Master Plan and Conceptual Design of the Science City

The library of Alexandrina endorsed a science city project by organising an open, one stage international architectural competition for its planning and conceptual design. The new “Science City” will be built on the western edge of Cairo, in the heart of the 6th of October City. 

This new complex, to be constructed on prime land, called for a comprehensive plan and conceptual design that would ultimately create the first 21st century science museum and learning and research facility in Egypt.

Egypt has successfully re-established the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and started the construction of a Grand Egyptian Museum to showcase Egypt’s ancient past. The Science City (SC) will become the third jewel in this triangle, crowning the achievements of a new era that celebrates the past with an eye to the future whilst balancing literature, science and the arts.

This competition was organised in accordance with the UNESCO Regulations for International Competitions in Architecture and Town Planning, overseen and applied by the International Union of Architects (UIA). 

Keywords : Culture, Education, Transformation

Competition results

First prize : Weston Williamson + Partners

English team led by Philip Turner.

Second prize: Ngiom Partnership

Malaysian team led by Dr. Lim Teng Ngiom.

Third prize: Zaha Hadid Architects

English team led by Marcella Fedele.

Fourth prize : Gansam Architects & Partners Co

Korean team led by Taijip Kim.

Theme and objectives

The objectives of the design of the Science City were to create a set of buildings and spaces that were inspiring on the outside and motivating and exciting on the inside to visitors and employees alike. A particular vision of the search for knowledge and the pursuit of science had to be expressed. The Science City goals celebrated scientific enterprise with their exhilarating and unending journey of discovery, promoting the “Culture of Science”. 

In thinking about how to design the buildings that will compose the “Science City”, competitors needed to reflect on the evolving nature of science, encompassing physical, life and earth sciences. Thus, the Science City had to be built in stages in order to afford the necessary flexibility to absorb changes in museology or display conventions, to update interactive learning facilities and to remain open to new possibilities from building to building during the construction of the campus.

The main strategic objectives of the Science City are as follows:

  • Disseminate scientific knowledge and scientific thinking among the general public,
  • Promote scientific development,
  • Support science education and research.

Official contact email: science.city@bibalex.org

Key criteria

The comprehensive plan and conceptual design had to take into account a number of complex specifications, such as the following:

  • A campus of several buildings which could be erected one at a time, each building being ready for use by the public as soon as it is completed, but conceived in such a way that the effect of the entire complex together is greater than the effect of any one edifice;
  • A landmark for 6th of October City and for the rebirth of science in 21st-century Egypt;
  • “Green buildings”, demonstrating that environmental concerns can be an integral part of design and not an add-on to a conventional building;
  • Buildings that were flexible in their internal use, adaptable to new and rapidly evolving technologies (such as interactive displays and virtual and real learning environments) and promoters of interaction between the public and the staff;
  • A facility that caters to all age groups.

Jury Members

  • Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, EGYPT;
  • Seif Allah A. Alnaga, UIA Egyptian National Section President, EGYPT;
  • Suha Ozkan, Founder and President of “World Architecture Community”, TURKEY;
  • Mohsen Mostafavi, Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design, USA;
  • Nikos Fintikakis, Architect and UIA Council Member, (UIA representative), GREECE;
  • Michael Sorkin, Architect, Author and Educator, USA;
  • Claudie Haigneré, President of “Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie”, FRANCE.

Eligibility

This competition was open to all architects and to multidisciplinary teams led by an architect.

Results

Competition closed. Results announced on August 2016.

COMPETITION RESULTS

Reference documents