The jury responsible for selecting the projects submitted to the contest of ideas for the redesign of the Pere Garau Municipal Market and square has begun analysing the projects.This contest of ideas has been widely welcomed, in fact 96 projects have been submitted in total. Among them there are projects from several Spanish cities and from Italy.

The Jury will now have to select the winning project within 30 calendar days. According to the terms of the contest, a first prize of 20,000 euros will be awarded to the project that has been chosen by the Jury as the winner, a second prize amounting to 10,000 euros and a third prize of 5,000 euros.

The Jury is made up of the following members:

President: The Head Officer of the Department for Town Planning of the City Council of Palma.

Spokesmen:

The Councillor for Infrastructure and Health Care of the City Council of Palma (delegates on the Department's General Coordinator).

Councillor of the Llevant district.

General Coordinator for Mobility of the City Council of Palma.

Director General for Legal Advice of the City Council of Palma.

General inspector of the City Council of Palma.

Senior Member of the Official Association of Architects from the Balearic Islands.

Senior Member of the Official Association of Civil Engineers from the Balearic Islands.

Technical manager in charge of the Department for Mobility of the City Council of Palma.

A nationally acknowledged architect appointed by the Government Junta of the COAIB.

A locally acknowledged architect appointed by the Government Junta of the COAIB.

A civil engineer appointed by the CICCP Junta for Territorial Demarcation from the Balearic Islands.

Two members of Pere Garau's Citizen Entities.

A member of the Consumer Association of the Pere Garau market.

A member from ARCA.

Secretary: The secretary of the Plenary Assembly of the City Council of Palma (with the right to speak but no right to vote).

The submitted projects must contemplate several minimum requirements for the Pere Garau square, the market and the district.

The contest anticipates a large, extendable car-park for users of the Market as well as a rotation car-park.

The municipal market's operations will continue during the building works.
The districts' facilities will be enhanced with a multi-purpose room, a youth centre, a nursery and a library.
The roads C/ Francesc Manuel de los Herreros and C/ Arquebisbe Aspàreg will be developed into a civic centre area.

The Government Junta approved on 14th October the launching of a contest of ideas aimed at the redesign of the municipal market Pere Garau, the square and its urban surroundings. It is planned to conduct measures in the district, on the square and in the market buidling itself.

The contest meets the demands raised by the Follow-Up Commission created in the district made up by representatives of three neighbourhood associations, of retailer associations and market users' associations and pays special attention on the car-park and the creation of public areas for the neighbours.

The City Council of Palma aims to take the first steps towards the rehabilitation, renewal and revitalisation of the Pere Garau district, both on a urban and social level. The intense activity on the square, that combines both its role as a public area and that of an indoor and outdoor market, while representing one of the main assets within the district - thus the importance of maintaining it - generates traffic mobility problems and interferes in the daily life of the neighbours, as it is an area that misses areas that are specifically addressed to citizens. However, the criteria of this contest offers a solution to these issues.

Programme of requirements

On a urban level, the project proposals submitted to the contest must involve the measures that have already been planned for the entire district by the City Council and must define these actions in accordance to the measures projected for the square.

The roads C/ Francesc Manuel de los Herreros and C/ Arquebisbe Aspàreg will be developed into a civic centre area and shall contribute to recovering public areas for citizens.

Planning of a linear rotation car-park and a car-park for users of the Market on the square's east side (extendable, with approximately 250 parking spaces at the beginning), that may be extended towards the roads C/ Luca de Tena and C/ Gabriel Llabrés, thus establishing the possible locations of the entrance and exit ramps and a possible connection with the existing parking. The planning of the parking must take into account an area reserved for the retailers' vehicles (approximately 40 vans).

The roads C/ Faust Morell and C/ Capità Vila will be connecting the district with the green areas nearby, with the Polígon de Llevant industrial estate to the south and with the Parc de les Estacions to the north.

As regards the square, the scope of the proposal will involve the perimeter defined by the surrounding façades. The proposals tending to reduce the "roundabout" effect, that is currently the case due to the passing traffic, will be greatly valued.

Basic requirements:

- Maintain the number of outdoor sales stands and plan their expansion.
- Analyse the location of these sales stands, taking into account easy accessibility and keeping in mind the mounting and dismounting operations.
- Analyse the possibility of expanding the location of sales stands to the surrounding roads according to the alternative traffic routes proposed in the project.
- Plan the standardisation of awnings of the outdoor sales stands.
- Determine the surface area of the time-limited access to loading and unloading areas.
- Specify the areas for the selective waste collection (they are planned to be installed underground).
- Location of ONCE's booth and of the public telephone booth
- Location of the bus stops, depending on the alternative traffic routes proposed in the project.
- Include urban furniture, trees and plants and lighting, always keeping in mind the coexistence of the different activities, of the outdoor market operations three days a week and of a public area on the remaining days.
- Connect the new rotation parking with the existing parking. It must be taken into account that the parking places are privately owned and that they must be maintained. The existing ramps may be subject to modification.

As regards the main Market building, the proposal may be set out as a comprehensive restructuring, maintaing however the typical characteristics that identify the existing building. The proposals supporting the integration of the resulting building in the planning process of the City Council for the entire district will be greatly valued, as for example providing the civic areas with visual transparency.

General programme requirements to be taken into consideration:

- It must be taken into account that the Market's activities will need to continue its operations during the restructuring works. Hence, the submitted proposals must contemplate the provisional relocation and installation of the market during the restructuring process.
- Elimination of architectural barriers, building of adapted toilets for the disabled, energy efficiency, functionality...
- Maintain the number of sales stands.
- Planning of a storage area for general waste. This area must be adequately ventilated, refrigerated...
- Planning of a nursery on the ground floor at the disposal of clients.
- Allow the most direct connection with the newly built underground parking.
- In order to increase the existing facilities in the district, an expansion of the building must be planned, preferably on the top floors, in order to have enough space to build a multi-purpose room for citizen entities (with a capacity for approx. 75 people, i.e. approx.120 m2), a district youth centre (200 m2) and a small library (50 m2), providing all the required services to make use of these facilities.