site.btaPublic Competition Announced for Architectural Concept for Former National Bank Building in Plovdiv

A public competition for a new concept for the former building of the Bulgarian National Bank in Plovdiv will be conducted,  Plovdiv Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov told a news conference here on Monday. The competition will be prepared jointly with the the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria and the Union of Architects in Bulgaria.

Plamen Panov, Deputy Mayor for Culture, said that the ideas for the future function of the building should be connected to culture and should allow for administrative functions to be carried out. He pointed out that they expect complex ideas meeting the main criteria: innovativeness for the function of the building and the space in front of it. Details about the building and the competition are published on the Trezor za Idei website; an English version will also be provided. Three tours of the building will be organised in March and April, and a virtual tour has been published already on the website. 

The deadline for applications is April 30. The three best concepts will be presented at open exhibitions for public discussion. They will receive a bonus of BGN 3,000 each. 

The former building of the Bulgarian National Bank is regarded as one of the most beautiful buildings in Plovdiv, having been designed by the Swiss architect Jakob Heinrich Meyer in 1909. It has been a monument of culture since 1985.