Competition: Panama La Vieja arts space, Panama

Open to everyone and featuring a $1,600 prize fund – the competition seeks proposals for a 3,000m² pop-up installation or structure which responds to the unique identity and historic value of the ruined coastal site which was the first European settlement on the Pacific coast in America.

The Art Temporary Installation Competition aims to identify a range of opportunities for hosting artistic and cultural activities within the site on the western fringes of Panama City which was destroyed by Welsh privateer Henry Morgan in 1671 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

Competition site: Panama La Vieja arts space, Panama

Credit: Image by Rodolfo Aragundi Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

According to the brief: ‘Our new competition will take place in one of the most important, iconic, and memorial sites in our country, the old city of “Panama La Vieja” which was the first European settlement on the Pacific coast in America.

‘These days, it is a beautiful place that is embellished with its view of the sea, accompanied by mangroves that slow the flow of water and birds that probe the imposing ruins that tell the story of the city’s past. With this competition, we want to remember and value what it was, what it is, and what it always will be.

‘In the Art Temporary Installation Competition, the challenge is to design a temporary installation dedicated to art within the archaeological site of Panama La Vieja. The competition involves the question of how to create a temporary architecture that coexists and relates to the existing ruins while respecting their identity and historic value.’

Founded in 1519, Panama La Vieja was an important trading base up until its destruction at the end of the seventeenth century and the site of its ruins is now a major tourist destination. Key landmarks include the ruins of a former cathedral, convent and bell tower.

Competition site: Panama La Vieja arts space, Panama

Credit: Image by Ayaita Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

The contest seeks proposals for an arts space that ‘coexists and relates to the existing ruins.’ Proposals must be easy to build with the potential to be constructed and disassembled in a few days.

Concepts should include an exhibition area, workshop space, performance area and dining zone. Judges will include Laura Salvador and Francisco Parada from P+S Estudio de Arquitectura, Ginnette Gotti of Dos G Arquitectos and Felix Dúran of A3 Arquitectos.

The overall winner – to be announced 9 October – will receive an $800 prize while a second prize of $600 and third prize of $200 will also be awarded.