The Lebanese development corporation SOLIDERE s.a.l. launches an international ideas competition,open and anonymous, in two stages, for the urban design of Martyrs' Square and the Grand Axis of Beirut.

In conformity with the UNESCO-UIA regulations concerning international competitions in architecture and town planning, this competition has been approved by the International Union of Architects (UIA).

In the wake of the civil war, in May 1994, SOLIDERE was created by government decree and given the task of restoring and reconstructing the centre of Beirut in accordance with a Master Plan covering an area of 191 hectares.

In this framework, the city's infrastructure has been rebuilt, almost 300 buildings have been restored and new projects have been realised. To identify new and emerging roles for the Martyrs' Square and the Grand Axis, SOLIDERE is launching a call for ideas, open to the world community of architects and, for the first stage, to students of architecture also.

The aim is to obtain an urban concept that will provide a new identity for these two historic elements, engender a new regional profile for Beirut and participate in the reunification of the city now recovering rapidly, some 15 years after the Lebanese war. Besides, the site is being equipped with a high-tech multi-media telecommunications infrastructure for its future role as media and communications hub, adapted to the new economy, globalisation and new information technologies.

Projects must give the Lebanese the opportunity to integrate the city's archaeological and historic heritage according to a new cultural dimension while at the same time allowing the repositioning within a transterritorial network of global city functions.

The international jury is composed as follows:

• Fouad Awada (Lebanon)
• Roueida Ayache, architect (France)
• Donald Bates, architect (Australia)
• Rodolfo Machado, architect (USA)
• Joan Busquets, architect (Spain)
• Samir Khalaf, sociologist (Lebanon)
• Chong Chia Goh (Singapore), architect, UIA representative

And of two deputy members:
• Bernard Khoury, architect (Lebanon)
• Morizio Marzi (Italy), architect, representing the UIA

In the first stage, professional and student projects will be adjudicated separately, by the same jury:
• 1^st prize: 10 000 US$
• 2^nd prize: 7 500 US$
• 3^rd Prize: 5 000 US$
• mentions: 2 500 US$ each.

The architects, authors of the 5-7 projects selected by the jury, will be invited to take part in the second stage, for which they will receive a fee of 30 000 US$. At the end of this second stage the jury will award three prizes:
• 1^st prize: 70 000 US$
• 2^nd prize: 30 000 US$
• 3^rd prize: 20 000 US$.

The registration fee for students is 120 US$ and 250 US$ for architects. Registration will be made on-line at the competition site:
www.beirutmartyrssquare.com

Participants who wish to pay the registration fee by bank transfer should adress the payment to:

Bank charges are to be covered by the participant. The name on the bank order must be the same as that on the registration form.

18 June 2004

31 July 2004

1 October 2004

7 October 2004

14-16 October 2004

1 November 2004

15 April 2005

2-6 May 2005

6 May 2005

May 2005

For the first stage, competitors will be required to submit concept sketches, drawings and illustrations, on 2 A1 sheets at scale of 1/1000 or at a scale necessary to show specific design details. A descriptive text not exceeding 1500 words will be included with the sheets.

The architects selected to take part in the second stage will be required to submit a detailed study of their projects.