FAQ

All competitors have the right to state their questions to the promoter no later than December 9, 2011. All answers will be uploaded when received on the competition website.

1. Questions concerning the competition rules:

1.1. How do you exactly register?
– You are subjected as registered from the moment you transfer the registration fee to the bank account mentioned here. The document proving your payment and the filled in questionnaire have to be sent with your project proposal.

1.2. Are you going to receive more documents after you pay the registration fee?
– No, all the necessary documentation you can download for free here

1.3. Are you supposed to have experience in the metro station projects in order to participate in the competition?
– No, there is no such condition for the participants.

1.4. Is the competition open for students?
– No, students cannot participate on their own without being in the team of a fully qualified architect.

1.5. Are you supposed to be members of the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria in order to participate in the competition?
– The condition is at least one member of the team (the team leader) to be fully qualified member of the professional architectural organization from the country he comes from.

1.6. Should the questionnaire be filled in in Bulgarian? Which version of the questionnaire should be filled in?
– The questionnaire can be filled in in both Bulgarian and English. It is important though to fill in THE BULGARIAN VERSION of the document. This is a law requirement and we cannot avoid it. The English version of the document is on for you to know what you fill in and sign.

1.7. Where do you get the six-digit code (moto)?
– You create it by yourselves.

1.8. Is there a problem if the confirmation for the payment of the registration fee is not in Bulgarian?
– No, there is not.

1.9. Where should you get the two declarations, mentioned in the program?
– The declarations were combined together with the questionnaire in one document for facilitation. You do not have to sign new ones!

1.10. Can the project proposals contain more than the required materials?
– No, the rules for anonymity allow to be submitted ONLY the required materials.

1.11. If I send the project at 16:00 on December 9th, it will arrive you at 18:00 on December 12th. Is it ok?
– Since the Jury starts on December 13th, Yes, it’ll be OK if your project is in Sofia not later than Dec 12th

1.12. Can you use the unit of the millimeter?
– Yes, you can. This requirement is addressing architects using imperial measures.

1.13. Can one architect be part of two teams.
– Yes he can. It is not possible to do so only if he is the only fully qualified architect in both teams and plays the role of team leader in both teams.

1.14. Is it compulsory to include the text description of the project also in the A1 boards? Which will be the format of the separate text material? Is it possible to include additional images and plans in-between the submitted text?
– The text should be on an A4 format. Please include only text and nothing but the required materials (text on anonymous pages with a moto).

1.15. Is the use of color and shading permitted in the presentation’s plans and sections?
– Yes, it is.

1.16. I’m qualified as Architect and Building Engineer in Italy but registered in Engineer Italian register. Can I participate as Team leader in my group?
– No, if you want your team to be registered, you need fully qualified registered architect.

1.17.In order to complete the payment for registration my bank needs the following additional data in the transfer form: Name of the bank: Address of the bank:
– All the information about the bank you can find here.

2. Questions concerning the assignment:

2.1. Why the overground level of the metro station in the urban development plan differs from the preliminary project given as a starting layout of the station? Which one is the correct version?
– The urban development plan is correct! The preliminary project is done in accordance with an old urban development plan.

2.2. Can you change the position of the station exits from the ones given on the urban development plan?
– Yes, you can position them wherever do you want. The only requirement is not to enter with any overground or underground construction in the private terrains (marked with pink on the urban development plan)

2.3. Can you with your project proposal come out of the outline of the preliminary project on the level of the entrance hall?
– Yes, you can. The only requirement again is not to enter with any overground or underground construction in the private terrains (marked with pink on the urban development plan)

2.4. Are you supposed to project the level of the platforms (if it is not hatched as subject of competition in the drawings)?
– Yes, you should give solution for the interior strictly following the requirements in 2.1. from the Assignment. It means not to change outline, levels, escalators, platforms etc.

2.5. Does the areas in sq meters given in the Assignment have any relation to your project proposal?
– No, they are just for your better comprehension of the work volume and you do not have to apply them on you project.

2.6. Can you change the position of the escalators between the platform level and the entrance hall level?
– No, it is mandatory not to change their position.

2.7. Can you change the position of the staircase between the platform level and the entrance hall level?
– Yes, you can move it and if you decide to add a second one, you strictly have to follow the requirements in 2.1. from the Assignment.

2.8. Do you have any plan to expand the two pedestrian zones on the heating pipes which orthogonalize to Obikolna Str. to the outside of the borderline?
– No, at least not in this near future development plan.

2.9. Are the restrooms for passengers unnecessary?
– They are not included in the assignment but if you decide you can place such.

2.10. What do “MDF” and “KPS” stand for?
– These are technical rooms, they can be placed anywhere on that floor.

2.11. Can you change the position and the number of the pillars in the platform?
– Yes, you can.

2.12. What are the heights of the buildings on the urban development plan – existing and new?
– On the urban development plan you can see the height of every building – on every building is indicated the number of floors. For instance all buildings around the station 20 are 4 and 5 floors high. Consider every floor as 3m high.

2.13. Is it possible to foresee pillars in the zone between the two railways which will lighten the construction of the street above the station? Positioning of pillar at that place will widen the station outline – is that acceptable?
– No, eventual pillars between the railways will reposition the rails and that is not acceptable according to the Assignment. The railways are already projected for all metro stations and are not subject to a change.

2.14. What is the exact minimal hight between the platform level and ? Is it possible to change the levels from the initial preliminary project?
– You have to keep strictly all levels in the zone of the platforms.

2.15. What are the exact position and the dimensions of the heating pipes? Two objects of 1.4m and 1.0m diameter can be seen at the sections of the preliminary design. Are these the pipes and if so, why are they only two?
– Please consider the pipes given in the drawing (two objects) for your project.

2.16. Is the road above the metro station obligatory to exist, or we could propose an open public square above the metro station, in which cars can not enter?
– The road must stay open for cars.

2.17. Should we accept the building footprints in the CAD files as the given site condition?
– Yes, you should accept the urban development plan as a given site condition.

2.18. The only absolute height we found on the drawings, attached to the assignment, is on Section 1-1 – it is 538,900. Should we develop all architectural levels according to it?
– Yes, you should use that one.

2.19. Is it acceptable if we higher the level of the street above the station or lower the level of the railway in order to increase the free height of the entrance hall zone?
– No, neither the levels of the street, nor the ones of the railway can be changed.

2.20. In the given documentation is not mentioned any information about the vertical levels of the terrain. Does this means that we can accept the terrain as horizontal?
– Yes, you can accept the terrain as horizontal.

2.21. In Enclosure 2, p.10 is mentioned the following: “Texts in any language other than English will be considered a violation of anonymity and the project will be disqualified.” Does that means urban design elements as information and commercial signs, direction signs, name, logo of the station which eventually might be present in the project and in the perspectives should be in English?
– Of course, that the texts in Bulgarian in the perspective renderings will not be sanctioned and will be accepted.

2.22. In the Enclosure 1 Program is mentioned that in the starting documentation is present other engineering project parts of the metro station as well as the design of the informational signs in the station interior. Where are these documents?
– Those documents refer to the project of the whole metro diameter and are not actual any longer. We do not give it in order not to confuse the participants.

2.23. If the position of the escalators between platform level and entrance hall level cannot be changed, can we change their direction of movement?
– Yes, you can.

2.24. Are there other underground installations along the heating pipes trace?
– No, as far as we know.

2.25. Is it possible to move the lifts?
– Yes, as far as you ensure controlled handicap accessibility to the platforms.

2.26. We have discovered discrepancy between the outline of the platform level and the entrance hall level. On the urban development plan is marked the outline of the entrance hall which is shorter with 5m from the platform level. Which is right?
– You accept the platform outline as right. The length of the platform has to be 105m – requirement form Metropoliten.

2.27. Can we change the level of the entrance hall?
– Yes, as far as you don’t lower the ceiling of the metro tunnel.

2.28. Is it possible to change the grid of the structure on the platform level?
– Yes, it is possible.

2.29. Could you give us the exact position of the heating pipes under the pedestrian zone, if possible on the new urban development plan?
– There is no ready project for the pipes, you can give proposal for their exact position.

2.30. Is there any information on the population or demographics of Druzhba 1 and Druzhba 2?
– Yes, the population is around 70.000 people.

2.31. What types of buildings are meant by “Public Service” on the urban development plan? Are they really public?
– This decision is to be taken to every owner of these private terrains. The Municipality just proposes them function ’public’ by the means of this plan. ‘Public’ in this case means all types of commerce, restaurants, private education, private healthcare etc. Not really functions provided by public funds.

2.32. Are we allowed to project walkway bridges in order to cross the road that connects Duzbah 1 to Duzbah 2? In case we are, how high must they be from the road?
– You are free to give urban proposals of every kind if they are not in a conflict with some of the elements on the site. We can’t give you any clue about the height of the bridges.

2.33. Does the east-west axis of the competition plot lead to dead ends in both sides? The gray hatched area that extends beyond the competition limits is marked “for landscape and technical infrastructure”. Can we assume that people will be approaching the metro station 20 from the east-west axis through these (gray hatched) areas OR access will be possible only from north or south?
– Access to the metro station will be possible only from the north-south axe. At least according to this plan.

2.34. What is the maximum height allowed for structures relating to the station above ground?
– We did not set such regulation.

2.35. What is the horizontal distance between the heating pipes and the buildings around.
– We did not set such regulation.

2.36. Is there any bus stops planned in the vicinity of the station on the road above the tracks?
– Probably it will be on the street above the station. Still no final decision has been taken.

2.37. In the urban development plan are shown yellow and green area. Do I need to keep them exactly in the same positions and dimensions or can I give you my design urban landscape?
– You can propose your idea of configuration between yellow (pedestrian) and green (park) area.

2.38. Should we think at all about parking space along the road? Do we have to provide parking places? If yes, how many?
– No, this is already mentioned in the assignment.

2.39. There are large ground areas of land around the future buildings on both sides of the station. The areas are defined in the Legend as plots for public service facility. What will be the use of the large areas around the buildings? Will the area be used as a private garden with a wall or will it be open to the public?
– This is up to the functions of the buildings which will be decided by the owners. The Municipality cannot control this

2.40. Is it possible to change the landscape at the street level zone, above the entrance hall?
– Yes, you can. But you have to keep the levels of the street itself.

2.41. Can we change the width of the low traffic street on ground level? (12m)
– Yes, you can manipulate its section (adding bikelanes, parking places, busstops etc.)

2.42. Is it going to be sanctioned a solution in which the heating pipes will pass above the street, passing upon the station?
– In the assignment the tracing of the pipes underground is not mentioned with a compulsory temper. Therefore, no it will not be sanctioned.

2.43. Could the heating pipes be relocated under the railroads instead of above the station?
– You can give this proposal, as far as in the assignment there are no strict requirements for that.

2.44. Where do the stairs behind the lifts on platform level lead and should they stay at that place in this configuration?
– The stairs are for maintenance of the lifts. We did not set a requirement that the lifts should stay on the same place. So if you move them, you have to take care of this access.

We are still processing your questions. Please check this page for more updates.