In conjunction with the official launch of the Open Ideas Design Competition for the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) site, the South Australian Government has announced the judges who will be responsible for selecting the best ideas.

The panel will be chaired by architect and former national president of the Australian Institute of Architects Shelley Penn and editor of international publication Architecture Review, Catherine Slessor.

National experts, architects Tim Horton, Timothy Hill and Bob Nation, landscape architect Catherin Bull, and urban economist and planner Marcus Spiller, are also on the judging committee.

The global competition aims to unearth a suitable solution for the Greater Riverbank Precinct Implementation Plan, while strengthening connections to the Riverbank, Easy End and the CBD, the University Precinct, and the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide.

Registered architects and landscape architects are invited to submit their ideas anonymously for the future of the site, after the RAH relocates in 2016.

Adelaide Riverbank Precinct. Image: sourceable.net

Run by The Office for Design and Architecture SA (ODASA) in partnership with Renewal SA, the competition focuses on the submission of ideas rather than projects.

The proposals will be rated against seven criteria, such as how each design works with the site’s heritage aspects.

Entrants will need to consider that the site sits within an area that consists of three distinct precincts: a Health and Well-being Precinct that will incorporate the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, an Entertainment Precinct and an Education and Culture Precinct.

Other objectives that should be strived for include the consideration of sustainable design, the creation of public space, enhancing connectivity throughout the precinct while supporting surrounding heritage through adaptive reuse.

The Royal Adelaide Hospital. Image: adelaidenow.com

“I’d say everything is open, that’s one of the wonderful qualities about an open ideas competition,” says Penn.

“I think we can get the best designers, you know, the government architect here is fantastic, they’ve got a great team but even they would be fettered by what they know.”

Stage one of the competition will be open until 28 August. Submitted ideas will be then shared with the public via a dedicated website and assessed by the panel based on the competition criteria.

A maximum of six entries will be selected to go through to the second stage, which will run from 16 September to 2 November. Each of these shortlisted proposals will receive an honorarium of $100,000 for their efforts.

“Over the next five months we will be listening to the community and stakeholders, who we know have a wide range of ideas for potential uses for the site,” says SA Planning Minister John Rau.

“I am confident that the expertise of the independent judging panel will deliver on the competitions objectives and also help attract international interest in the competition.”

For more information or to enter, please visit www.odasa.sa.gov.au/rahsite/#/home.

Geraldine Chua

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