Competition Q&A

Competition Q&A

All 1st round of Questions 2nd round of Questions Competition Area Eligibility General Questions Submission Dates & Material Technical Matters

Arxellence 3 is an international transdisciplinary architectural IDEAS competition organized by ALUMIL and the Non-Profit Civil Company AEGEAS. It seeks a holistic approach for the creation of a Museum and a Sustainable Zero-Emission Research Hub on Gyaros Island, Cyclades, Greece, a place that represents a dark page of Greek history, as political prisoners suffered exile and torture there, punished for their political beliefs. The competition aims to enhance and preserve historical memory and promote sustainable development.

The Competition is open to teams -partnerships with at least one architect from all countries. Eligible architects must be entitled to practice architecture in their respective countries. Participants may be natural persons, legal entities, or partnerships of individuals. Multidisciplinary teams may participate on condition that they are headed/co-headed by an architect. Competitors of any other discipline can participate in any team.

Note: The Competition is not open to students.

The following persons shall not be allowed to participate in the Competition:

Jury Members
Technical Committee
Any person directly or indirectly associated with the Competition Sponsors or the Jury

The prizes for Arxellence 3 are: 1st prize of €40,000, 2nd prize of €20,000, 3rd prize of €10,000, and six honorable mentions

The list of documents provided to the participating teams includes:

Maps of Gyaros island
Aerial view of the site
Photographic documentation and plans & drawings of the buildings to be retained

Note: Competitors can use any satellite pictures downloaded via the internet.

Entries will be evaluated based on the extent of their response to the competition requirements and, more specifically, to the following criteria, which are not listed in order of importance.

General impression and clarity of the overall concept
Compliance with the competition objectives
Preservation of the historical memory of the island’s past
Protection of the island’s biodiversity and natural resources
Innovation, originality, and creativity of the proposal
Potential of creating an identity
Relation to and integration with the surrounding area
Quality of spaces, composition of volumes, and architectural design
Contribution to sustainable development, environmental and social impact
Adequacy of proposed functions and their localization
Usability for users

The Jury may detail and expound the evaluation criteria during the evaluation process but cannot modify them or add new criteria.

The person who will upload the proposal must be an architect - duly licensed to practice architecture in their respective countries.

To register for the Arxellence 3 competition and access the project documents, please follow these steps:
1.Registration Process: On the competition website's main menu, click on the "Register" option. Complete the required registration details on the form provided. Once you've filled in your details, confirm your registration by verifying your email address. You will receive an email with a confirmation link—click on this link to finalize your registration.
2.Accessing Project Documents: After confirming your email and completing the registration, return to the Arxellence 3 website. Click on the "person icon" in the menu and enter your login credentials. Once logged in, you will be able to view and download all the available documents.

At this stage of the competition, a Registration Code or Registrant ID is not required. This initial registration phase is solely for allowing participants to read and download the competition brief and documents. Once Phase 3 begins, each participating team that submits a proposal will be assigned a unique Submission ID.

Arxellence 3 is an entirely new and separate competition from the previous ones. As such, a new registration is required. Please register through the competition website to access the relevant documents and participate in Arxellence 3.

At this stage of the competition, a Registration Code or Registrant ID is neither provided nor required. Once Phase 3 begins, each participating team that submits a proposal will be assigned a unique Submission ID.

No, there is not a Greek website version, as this is an international competition.

As it is clearly stated in the official Brief of Arxellence 3, “the Competition is open to teams-partnerships with at least one architect from all countries. Architects must be duly licensed to practice architecture in their respective countries to be considered eligible.
Participants may be natural persons, legal entities, or partnerships of individuals. Multidisciplinary teams may participate on condition that they are headed/co-headed by an architect. Participants of any other discipline can participate in any team.

Note: The Competition is not open to students. The following persons shall not be allowed to participate in the Competition:

Jury Members
Technical Committee
Any person directly or indirectly associated with the Competition Sponsors or the Jury”

No registration fee is required for this competition.

Yes, additional volume can be added to the existing building structure.

The prize will be paid in euros, and its final amount will be subject to the tax regulations governing both countries involved.

As outlined in the competition's Brief, each participant is required to submit a presentation consisting of 8 slides, with the first six being mandatory and the final two optional. Additionally, participants may choose to submit an optional 5-minute video to present their ideas related to the competition.
Note: Every participant or participating team must ensure the submission's anonymity (no faces of the team should be shown).

Competitors are free to determine their approach. Arxellence 3 is an ideas competition, so there are no restrictions or regulations for the proposal.

3D material is not available for the buildings.

The official program and all the necessary information have been uploaded to the Arxellence 3 website.

Whatever is published, it is obvious that you can use it. Unless otherwise is declared.

You are free to develop your proposal. While the three preserved buildings must be retained, they can be used creatively according to the competition program and requirements. You may employ internationally accepted restoration methods, and new buildings can also be proposed. In an ideas competition, there are no regulations or constraints to follow—your ideas should push boundaries and not be limited by restrictions.

This is an interdisciplinary architectural ideas competition, and it is up to the competitors to decide how to preserve the historical memory.
Special note: The prison, hospital, and commander’s house must be retained and can be used for any new ideas and proposal according to the competition program; any international approach—renovation, restoration, reutilization, or rehabilitation—will be accepted.

Arxellence3 aims to preserve historical memory , highlight and protect the unique environmental characteristics of the island of Gyaros, and develop a biodiversity strategy in the Eastern Mediterraean. The goal is to create a sustainable proposal.

Given the current climate crisis and the significant water shortage in several Greek islands, it is essential to approach the project from a completely fresh perspective.

This is an ideas competition, so we believe that, at this point, it can be conducted without the need for a site visit. A site visit will be organized in the next phase of the competition.

The entire island (ONE LOT) is the property of the Greek state and constitutes the competition area. Approximately 20 years ago, various concepts were explored.

With the current Arxellence 3 competition, we have the opportunity to begin anew. Competitors can use all the plans and technical details officially provided on the competition’s website or any satellite map and they may propose interventions on the retained buildings or a holistic approach to the entire area. All twelve objectives outlined in the brief should be adequately addressed.

Note: The previous research activity that was carried out was presented both by the ex-minister and the invited speaker and member of the Arxellence 3 Jury, Mrs. Androulidaki – you can watch the presentation on YouTube.

In case of proceeding, the project will be in line with the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 as it is outlined here: Biodiversity strategy for 2030 - European Commission (europa.eu)

Competitors are free to determine their approach to alterations. We welcome and encourage any innovative ideas that participants may propose.

Competitors are free to determine their approach.

Yes, this is acceptable.

There is no special care for that. In a later stage of the project, it could be defined in cooperation with their relatives or representatives.

You can access them on the Arxellence 3 website, here: https://www.alumil.com/arxellence3/faq

You can easily locate the MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE on Google Earth. Additional information can be found on the Internet, e.g. https://pindos.org.gr/%ce%bc%ce%bd%ce%b7%ce%bc%ce%b5%ce%af%ce%b1/%ce%b3%cf%85%ce%ac%cf%81%ce%bf%cf%82/

It is clear in the Brief that you can spread your ideas over the whole island. Some restrictions and previous (20 years ago) regulations adopted can be found in Dr. Androulidaki’s presentation: https://www.alumil.com/arxellence3?fbclid=IwY2xjawG5RjRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHbjOmrcR4bfgWcLM2uOyIfw0F_jgyJWzoLaTn9RKckI3k6ZTbMUbnrVwlQ_aem_lr07kpC2MOh40VoHXnJCSw

Even those are not compulsory if your ideas meet the transdisciplinary approach that is promoted in this competition.

We just want to have the option to print submitted ideas up to Din A3 size. Of course, the digital presentation for the jury can be up to A0 on-screen presentation.

Future publications of all the proposals submitted will allow you to add more information. During the competition, adhering to the comparative rules of the 8-slide format set by the organizers is mandatory.

Yes, you can proceed this way.

You will have the opportunity to add more information in future publications of all the proposals submitted. During the competition, it would be impossible to violate the comparative rules of the 8 slides adopted by the organizers.

Yes, of course, this is acceptable.

You can find all the necessary files at this link: https://www.alumil.com/arxellence3/download-brief

Yes, of course, this is acceptable.

We do not have it in DWG , it is a military map provided in the pdf format.

Yes, the team leader is enough to make a valid submission.

Anyone who can legaly practice Architecture can lead and represent the group.

You will be able to register your team as soon as the proposal submission period opens. Please check the Competition Timeline at the following link: https://www.alumil.com/arxellence3

The whole island is the project area.

You can participate as a sole architect.

No drinkable water fountains are located in the island nor wells, manholes, and drillings.

This is part of your design idea.

This won't be violation of competition rules.

The answers to the submitted questions will be uploaded on December 6, 2024.

Any "Original" approach will be an advantage for the evaluators to decide on the best ideas to proceed to the next stage.

Υou can find some answers in Dr Androulidaki's presentation during the Opening Ceremony: https://www.alumil.com/arxellence3

The whole effort will be in the future subject to the EUROPEAN UNION Biodiversity law.

8 slides printable in A3 format and "projectable" would be enough in total, plus the video. The mixing of layers of intervention is allowed in the same slide.

Yes it is allowed, as part of the transportation model adopted.

There is no such map. We suggest you retrieve information and use the Google Earth application. We provided the whole island's topographic map in the additional files of the competition that are visible once you have registered.

The reason is that there are problems for students getting paid if they win a prize.

You can ignore that question. In case of winning a prize, you will have to provide a TAX identification code for a legal transaction to take place.

You will be notified soon regarding the submission protocol.

To the extent international "charts" of preservation and conservation of monuments and sites allow.

No budget constraints for the competition. Reasonable thinking is always willingly accepted by all juries and evaluators.

These are parts of design ideas.

We ask for a general idea on an interim/ preliminary report level. A more detailed design and comprehensive approach will follow later.

Taking into consideration that Arxellence 3 is an ideas competition, we want to stress that there are no obligations or restrictions (apart, of course, from any proposal for touristic activity that cannot be accepted or adopted by the Jury). As such, you are free to proceed with your ideas, always keeping in mind the preservation of historical memory and biodiversity.

Some future restoration plans for the buildings to be retained have been announced, but no feasibility or business plan exists for the moment. It is just wishful thinking. The Arxellence 3 project aims to motivate all the parties involved, from the historic preservation of memories up to the biodiversity strategy institutions that seem to be financed by the EU in the near future. Further efforts are published on the Internet, but nothing regulative or restrictive for something new to happen, according to the Brief announced.

We expect your ideas on all the issues. Either inside the buildings to be retained or in new buildings or settlements in the surroundings. Any kind of contemporary restoration style is accepted. BUT no touristic activity will be accepted or adopted by the JURY.

Competitors are invited to present their ideas, and detailed calculations are not required. The Jury, comprised of an experienced team, will evaluate the potential of the promising concepts.

That's correct. You will be able to register your team as soon as the proposal submission period begins.

Of course, it is intended to support further steps towards the idea of submitting and creating a European-financed project.

These questions constitute part of your design strategy and ideas. We expect the evaluators to support-promote promising ideas, esnuring that all topics are adressed equally.

All the existing drawings have been uploaded appropriately.

This refers to a future stage. Arxellence 3 is an ideas level competition.

No "regular" touristic activity and facilities are intended to be allowed and established in the island. At the moment the island is a protected area for environmental purposes and people can access the island by boat only under authorization from the competent authorities of Greece.

No entries found with the specific search criteria.