sunni Endowment in Iraq, and with the financial support of the United Arab Emirates.

Endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA), entries for this project opened on November 16, 2020, with the contest welcoming submissions from architects and engineers from across the world.

The winners of the competition will be announced on April 15, 2021. UNESCO will be offering a range of prizes to the top five design entries, with the first place winner set to be awarded US$50,000. Winners in the second, third, fourth, and fifth places will be awarded $30,000, $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000, respectively.

The applications will be submitted to an independent jury composed of leading experts from around the world who were selected by UNESCO with the participation of the Sunni Endowment and Ministry of Culture in Iraq.

The participants must create an integrated design inspired from and compatible with the traditional architecture of Mosul’s old city, while also considering the retention of the authenticity and integrity of the Complex.

Applicants have to give importance to integrating an environmentally-conscious design, which, in the context of Mosul, should consider locally resourced materials, climate, and efficiency.

Maintaining the original essence is something that is very much required of the new design, which must integrate and blend seamlessly with the remains of historical landmarks within the complex.

The jury for the competition includes:

• Howayda Al-Harithy, Saudi Arabia: Professor of Architecture and Director of the School of Design at the American University of Beirut.
• Ahmed Alomary, Iraq: Head of the Department of Architectural Engineering at the University of Mosul
• Raya Ani, Iraq: FAIA, LEED AP, Founder and Design Director at RAW-NYC Architects
• Xavier Casanovas, Spain: Expert in urban regeneration and sustainable rehabilitation and professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia
• Amel Chabbi, United Arab Emirates: Head of the Conservation Section at the Department of Culture and Tourism for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
• Shahira Fahmy, Egypt: Architect, urbanist, creative researcher and founder of Shahira Fahmi Architects
• Dominique Perrault, France: Architect, founder of Dominique Perrault Architecture (DPA)
• Wang Shu, China: Architect and co-founder of Amateur Architecture Studio
• Marina Tabassum, Bangladesh: Architect and principal of Marina Tabassum Architects
• Shadia Touqan, Palestine: Architect, urban planner and director of ARC-WH (UNESCO Category 2 Centre)
• Jerzy Uścinowicz, Poland Professor of Architecture and Head of the Division of Architecture of Local Cultures in the Faculty of Architecture of the Białystok University of Technology.

The competition’s timeframe has been laid out as follows:

• Launch of the Competition: 16 November 2020
• First round of questions: 7 December 2020
• Deadline to answer: 14 December 2020
• Deadline for registration: 21 December 2020
• Deadline for second round of questions: 15 January 2021
• Deadline to answer: 22 January 2021
• Deadline for entries: 26 March 2021
• Deadline for revision by Technical Committee: 3 April 2021
• Jury meeting and deliberation: 4-11 April 2021
• Announcement of the Winner: 15 April 2021

To submit an entry for the contest, please click here.

For more details on the competition, please click here.

Further information can be secured by emailing mosulcompetition@unesco.org.

Related: Challenge Accepted: UNESCO Launches An International Competition To Rebuild A Global Icon In Iraq