Vision competition aims to make Viru intersection fit for driverless cars
TAB Tallinn is inviting architects to find a design solution for Tallinn's central traffic junction, the Viru intersection, for the future, when only self-driving cars will drive on the city streets.
Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB) is an international architecture festival that introduces Estonian architectural culture, deals with current problems in architecture, and looks into the future of the architect's profession. This year's festival, titled "Self-Driven City," takes place from September 9 to October 18 and will study the changes in urban space in the context of the digital revolution.
The annual vision competition too focuses on what effect technological advances, especially self-driving cars, will have on the city scape. The "Epicentre of Tallinn" competition will concentrate on the Viru intersection, the focal point of Tallinn. Although still called Viru Square in Estonia, the area is not actually a public plaza. One of the aims of the competition is to redesign the area in both functional and symbolic terms, so that it could once again be defined as the true heart of the city.
In 2015, TAB Vision Competition will be taking place for the third time. The first competition back in 2011 was titled "Street 2020." Participants were invited to interpret and describe a diverse cityscape which would connect, be compatible and enable seamless transition – all in the example of one street. The 34 accepted entries came from all over the world, including Japan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Italy, Poland, the US, Austria, Lithuania, and Estonia.
The 2013 competition stemmed from the title of the biennale - "Recycling Socialism" - looking for ideas on how to diversify the Väike-Õismäe area of Tallinn and improve quality of urban space and living environment in the area. There were 89 entries to the competition, of which 86 qualified.
The international vision competition is open to all architects and students of architecture. The deadline for submissions is May 29, the winners will be announced in August. To find out more about the competition and how to enter click here.
Editor: M. Oll