Urban Design and Harmony of Ramses Square in Cairo, Egypt

The aim of the competition is the urban redefinition and the rehabilitation of the square and its surroundings in order to resolve the problems encountered by this part of the city, notably in relation to traffic, environmental, noise and visual pollution, of rehabilitation and identification of the spaces.

Description
Cairo – one of the biggest capital cities of the world and point of intersection of movement axes between the north and south of the Nile Valley – suffers from a lot of problems that are concentrated at the central area of Cairo inscribed between the three main squares: Ramses, Ataba and Tahrir Squares. Ramses Square is considered the focal point of major movement and transportation modes and lines in Cairo. The Square which is of important historical and urban value needs to be redeveloped because of its urban and traffic problems. Therefore, the Egyptian Government has commissioned the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH) and Cairo Governorate to issue "The International Competition for Urban Design and Harmony of Ramses Square" under the auspices of the International Union of Architects (UIA) in order to reach the best solution for the Square. The Competition aims at producing an urban design plan for Ramses Square within a comprehensive vision for the city center of Cairo. It is open to all architects, planners and urban designers, either individuals or teams.

Jury
Prof. Dr. Abdallah A. Attia (Egypt) (President)
Prof. Dr. Abdel Mohsen Barada (Egypt) (member)
Prof. Dr. Sameh El-Alaily (Egypt) (member)
Mr. Alexandru Beldiman (Romania) (UIA Representative)
Mr. Axel Schultes Architekten (Germany) (member)
Mr. Eliseo Arredondo (Mexico) (member)
Ms. Diana Agrest (USA) (member)

Prize
First prize: 100,000 USD
Second prize: 75,000 USD
Third prize: 50,000 USD

Entry Fee
USD 500

Timetable
Jury meeting and announcement of the results: August 2009

Organizer
Egyptian Government

Official Website
http://www.urbanharmony.org/