Internacional Architecture Competition for Liceu Mar

An international two-stage competition has been launched for the new ‘Liceu Mar’ opera house at Moll d’Espanya in Barcelona’s Port Vell (deadline: 24 October).

Organized by Barcelona City Council in collaboration with the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Port of Barcelona, the Ministry of Culture, the Government of Catalonia, and the Barcelona Provincial Council, the competition aims to create a landmark second venue for the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the city’s former docklands.

The €57.3 million scheme (excluding VAT) – with €33.5 million allocated for the new building and €23.9 million for surrounding urban works – will deliver a 9,000m² waterfront opera house called the Liceu Mar and a reimagined surrounding public realm. Completion is planned for 2032.

Project call

The project calls for a versatile auditorium accommodating 900 to 1,000 seats, complete with primary and secondary stages, spacious rehearsal areas, creative studios, public foyers, a ground-floor bar, and an upper-level restaurant with a panoramic terrace. Additional features include a ‘Ràdio Liceu’ studio, a shop, and a ticket office.

The building project, which will be around 9,000 square meters, must respond to the objectives established in the technical specifications. It will be developed in different phases, with the following contents:

• Preliminary Project: will include the preliminary acoustic study of the halls, the scenotechnical study of the spaces that require it, the analysis of movement flows (of the public, technical and artistic personnel), and the logistical flows of internal and external materials.
• Basic Project: will include the detailed acoustic study, the stage project (lighting, audio, video, communications, and stage machinery), the study of the user experience, and the project for the development of the surroundings.
• Documentation for building permit: preparation of the application document according to the prior consultation, with all the necessary annexes to request the required reports.
• Technical assistance: support during the process of obtaining the building permit.
• Executive Project: will include all signed documents and annexes, the detailed acoustic parameterization of the halls, the complete stage project, and the final study of the user experience.
• Assistance in drafting the construction specifications: attention to queries during the preparation of the work tender documents.

Operation and Schedule of the Competition

The procedure to be followed for this contracting is a restricted design competition with a jury intervention and economic compensations for the teams selected to participate in the second phase.

The first phase of the competition is for the selection of teams, which, based on their own completed works, achieve the best score to access the second phase, the awarding. To access the second phase, a minimum score of 60 points (out of 100) must be obtained. The top five ranked teams who have reached this minimum score will proceed. The score of the first phase will not be considered in the second phase, as the final result will be determined exclusively based on the evaluations of the second phase.

The second phase will be anonymous, under a motto. The jury will evaluate the proposals presented by the five selected candidates according to the criteria established in the specifications. The team authoring the best-rated proposal will be commissioned to draft the Preliminary Project and Basic Project of the building, urban development, and civil works, as well as the drafting of the special plan. It is contemplated that the winning team may also be awarded the successive stages: executive project and Site Management.

Non-winning teams that have properly participated in the second phase and obtain a minimum score of 50 points will receive a financial compensation of €25,000. The competition promoter reserves the right to exhibit or publish all submitted works, always indicating authorship.

The budget for the project competition is €1.2M, assumed equally between the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Port of Barcelona.

How to apply

• Deadline: 24 October
• Contact details: contractacio@liceubarcelona.cat
• Visit the information website to see the jury members and download the specifications.
• Visit the competition website for more information