New School Building in Sofia – Architecture Competition

The 18th Comprehensive School “William Gladstone” in Sofia has announced an international architectural competition for a new educational building.

The competition invites architects and design teams from Bulgaria and from around the world. It seeks a conceptual architectural design for a new educational building, functionally connected to the existing historic school building and the Bulgarian-Japanese Cultural Centre, together with proposals for the functional reorganization and landscaping of the school grounds.

The best works will be awarded with a First Prize of €30,000, a Second Prize of €20,000 and a Third Prize of €10,000. The total prize fund amounts to €60,000.

The competition is held under the theme “Architecture of Knowledge” – architecture that respects tradition while creating a new identity for the future. The chosen solution is intended to shape the next chapter in the history of one of the oldest and largest schools in Bulgaria.

The school welcomed its first pupils in the 1907/1908 academic year as the Third Boys’ Grammar School. Its building was officially inaugurated in 1910 and named after William Gladstone, the British statesman who spoke out in defence of the Bulgarian people in 1876. Today the school counts more than 2,200 pupils from Year 1 to Year 12, making it the largest school in Bulgaria.

Entries will be assessed against a set of published design principles:

• Distinctive architecture – a clear and recognisable concept balancing tradition and contemporary design
• Contemporary educational environment – adaptable spaces supporting different configurations and informal learning
• Human scale – design responding to the age, needs and perception of pupils, with clear functional organization
• Daylight and a healthy environment – abundant natural daylight, good ventilation and a comfortable indoor climate
• Safety – clearly organized entrances, controlled-access areas and intuitive movement
• Universal design and accessibility – equitable use for people of all ages and abilities

The entries will be evaluated by a seven-member international jury, which is yet to be announced on the official website.

Proposals may be submitted via the competition website, where submitted documents are registered in the Centralised Automated Information System for Electronic Public Procurement (CAIS EPP) on behalf of participants, or directly via CAIS EPP. Participants are required to complete the published application documents. The published materials do not specify an entry fee.

For further details, please check the official website.

No Entry Fee!

It's free to enter.