The RIBA Competitions Office on behalf of the Newport City Council, the Newport Unlimited, the Welsh Development Agency and the Design Commission for Wales is please to announce the launch of a new International Open Ideas Competition. Submissions are invited from architects, landscape architects, engineers, town planners and urban designers for a new public space and its surrounding urban form in the Market Square area of Newport, South Wales. Collaboration between these and other disciplines (e.g. public artists) is actively encouraged, as are submissions from students who are registered on appropriate courses.

The Market Square Competition represents a fantastic opportunity to design a new northern gateway to Newport City Centre and a revitailsed connection between its historic core and the River Usk. Competitors will need to successfully resolve complex transport infrastructure issues and in doing so, generate the land to create an inspirational, contemporary civic space that people will want to use. As well as transforming the surrounding area into a more pedestrian-friendly environment, this will also strengthen the views and access to two of the City Centre’s most important landmarks - the Grade II listed Market Hall and the Castle.