by
Mounthausen-Gusen Memorial
Two stage open design competition for the expansion and redesign of the Maunthausen-Gusen concentration camp memorial in Austria.
The Gusen Concentration Camp Memorial is a former site of crime and suffering and as such a place of remembrance in general and the crimes committed in the Gusen concentration camp in particular. As a former part of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp system, it also refers to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial, which is only four kilometers away. The concrete relics (or empty spaces) of the former Gusen concentration camp point to the place where a
historical mass crime was committed and suffered. They represent a past that continues to have an impact in the present, but which, for various reasons, evades integration into consensual social historical narratives. Rather, they repeatedly question and challenge such narratives. It is therefore the task of the concentration camp memorial to give space to this tension between relics and symbols and to make it visible.
In 2019, a total of around 13,000 people visited the Gusen Memorial, and in 2023 around 20,000 visitors were registered. Most visits take place during the liberation celebrations in May each year. It is estimated that the number of visitors will reach a maximum of 100,000 per year by 2031. In recent years, the Republic of Austria has been negotiating with private owners of properties on former camp sites in Langenstein and St. Georgen an der Gusen. The newly acquired plots of land are to be turned into memorial sites in the coming years, connected to the concentration camp memorial around the Gusen Memorial and more visibly linked to the Mauthausen concentration camp memorial. The Gusen Memorial will thus be significantly expanded. A master plan provides well-founded, clear recommendations for further design measures. It divides the future memorial site into zones, assigns functions to these, suggests specific uses for existing buildings, recommends certain new buildings, defines necessary infrastructure and sets out design guidelines.
The aim of the competition is the overall landscape planning, architectural and urban design of the planning area included in the project scope, the adaptation of existing buildings and structures for the intended uses, the planning of the planned new construction measures and the infrastructural development of the entire area.
Location
Sector
Civic, Museum
Intervention
Refurbishment, Extension, Public Realm
Website
Tender Portal
Tender Stage
Two Stage Design Competition
Deadline
10 January 2025
Project Value/Scale
22.6 million EUR
Consultant Team
Architect/General Planner
Landscape Architect
Structural Engineer
M&E Engineer
Scenographer
Spec Writer
Construction Work Co-ordinator
Landscape Architect
Structural Engineer
M&E Engineer
Scenographer
Spec Writer
Construction Work Co-ordinator
Submission Criteria
This is a two stage competition – with eight teams being selected for the second stage. Renumeration for second stage proposals is: First Prize 34,000 EUR; Second Prize 27,000 EUR; Third Prize 20,000 EUR; all other second stage entries 7,800 EUR per participant.
There are three elements to the First Stage competition – each to be presented on one A0 poster, portrait format:
1. The Arrival Building
The first stage of this competition requires the submission of sketch-like representation of the arrival building with a net floor area of 800 m2, both in terms of location, building volume and spatial effect, including any necessary textual explanations. The effect and access experience of the building on the visitor moving towards the arrival building should be shown. The representation must also show the building mass in relation to the surroundings.
2. Structural Concept and Open Space Design
Sketchy representation of the landscape design of the Langenstein I construction site (SS barracks, roll call area, gravel crusher) and the route from the arrival building – roll call area – gravel crusher, including any necessary textual explanations. This representation should include how to overcome the existing differences in terrain height, especially with regard to accessibility. The aim would be a circular route through the abovementioned areas.
3. Room for Silence
The interior of the Gusen Memorial, with its preserved crematorium oven and a large number of memorial plaques, currently serves as a place of retreat for individual remembrance. However, due to various factors, it can only fulfil this function to a limited extent: on the one hand, the area is also visited by groups, which leads to movement and noise. On the other hand, due to its characteristics, it is not inviting to linger.