Over 125 competitive teams — made up of some 400 individual firms — representing 22 countries vied for a chance to design the £25 million Ross Pavilion, in the latest initiative to rejuvenate the culturally significant Ross Bandstand and West Princes Street Gardens in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. Today, the Ross Development Trust in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council and Malcolm Reading Consultants jointly announced the seven finalist teams who will submit design concepts for the site.

Following “an intense and demanding process” according to Jury Chair Norman Springford, here are the big-name architects who will lead their teams in phase two:

The Ross Bandstand (south). Photo © Malcolm Reading Consultants / David Springford.

• Adjaye Associates (UK) with Morgan McDonnell, BuroHappold, Turley, JLL, Arup, Plan A Consultants, Charcoalblue and Sandy Brown Associates
• BIG Bjarke Ingels Group (Denmark) with jmarchitects, GROSS. MAX., WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Alan Baxter Associates, JLL, Speirs + Major, Charcoalblue and People Friendly Design
• Flanagan Lawrence (UK) with Gillespies, Expedition Engineering, JLL, Arup and Alan Baxter Associates
• Page \ Park Architects (UK) with West8, BuroHappold, Muir Smith Evans and Charcoalblue
• Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter (Norway) with GROSS. MAX., AECOM, Groves-Raines Architects and Charcoalblue
• wHY (USA) with GRAS, Groves-Raines Architects, Arup, O Street, Creative Concern, Noel Kingsbury, Yann Kersalé Studio, Lawrence Barth, Stuco, Alan Cumming, Aaron Hicklin, Alison Watson, Peter Ross, Adrian Turpin and Beatrice Colin
• William Matthews Associates (UK) and Sou Fujimoto Architects (Japan) with GROSS. MAX., BuroHappold, Purcell and Scott Hobbs

“The brief at stage two asks for a serious piece of architecture but one that’s also celebratory,” stated Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture Convener and Festivals Champion for the City of Edinburgh Council.

Efforts to repair the Ross Bandstand and Gardens trace back to 2004 and a previous competition to revive the site was launched in 2006, but was canceled due to funding constraints. 

Allan Ramsay Monument. Photo © Malcolm Reading Consultants / David Springford.

The Ross Bandstand. Photo © Malcolm Reading Consultants / David Springford.

The race against time starts now for the finalists, who have until June 9, 2017 to produce and submit their concepts for the main event Pavilion, a visitor center and cafe, and subtle improvements to the Gardens. The finalists' concepts will be displayed in a public and online exhibition for feedback. Finally, the competition jury will interview each finalist team before choosing the winner in early August. Construction is currently expected to begin in 2018.