ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION

KURGI
OBSERVATION
TOWER
COMPETITION CONDITIONS
CONTENTS

3 INTRODUCTION Bee Breeders Architecture Competition Organisers,

4 NORTH VIDZEME BIOSPHERE RESERVE
6 THE COMPETITION SITE
9 THE COMPETITION
in partnership with
Kurgi Farm,
have prepared this document for the
KURGI OBSERVATION TOWER
architecture competition.

11 PROJECT PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Full Competition Terms & Conditions:

KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com/terms
12 PRIZES
13 COMPETITION SCHEDULE © Bee Breeders
Architecture Competition Organisers
13 REGISTRATION FEES hello@beebreeders.com
beebreeders.com
14 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
14 RECOMMENDED SUBMISSION CONTENT
14 PRESENTATION DELIVERABLES SET
15 JURY & EVALUATION PROCESS
16 TELL THE WORLD YOUR STORY
17 ELIGIBILITY
17 COMPETITION DOCUMENTATION
17 MEDIA PARTNERS
17 ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS
 INTRODUCTION
Bee Breeders, in partnership with Kurgi Farm, are
calling for submissions for a hilltop observation tower
in the North Latvia Biosphere Reserve. The reserve is
one of the most beautiful and scenic locations in
Northern Europe and is listed as a nature conservation
area of international importance by UNESCO.

3
NORTH VIDZEME
BIOSPHERE
RESERVE
Established in 1997, the North Vidzeme Biosphere is
the only one of its kind in Latvia, stretching across 53
km of coastline along the Gulf of Riga and bordering
the northern frontier with Estonia. The biosphere
covers 457,600 hectares of land and 16,750 hectares
of sea and was recognized as part of the UNESCO
program within a year of being established as a
protected territory of international importance.
Salaca river, Burtnieks Lake, Latvia © Anda Mikelsone
The majority of the landscape is filled with lakes, as
well as glacially formed hills and rolling plains. The
region also includes one of the biggest areas of raised
bogs in the Baltic states, as well as the largest area of
littoral or randu meadows in Latvia. Within the reserve
there are several protected nature areas, including
dendrological plantations, geological and geomorphic
nature, as well as historical landmarks.

3
4
There are a number of diverse natural and semi-natural
habitats throughout the reserve as it encompasses
vast areas of primeval and traditional landscapes.
There are 25 nature reserves, one nature park, and
two marine protected areas within the reserve. Of Burtnieks Lake, Latvia © Anda Mikelsone
these 28 protected areas, 20 were established
specifically to protect forest and swamp habitats.

The reserve is popular with tourists, offering visitors

amazing natural views of the river Salaca, which starts
its 95 km long journey at the scenic lake Burtnieks and
finishes it in the Baltic Sea.

Ērģeme Castle © Ivo Kruusamägi

5
3
THE COMPETITION
SITE
The competition site is situated within the North
Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve. Kurgi Farm itself is fairly THE TOWER LOCATION
remote, located on the Latvian-Estonian border, but
can be accessed from several towns and cities by car.

The closest town is Ērģeme, a village in the Valka

municipality of Latvia, which is roughly 15 minutes
from Kurgi Farm. It is the location of the ruins of
Ērģeme Castle which was built in the 14th century on
the spot of an ancient Estonian hillfort.

Another nearby town is Valka-Valga which, like the

farm, is positioned along the Latvian-Estonian border.
Half the town is located in each country, with Valka
located in the Latvian half and Valga the Estonian half. KURGI FARM
Tartu, home of the prestigious University of Tartu, is
roughly a one-hour drive from Kurgi Farm, meaning
there is plenty of potential to receive visitors, tourists,
and students as guests at the ecotourism farm.

KURGI FARM COORDINATES:

@57.882712, 25.694757

THE TOWER LOCATION:

@57.884917, 25.693833

6
Kurgi Farm Panorama

Tower Location Panorama; More SITE AND CONTEXT photographs are available for downlaod at KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com

7
 7

More SITE AND CONTEXT photographs are available for downlaod at KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com
8
THE COMPETITION
KURGI OBSERVATION
TOWER
Kurgi Farm is owned by a young couple, Kristaps and
Laura, who were mesmerised by the natural beauty of
the area. So much so that they decided to live there
permanently.

Kurgi farm’s primary focus is horse breeding, but not

just any horses. Kurgi farm is one of the only breeding
programmes in place for the Latvian Ardennes, a rare
breed of local horse that is dangerously close to
extinction, and Kurgi has one of the last four Latvian
Ardennes studs in existence. The Latvian Ardennes is
a breed of horse that the local community value highly
as part of their historical heritage, and have been
working hard to save from extinction.

Kurgi farm is owned by a young couple,

Kristaps and Laura

9
For the Kurgi Observation Tower competition,
participants are tasked with designing a tower that will © Tatiana Diakova
allow visitors to view and experience the North
Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve in a new way. The
proposed observation tower will be located on top of
the hill of the Kurgi estate, to take in the spectacular
views.

Kristaps and Laura intend the tower to be a part of

their ecotourism concept, offering guests a refuge
from the busy city life, a chance to find harmony in the
spectacular views of nature, and to provide them with
therapeutic experiences with the horses.

As Kurgi farm has expressed an interest in the

construction of this tower, designs will need to be both
in keeping with the look and purpose of the North
Latvia Biosphere Reserve, while having the potential to
become an iconic landmark in its own right.

Latvian Ardennes © lszaa.lv

10
PROJECT PROPOSAL
REQUIREMENTS
• The height of the tower should not exceed 35
meters;

• The tower must consist of five storeys, with the

first four storeys offering an open, 360 view;

• The client has expressed that the top floor should

provide a comfortable space that can be used by
guests of the farm in any season and in any
weather condition to enjoy the views. Therefore, the
top floor should be closed but with the option of
clear glass walls. It should also include a 2
meter-wide balcony that runs the full length of the
perimeter;

• Seating and a table should be included in the top

floor plans, and a heating source should also be
suggested;

• Seating can potentially be suggested for all the

other floors as well;

• The top floor area should not exceed 36 square

meters;

• A lighting solution must be proposed for all five

floors;

• The tower structure should be made from metal for

durability, however, timber can be used for details
and finishes.

• The tower should be accessible to all guests,

including those with disabilities. Therefore, a lift can
be proposed.

11
PRIZES
3 winning proposals, 3 special award recipients and 6 honourable mentions will
be selected. Bee Breeders will award a total of US $7,000 in prize money to
competition winners as follows:
More information about the special awards at
KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com
Prize money

US $7,000
1st Prize “Competition Client's Favourite” Award

US $3,000 US $1,000
2nd Prize BB Green Award

US $1,500 US $500
As the Kurgi farm has expressed an interest in the
3rd Prize BB Student Award construction of this tower, designs will need to be
both in keeping with the look and purpose of the
US $500 US $500 North Latvia Biosphere Reserve, while having the
potential to become an iconic landmark in its own
right.
+ 6 HONOURABLE MENTIONS

PUBLICATIONS: CERTIFICATES:
The winners will get international art and design media Bee Breeders will acknowledge the
coverage and will be featured on the Bee Breeders outstanding performance of all winners
website. and honourable mentions with
Certificates of Achievement.
A full list of media partners who have committed to
present the competition winners in their publications
can be found at KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com

12
6
COMPETITION REGISTRATION
SCHEDULE FEES
Architects, designers,
enthusiasts and
Early Bird Registration companies Students*
NOVEMBER 30 - JANUARY 24, 2020
Early Bird Registration US $90 US $70
Advance Registration
JANUARY 25 - MARCH 6 Advance Registration US $120 US $100

Last Minute Registration US $140 US $120

Last Minute Registration
MARCH 7 - MAY 8 * See requirements here:
beebreeders.com/competition-registration-types

Closing date for registration

MAY 8, 2020

Closing date for submission

JUNE 16, 2020 (11:59pm GMT)

Announcement of the winners

JULY 9, 2020

13
SUBMISSION
REQUIREMENTS
• Participants are required to upload four (4) A2
landscape-orientated presentation boards
(must not exceed 5mb per file) with sketches,
renderings, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams,
and/or other presentation tools to explain their
proposal.
• No video files are accepted.
• All information provided in writing must be in
English.
• All submissions must be uploaded via the
beebreeders.com upload panel. Access
information and instructions on how to upload the
presentation panel will be issued to participants via
email immediately after successful registration.
• Presentation boards must not indicate any
information related to individual's/team's identity.
• Participants who do not comply with the
requirements will be disqualified without refund.
RECOMMENDED
SUBMISSION CONTENT
• Visualisations and artist impressions to illustrate
how the proposal fits in with the quality, value, and
significance of the North Vidzeme Biosphere
Reserve.
• Concept designs, which highlight that all aspects of
the design are of the highest quality and keep with
the design brief and the proposed site.
• The main points of proposed plans and sections
and multiple perspectives demonstrate the spatial
quality of the structures, as well as operational
needs and accessibility requirements.
• Demonstration of project feasibility in regards to
environment, climate conditions, lifecycle, and
responsible use of materials.
• Demonstration of project construction, materials,
functions, management and maintenance;
approach to environment and sustainability.
PRESENTATION
DELIVERABLES SET
• Elevations; (suggested scale 1:50)
• Primary sections; (suggested scale 1:50)
• Primary floor plans; (suggested scale 1:50)
• Enlarged sections and elevations highlighting
key spaces or relationships;
(suggested scale 1:10)
• Details: (suggested scale 1:5)
• Envelope
• Key materials
• Site or landscape
• Axonometrics providing information on building
systems or illustrating key architectural
concepts;
• Diagrams:
• Circulation
• Public versus private space
• Lighting
• Landscaping
• Perspectives
Please note the PRESENTATION DELIVERABLES SET
listed above is a suggestion only. Participants can
choose to use the entire list, a selection from it, or
propose a completely different set that would explain
their design in the most efficient manner.
14
JURY & EVALUATION
PROCESS
Competition jury consists of two jury panels: “Competition Client's Favourite” Award:
• Core jury panel 1 Consultative jury panel will produce a shortlist
• Consultative jury panel of 40 from all submitted entries.

2 The competition Client selects their 1 (one)

Full jury panel members list is published at
favourite project.
KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com.

The core and consultative jury panel will be

Student Award:
responsible for setting the criteria that participants
need to fulfill based on the site and brief and will 1 Consultative jury panel will produce a shortlist
evaluate each submission accordingly. of 40 from all submitted student entries.

Participants are advised to research both the working
site and previous similar case studies as part of the
design process.
“KURGI OBSERVATION TOWER” is a project
competition, which encourages participants to
experiment with the limits of architecture. The jury may
choose to reward projects that show a high degree of
creativity, even if they breach any of the rules, as long
as it’s justified.
Selecting Top 3 winners:
1 Consultative jury panel will produce a shortlist
of 40 from all submitted entries.
2 Consultative jury panel will select 9
competition finalists from the shortlist.
3 Core jury panel will evaluate the 9 finalists and
select the winning project.
Green Award:
1 Consultative jury panel will produce a shortlist
of 40 from all submitted entries.
2 Consultative jury panel will select 9
competition finalists from the shortlist.
3 Core jury panel will evaluate the 9 finalists and
select the winning project.

2 Consultative jury panel will select 9

competition finalists from the shortlist.
3 Core jury panel will evaluate the 9 finalists and
select the top 3 winning projects and 6
honourable mentions.

15
TELL THE WORLD
YOUR STORY!
VIDEO AND INTERVIEW
Shortly prior to the results announcement, selected
competition winners and honorable mentions will be
contacted and asked to answer a series of interview
questions and submit a video about themselves. These
will be published with the competition results.

There is a tight deadline to publish the winners

announcements on time, therefore interview questions
will need to be returned within 2 days, and videos
submitted within 2 weeks of being requested. As
such, we advise participants to consider ideas for their
video and answers to their questions in advance so
that they are able to submit the relevant material on
time.

Please note - both the interview and video

submission is OPTIONAL. However, we do
recommend that all participants do submit as much
material as possible in order to maximise the publicity
and media attention their work will receive.
Read more about:

the video submission -

https://beebreeders.com/submit-movie

the interview
https://beebreeders.com/interview

16
COMPETITION
DOCUMENTATION
The following information is available for download at
KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com:
• Full competition brief
• Site and context photographs
All information can be downloaded as often as
required; no additional information or material will be
provided after registration.
The brief and all associated documentation for this
competition are for the sole purpose of an academic
exercise and are not legal documents.
The provided materials, or alternatives, can be used,
created, or sourced at the participant's discretion.
MEDIA
PARTNERS
A full list of media partners who have committed to
present the competition winners in their publications
can be found at KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com
For potential media partners who are also interested in
covering the present competition and its winners,
please contact us at hello@beebreeders.com
Competition press kit (in English) and banners are
available at KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com/press
ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to all. No professional
qualification is required. Design proposals can be
developed individually or by teams (4 team members
maximum).
People who have direct personal or professional
relationships with jury panel members or organisers
may not participate in this competition.
ARCHITECTURE
STUDENTS
Bee Breeders architecture competition organisers
would like to hear from representatives of universities,
schools, and colleges offering architecture/design
studies.
Contact us to receive special student rates for group
registration (discount applies for 3+ registrations from
one university/school) as well as further information
and support to get your students involved in
architecture competitions.
Send us a request from your university email address
along with basic information about you and your
university/school.
Please note that only recognized university staff can
apply for the reduced student rate.
17
Full Competition Terms & Conditions: © Bee Breeders hello@beebreeders.com
KURGITOWER.beebreeders.com/terms Architecture Competition Organisers Beebreeders.com
11
8