Areal View;The project will evoke the magnificence of the original building and restore the park to its former glory.image courtesy of Arup

ZhongRong International Group has asked Colander to set up and manage a three stage competition to identify architectural teams to design the new Crystal Palace. 

The ZhongRong Group is seeking to reconstruct the Crystal Palace in a way that is faithful to the original building and all its ingenuity, scale and magnificence. It will be a major new cultural asset for London, adding to the city’s global offer.  As part of the project the ZhongRong Group will also fund the restoration of the wider park in line with the approved masterplan to create a modern 21st century park of national importance which reflects Paxton’s original ideas and responds to the needs and aspirations of local residents.

Terrace View;The new Crystal Palace will be a major new cultural attraction on the site of the original Victorian building.image courtesy of Arup

The project is in its early stages and more detailed proposals for both the Palace and the park will be developed over the coming months. As one of the most exciting prospects in London today we are keen to involve everyone in shaping the scheme,

38 expressions of interest were received for this competition.  

6 competitors have been invited to take part in Stage 2 of the competition:
David Chipperfield Architects
Haworth Tompkins Architects
Grimshaw
Marks Barfield Architects
Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners
Zaha Hadid Architects with Anish Kapoor

The Winning Contract

A single contract will be required for architectural services; where competitors respond with teams from multiple organisations, it must be clear which the contracting entity will be and which services are to be sub-contracted to others in the team.  

Contracting terms and conditions will be confirmed to short-listed competitors but are likely to be NEC Professional Services or similar.  The project delivery & procurement strategy is yet to be determined, however, the successful competitor will need to be prepared to have part or all of their scope of services novated to the construction contractor post procurement (likely to be on completion of RIBA Stage D or E).

> via thelondoncrystalpalace.com,olander.co.uk/architectural_competitions/crystalpalace.html