2023 Victoriei Square, Timișoara

The Order of Architects in Romania (OAR), with the support of Timiș Territorial Branch of OAR and the Contracting Authority – The Municipality of Timișoara, are glad to announce the official launch of the „Victoriei Square” International Design Competition.

The purpose of this competition is to select the best project for the design and modernization of Victoriei Square and of the streets in the citadel area, for the award of the design services contract.

Victoriei Square (formerly known as Opera Square) is an exceptional historical, cultural and identity landmark that goes beyond the geographical limits of Timișoara. It is one of the city’s main squares and the symbol of the fall of the communist regime in Romania, where Timișoara was proclaimed the first free city in Romania on December 20th, 1989. At the same time, it contains numerous symbols, cultural and affective landmarks important to the city’s inhabitants, among other elements of historical and cultural heritage that must be understood in all their significance, protected and promoted as such.

For several years, The City Hall of Timișoara has been trying to rehabilitate this space, on which several fragmented maintenance and repair interventions and local improvements have been contracted and are underway. The challenge of the competition consists of formulating a solution for the development of the public space that is respectful of the built heritage, of all the layers that history has deposited in this space and in harmony with the elements of the urban landscape.

The participants of the competition should find̆ the maximum potential for each of the needs of Victoriei Square and seek a fair balance between the perennial values of the history and space of Victoriei Square and the possibilities of innovation in accordance with the contemporary way of thinking and usage of the public space.

The Contracting Authority of the competition is The Municipality of Timișoara, the beneficiary of the project which will be contracted following the competition.

The competition is organized by the Romanian Order of Architects (OAR), in accordance with the OAR Good Practices Guide for Design Competitions (edited in Romanian – Ghidul de bune practici în organizarea concursurilor de soluții OAR, rev. 2022), in compliance with the provisions of the legislation in force regarding the award of public procurement contracts.

The Design Competition is a public, single-stage competition, open to Romania, all countries of the European Union, of the European Economic Area, and to the Swiss Confederation. The design competition is organized as an independent procedure, in accordance with art. 105 letter a) of Law no. 98/2016 regarding public procurement, and subsequently, pursuant to provisions under art. 104 para. (7) of the same law, the design services contract is to be awarded to the winner of the competition, following a negotiation procedure without prior publication of a participation announcement.