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Bulgaria prepares to select architect for Christo and Jeanne-Claude art centre in former textile school
Five international design teams are competing to transform a former technical school in Gabrovo into a contemporary art centre, connecting the city's industrial heritage with the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude
The Bulgarian municipality of Gabrovo is approaching the final stage of an international architectural competition to transform a former textile technical school into the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre for Contemporary Art. Five shortlisted teams have submitted developed proposals for the project, with the winner of a design contract worth up to approximately USD 1.15 million expected to be announced on November 10, 2026.
Former Textile Technical School, the future Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, via competition.cjcenter.gabrovo.bg
The new institution will be established in the hometown of Christo, the Bulgarian-born artist whose large-scale environmental installations, developed with Jeanne-Claude, transformed public spaces and landscapes around the world.
The project brings together two histories closely associated with the city. Gabrovo was an important centre of textile manufacturing, while the artistic work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude frequently explored fabric, temporary structures and the transformation of familiar environments.
Located on the left bank of the Yantra River, the former technical school offers approximately 13,300 square metres of gross floor area, with a 9,000-square-metre courtyard.
The existing building was selected partly because of its large workshops and generous ceiling heights, which provide opportunities for exhibition galleries, artistic production and educational activities.
Rather than commissioning an entirely new museum, Gabrovo is seeking to transform an existing educational building whose industrial history has a direct relationship with the artists’ work.
The architectural brief calls for a cultural institution capable of accommodating exhibitions, workshops, artist residencies, public programmes and spaces for creative experimentation.
The municipality intends the centre to function not only as a place for presenting completed artworks, but also as an environment where artists and visitors can participate in the production and exchange of ideas.
This ambition reflects an important aspect of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s practice. Their installations often required years of preparation and collaboration involving architects, engineers, public authorities, landowners and local communities.
Former Textile Technical School, the future Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, via competition.cjcenter.gabrovo.bg
Projects such as Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin and The Gates in New York demonstrated how temporary artistic interventions could alter the public’s experience of familiar buildings and urban landscapes.
For the new centre, the competition challenges architects to develop spaces that support similarly collaborative and experimental activities while responding to the existing building’s scale and character.
The selection process began with an open international competition for conceptual architectural proposals. An international jury then selected five finalists to advance to a second stage of design development.
The shortlisted teams are Peer Collective from the Czech Republic; Yuichi Uehara Architects from Japan; Georges Batzios Architects from Greece; a French collaboration between MOA Architecture and Hardel et Le Bihan Architectes; and a multidisciplinary team involving Ina Valkanova, 51N4E and TEN.
Each finalist receives approximately USD 23,000 for participation in the competition’s development stage. The teams were required to submit their revised proposals by October 23.
The winning team will be commissioned to prepare detailed architectural documentation, interior design, permanent exhibition design and construction supervision.
The municipality has established a construction, furnishing and equipment budget of up to approximately USD 13 million, excluding taxes. The project is associated with Bulgaria’s Regional Development Programme 2021–2027, supported by European Union funding.
Beyond the building itself, the initiative forms part of Gabrovo’s ambition to strengthen its cultural infrastructure and establish connections with international artistic networks.
Former Textile Technical School Equipment, via competition.cjcenter.gabrovo.bg
The former school’s location beside the Yantra River also creates opportunities to connect the cultural programme with surrounding public spaces and the wider urban environment.
The competition schedule anticipates completion of detailed architectural documentation by March 2027, with renovation, equipment installation and permanent exhibitions targeted for completion by October 2028.
These dates remain dependent on the final selection, detailed design and subsequent project delivery.
The project illustrates how smaller cities can use adaptive reuse and cultural investment to reconnect industrial heritage with contemporary creative activity and international architectural collaboration.
For architectural practices, the competition provides an example of a public client combining heritage transformation, exhibition design and cultural programming within a substantial multidisciplinary commission. Its outcome will be worth following as the winning proposal establishes how the existing school can accommodate an international contemporary art institution.
Más información
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre – Competition news and shortlisted teams
Czech Chamber of Architects – Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre competition information
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