UNESCO, the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and the Iraqi Sunni Endowment, have committed to reconstruct and rehabilitate the Al Nouri Complex in Mosul with the generous financial support of the United Arab Emirates.

UNESCO has announced the launch of an international design competition for selecting a winning design entry for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Al Nouri Complex in Mosul. The competition by UNESCO Office in Iraq is in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and Sunni Endowment in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

Endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA), the completion for this project starts on November 16th, 2020 and aims to invite submissions from a wide range of architects and engineers from across the world. The entries 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 considering the retention of authenticity and integrity of the complex. Importance must be given to integrating an environmentally-conscious design, which in the Mosul context should consider locally resourced materials, climate, and efficiency. Maintaining the original essence is something that is very much required, the new design must integrate and blend seamlessly with the remains of historical landmarks within the complex.

Judges:
The jury is made up of the following members listed in alphabetical order (9 jurors and 2 alternates):

• 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.

Timeframe

Launching 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 & deliberation: 4-11 April 2021;
Announcement of the Winner: 15 April 2021

The announcement of the winner will be made on April 15th, 2021. UNESCO will be offering a range of prizes to the top five design entries with the winner getting $50,000. The second place will get $30,000, third place $20,000, fourth place $15,000, and fifth place $10,000.

You can register here: https://en.unesco.org/news/architectural-competition-reconstruction-and-rehabilitation-al-nouri-complex-mosul/register

If you would like to find out more information about the competition: https://en.unesco.org/news/architectural-competition-reconstruction-and-rehabilitation-al-nouri-complex-mosul/register

Contact: [email protected]