Results: Unesco Ancient Theatre

Terraviva has officially released the complete list of awarded projects of the architecture contest entitled “Unesco Ancient Theatre”.

Set within the historic heart of Ohrid, North Macedonia, the competition invited architects and designers, to reinterpret one of the city’s most emblematic landmarks. The challenge called for a cohesive architectural and landscape intervention capable of harmonizing the site’s deep historical roots with bold contemporary design. Participants were encouraged to explore a range of possibilities, from reimagining the stage and roof to sensitively restoring the seating area, all while maintaining a unified spatial language that enhances the theatre’s cultural relevance and year-round usability. The competition aimed to breathe new life into the ancient venue, transforming it into an active and inclusive public space that bridges past and present.

The awarded proposals were praised for their balance between preservation and innovation, offering thoughtful and contextually aware interpretations of the historic site. The jury highlighted projects that achieved strong conceptual clarity through minimal yet impactful interventions, allowing the ancient structure to retain its essence while adapting to modern needs. Some designs stood out for their refined material and landscape integration, creating compositions that felt naturally embedded within Ohrid’s heritage and urban fabric. Others distinguished themselves through coherent spatial organization and restrained contemporary language, enhancing both the visual and experiential quality of the theatre. Together, these works showcased a sensitive and forward-looking dialogue between culture, history and design.

Terraviva warmly congratulates all participants for their outstanding creativity and commitment, whose inspiring proposals have contributed to reimagining the timeless legacy of the Ancient Theatre of Ohrid.

The winners were selected by an international jury panel composed by:

- Tea Damjanovska (Skopje, North Macedonia) | Ss. Cyril & Methodius University
- Kyriakos Chatziparaskevas (London, United Kingdom) | Heatherwick Studio
- Merve Güleryüz Çohadar (Istanbul & Bodrum, Turkey) | Balvin Architects
- René Daniels (Bogotá, Colombia) | We Are Size
- Elena Cantoni (Berlin, Germany) | Studio Schwitalla
- Simona Chingoska (Ohrid, North Macedonia) | Arhrid
- Tianjian Li (New York, USA) | Grimshaw Architects
- Elisa Donini (Rome, Italy) | Università La Sapienza

1st Prize

OVERTURE
Ho Chi Kwan, Ching Lam Chu, Hoi Wah Wan, Lok Yin Chiu, Tsz Wai Fu
Hong Kong

OVERTURE
Ohrid, a dual UNESCO World Heritage site, stands at the intersection of cultural depth and natural beauty. The project draws from vernacular Ohrid architecture, abstracting its construction logic to inform proportion, layering, and tectonic expression. Framed views of the city and Lake Ohrid preserve the site’s visual and emotional continuity. The intervention seeks to replace makeshift additions with a coherent architectural strategy that revitalizes the ancient theatre as a living civic space—supporting both daily community use and contemporary cultural events. Historic structures and new insertions are composed in dialogue, maintaining alignment with the geometric integrity of the amphitheatre.

Re-Centering the Stage
The stage returns to its historic geometric centre, restoring the amphitheatre’s original order. The new canopy ring reframes the space, visually reinforcing its centrality and establishing the stage as the spatial and symbolic focus of the renewed theatre.

Activating the Heritage
The scheme reveals and utilizes the spaces beneath the ancient seating, discreetly accommodating modern programs while reinforcing uncertain structural conditions. The seating receives slight refurbishment and partial replacement for heavily corroded stones, to ensure comfort and usability across the entire theatron.

Digging the Ground
Beneath the new stage, a rehearsal studio reconfigures backstage and frontstage vertically, serving as a concealed back-of-house. A circular passage, pierced by a skylit gallery, frames glimpses of the heritage above, letting past and present converse quietly within the same space.

The Ancient Theatre
The Ancient Theatre of Ohrid, lay buried for centuries, its existence obscured by time and memory. Rediscovered in the 1980s, the excavation revealed a theatre that had evolved through Greek and Roman eras, each layer telling a story of cultural transformation. The site, once abandoned and concealed, now invites a new narrative. The act of digging into the ground mirrors the archaeological process: a journey of rediscovery that connects the present with the past.

Orchestra and Skene
Rather than reconstructing a solid backdrop, the ring canopy traces the stage’s periphery, asserting its presence and centrality within the amphitheatre. It honors the theatre’s geometric logic and historic form, while preserving unobstructed panoramic views of Lake Ohrid, allowing nature to become part of the performance.

Vernacular Inspiration
Inspired by the vernacular bondruk system, where stone lower levels provide durability and insulation and timber upper levels offer lightness and flexibility, our design follows the same logic: stone anchors the underground and enclosed spaces, while timber forms most new interventions above. Traditional bracket supports are reinterpreted as protruding wall elements along the circular underground gallery, creating a measured rhythm that echoes local character and bridges past and present through material and form.

Theatron
Derived from the ancient Greek θέατρον, meaning “the seeing place,” the theatron originally denoted the audience area of the Greek theatre. In Ohrid, it remains the theatre’s most intact and expressive feature. The seating tiers are slightly refurbished and partially replaced, honoring their collective purpose and allowing the theatron to continue welcoming spectators during the summer festival or in new performances for generations to come.

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About the First Prize – Elisa Donini – Università La Sapienza

“The project successfully translates the site’s multiple values into a coherent whole that is capable of integrating with its context while maintaining its uniqueness. By framing the stage, digging the ground for new uses, and thoughtfully reusing traditional elements, it creates a new entity that may seem simple at first glance, yet embodies a deep and nuanced interpretative vision.”

About the First Prize – Tianjian Li – Grimshaw Architects

“This project achieves maximum impact through minimal intervention, demonstrating a deep respect for the existing historical build up. It maintains the essence of the original structure while reimagining the theater’s program with clarity and sensitivity, bridging heritage and contemporary use.”

2nd Prize

Lychnidos ex Machina
Lars Westhoff
Germany

Lychnidos ex Machina
The project Lychnidos ex Machina reinterprets the Ancient Theatre of Ohrid as a living landscape where history and contemporary life converge. The proposal responds to the competition’s call for unity between architecture, landscape, and heritage by transforming the fragmented site into a coherent civic space that restores the theatre’s cultural presence while introducing new layers of public use.

The site is organized into three interdependent zones: the Stage, the Frame, and the Backdrop. Together, they create a continuous landscape that respects archaeological remains while enhancing accessibility, legibility, and adaptability. The Stage forms the heart of the intervention. It is a lightweight, elevated platform that hovers above the ancient chorus. Its form extends outward, reconnecting performers and audience through renewed spatial continuity. The added walkways, stairs and seating is designed as transparent as possible, to allow for direct view of the ancient archaeological layers.

At the same time the stages modular system supports different configurations for concerts, performances, and civic events, offering both fixed and adaptable arrangements. A suspended ring above can hold lighting, projection, and sound systems. Mounted to it, a tethered helium sphere acts as the “light of Lychnidos”—a luminous beacon visible across the city, which can be deployed during special occasions to mark the theatre’s renewed presence.

Behind the ancient cavea, the project introduces a pavilion that introduces a flexible roofed space for exhibition and information, that transforms into a break room and bar during events. Restrooms are also located here. Embedded within the slope behind the theatre and hovering above the ancient foundations, the pavilion minimizes its visual and structural impact while revealing the archaeological foundations below.

The landscape becomes the connective tissue of the design. For coherence and circulation, new terraced paths, ramps, and steps weave between the upper and lower levels, improving accessibility while preserving archaeological integrity. The Frame is a new civic plaza that extends the theatre into the city fabric, hosting daily activities, small gatherings, and informal markets. The existing building on the site is restored and is used as visitor centre and café. Local vegetation, permeable surfaces, and integrated seating invite year-round use, reinforcing the theatre’s role as a social hinge between the old town and the everyday city.

The Backdrop area unfolds along the natural hillside north of the theatre, transforming residual terrain into a calm landscape of paths and viewpoints. Four resting spots, connected by a stone-paved walkway, offer framed views towards the theatre, lake, and city. Local vegetation and minimal architectural additions preserve quality of stay and enhance accessibility to the site.

Through its layered approach, Lychnidos ex Machina directly answers the competition’s objectives: the new stage and pavilion provide a renewed identity, the landscape unites the fragmented terrain, and the small interventions bring comfort and continuity. The project preserves authenticity through reversibility and lightness, while allowing the theatre to function once more as a civic stage for performance, encounter, and reflection—reviving the spirit of Lychnidos for the city of today.

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About the 2nd Prize – Kyriakos Chatziparaskevas – Heatherwick Studio

“The project presents a strong concept narrative and a clear identity between the existing theatre and the proposed interventions. Landscape, new and reused structures, texture, and the central art installation create a coherent composition that create a sense of belonging to Ohrid.”

3rd Prize

TERRA
Anıl Sidar İldan
Germany

TERRA – Understanding the Earth

Terra is an architectural project that explores the relationship between topography and the ground, aiming to understand and work with the existing landscape rather than against it. Located around the ancient amphitheater in Ohrid, the project introduces a series of terraced platforms that adapt to the natural slope of the site, treating the terrain not as an obstacle, but as an active participant in shaping the architectural form.

Ohrid’s amphitheater sits within a dramatic slope. Terra proposes a new way of engaging with this steep terrain through a series of terraced interventions that follow the natural contours of the site. These terraces gradually break the steepness of the topography, transforming the uneven ground into a sequence of habitable platforms, public plazas . Each terrace becomes a threshold, a point where landscape and architecture overlap, encouraging movement, rest, and encounter.

At the heart of the project lies an architectural extension of the amphitheater. This addition is designed to increase the audience capacity. The new volume grows out of the landscape. Through its geometry and transitions, the structure connects the lower sub-square area with the upper public levels, creating a continuous spatial experience.

Within the addition, a ticket office are integrated into the terraced structure. These interior passage offer natural connections between the amphitheater’s existing foyer and a newly created secondary foyer at the rear. The two foyers link the middle and upper sub-plaza. The surrounding terraces are enriched with landscape and vegetation, responding to Ohrid’s green environment. These planted areas provide shaded seating, walking paths, and recreational zones for both residents and visitors. The site transforms into a public space for everyday life.
Terra aims to revitalize the amphitheater and its surroundings by merging cultural heritage with contemporary spatial needs. It proposes a sensitive balance between preservation and intervention. By integrating topography, landscape, and program, Terra envisions this amphitheatre to be integrated with peoples’ everyday lives.

The material language of Terra draws directly from Ohrid’s landscape. The proposed structures use locally sourced natural stone, reflecting the textures and tones of the surrounding terrain. Together with terracotta surfaces, these materials form subtle routes that guide visitors through the terraces and plazas.

Along these paths, a delicate water element accompanies visitors from the entrances toward the amphitheater. The gentle flow introduces calmness and continuity, enriching the experience of movement. Beneath the stage, the water gathers into a hidden pool, while the stage above is slightly elevated, ensuring the intervention respects and lightly touches the historic structure.
Through this material and spatial strategy, Terra connects stone, earth, and water into a coherent landscape.

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About the 3rd Prize – René Daniels – We Are Size

“In an orderly and contemporary manner, the project integrates the architectural program into the heritage site with respect and balance. It complements the urban and heritage language through a volumetric and material response that blends with the existing natural and urban landscape, bringing coherence and sobriety to the intervention.”

Golden Mention

MIRAGE
Nathan Ma
Hong Kong

Where the ancient theatre of Ohrid stands, I see a MIRAGE – Echoes of the past, Visions of the Future, and Ohrid’s next great performance.

Echoes of the Past
The maintenance of the theatre’s remains is paramount to the expression of place and time. The seating area is to be cleaned, with damaged stones restored in the likeness of the original material texture.
The Northern area where fragments of the ancient theatre are located should be trimmed and weeded such that the former structural base is exposed, giving a hint at the theatre’s former expanse and grandeur.
Most importantly, the central orchestra will be restored through the classical method of terrasse, as is tradition in theatres like such. A ceramic tapestry woven together by local artisans and craftsmanship will mark this area as the central space, creating an image that is of Ohrid, for Ohrid.

Visions of the Future
Not all ruin can be fully restored, but the cracks formed from the test of time leave much to the imagination and beyond. Modern materials of steel beams and perforated sheet metal fill the eroded gaps, adding a new layer to this city of palimpsests.
These materials will be used to recreate the likeness of the second section of theatre believed to extend beyond the theatre’s current mass. The structure becomes a pavilion that complements the central space, earning the theatre a new entry way from the main city gate.
These materials will also be used to reimagine the skene, building upon the functional needs of such a stage, and providing a basic structure from which multiple types of performances can be built upon. Modern lighting, sound, and display technology will act as a supplement to the theatre’s purpose.
The translucent nature of these materials gives the MIRAGE project its namesake – a wondrous illusion over Lake Ohrid.

Ohrid’s Next Great Performance
Program and street furniture give visitors and locals the means to enjoy the various spaces. Circulation via pathways, stairs and stepped landscapes reconnect the once isolated theatre to the greater urban landscape, creating a transition between the daily lives of people and that of the MIRAGE theatre’s activities.
With this, the space around the theatre becomes art and dance, it becomes a farmer’s market, it becomes a history lesson, and a shared space of gathering and exchange for all who enter.
In its activation, the theatre comes to life once again, and the MIRAGE is complete. Because more than urban spaces, more than ancient stone, what truly makes a project is people – the greatest actors in this beautiful city of terracotta roofs and vibrant histories.

Golden Mention

Dualities
Lucy Dragancheva, Mariia Apostolova, Dimitriy Lotash, Georgii Chernyshov
Bulgaria – Russia – Kazakhstan

Concept
When it comes to Hellenistic theatres, there is an inherent connection they share with the landscape. Theatre takes its form by repeating the natural patterns of the land. The land in return affirms the connection by becoming a continuation of the theatre. So is the story of the Ancient Theatre of Ohrid as well. Placed between two hills Gorni Saraj and Deboj, the amphitheater encapsulates the existing morphological duality.
Considering this historical aspect, our project unfolds through a series of dualities while aiming for a gentle, non-monumental approach. Just like in theatrical plays, some elements function as doubles or two contrasting objects which oppose and balance each other out.

I. Stage/Landscape
The stage in our proposal becomes the second, ephemeral earth. The ground above the ground. Translucent and suspended in the air, it doesn’t compete with the solid weight and history of the amphitheater. The stage while doubling the usable space is intended to be an inconspicuous addition, allowing one to observe the ruins. Its lightweight structure made of welded wire mesh follows the natural shape of the ground surface, covers it from above, but does not conceal.

II. Old Gates/Symbolic Gates
As spectators we are meant to discover the theatre gradually. Entering through the Upper Gate, the first threshold, we can get a glimpse of the theatre. As we approach we are met by two buildings which frame the entrance, almost like pillars. We are reimagining the existing house next to the amphitheater as backstage spaces to accommodate actors, musicians and technical staff. At the same time we reconstruct the opposing house of the cafe adopting the main material of the stage — weathering steel. Together they form the second threshold, or symbolic gates.

III. Gallery/Garden
There are two almost mystical spaces connected to the theater. The first one is the dark space below the seats, a remnant from the time of the Romans. We envision it now as a passageway, a gallery with light seeping through to be enjoyed by visitors during the day and a place to be used by performers at night.
Its counterpart is the outer wall of the theater, which marks the beginning of the green hill. We create a garden to walk among the ruins. The arc-shaped passage is similar in its configuration to the gallery below, but offers a dramatic change in experience. The garden consists of steel columns establishing a sense of verticality and carefully placed gravel containers.

IV. Stepped tiers/Stage entrance
Extending to the east, the even canvas of the stage morphs into new metal stepped tiers, which lead to the house on the hill and become a connective tissue between the amphitheater and backstage rooms for the performers. At the same time the steps bring a different dynamic to the performances.
Carved out of the body of the amphitheater and positioned to the southwest, the stage entrance acts as a negative space to the steps, сreating more permeability and welcoming passersby to explore the ruins.

Golden Mention

Path of Lychnidos
Andrew Mattessich, Alexa Patel, Luis Cardona, Austin Scott, Zack Cundey
United States

PATH OF LYCHNIDOS
PRESERVING HERITAGE THROUGH LANDSCAPE & INTERVENTION

The project proposes a minimal yet deliberate intervention at the historic UNESCO World Heritage Theater in Ohrid, Macedonia. It seeks to strengthen the connection between the theater and its surrounding landscape through a carefully considered network of ramps, stairs, and terraced gardens. These interventions guide visitors across the varying levels of the site, improving circulation, accessibility, and legibility while offering moments of pause and reflection along the way.

Beyond circulation, the design prepares the theater for a wider range of contemporary uses. Discreetly integrated facilities such as restrooms, concessions, storage, and backstage rooms support both daily visitors and performance related needs without compromising the historic character of the building. The terraced landscape creates flexible outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces that can host gatherings, cultural events, or quiet contemplation, expanding the theater’s role as a cultural and community hub.

The project is guided by respect for the theater’s historic fabric. Materials, scale, and alignment are carefully chosen to complement the existing architecture, ensuring that new interventions feel deliberate yet unobtrusive. Light, shadow, and circulation are orchestrated to highlight key views and perspectives, revealing the theater in dialogue with its surrounding landscape.

By balancing preservation with thoughtful adaptation, the Ohrid Theater is transformed into a living, vibrant space. It continues to honor its storied past while embracing contemporary needs, offering both locals and visitors an enriched cultural experience. In this way, the theater remains a stage for ongoing artistic and communal engagement, where history, art, and community intersect and thrive.

Golden Mention

TIMELESS STAGE – An archeological park as a network of places, stories and views
Bruna Galbusera, Chiara Chendi, Laura Bruno
Italy

The project’s main goal is to redefine the visitor routes in the area and connect it to other sites of interest throughout the city, creating a widespread museum. Thanks to its strategic location, the theatre becomes the ideal starting point.
The project not only ensures continuous public access but also aims to enhance and protect the area’s key features, its panoramic views and the uniqueness of a vast archaeological site of great historical and cultural value, part of one of Europe’s oldest settlements. It also seeks to shield the area from urban pressure and misuse, requiring a clearer definition of the archaeological boundaries for a more coherent layout.
To the northeast, at the upper level of the cavea, lies a main entrance to the old city (Upper Gate) and a large parking area. This strategic spot is redesigned as the main park entrance, with a new pavilion hosting a visitor center (infopoint and ticket office), and a repurposed historical building for a bookshop/giftshop.

The theatre intervention focuses on reconstructing key elements of Hellenistic theatres, part of the seating, the rear wall of the cavea, and the orchestra, all essential for performance use and proper acoustics.
New masonry rests on the original remains, protected by a neoprene layer. The material used is a cement mixture with crushed terracotta, providing a warm, textured finish. The restored seating is made of the same material in prefabricated slabs, allowing reversibility and distinction from the ancient structure. Only the central part of the cavea is reconstructed, leaving the original steps visible on the sides.
Due to the surrounding buildings and the current shape of the theatre, the orchestra becomes a raised stage, using the space beneath for backstage and storage.

The new stage is spacious and versatile, with a scenic backdrop made of oxidized copper, inspired by the sails of traditional boats on Lake Ohrid. As part of an archaeological site, the stage is intentionally “unfinished,” allowing adaptable setups for various performances.
The volume under the stage integrates with the existing geometry and houses not only service areas but also a museum path. On one side are the theatre’s substructures, and on the other, display cases for artifacts with no fixed placement or requiring protection.
This area also includes public restrooms for visitors and spectators.

The theatre has undergone multiple transformations. During Roman rule, an Ephiteatron was added above the original structure. Though dimensions are uncertain, a portion is reconstructed to recall this historical phase. The upper seating ends in a terrace with a café, offering a gathering place and panoramic viewpoint.
The project axis is intentionally rotated to follow pedestrian paths and direct the view toward Lake Ohrid.
The archaeological park extends beyond the theatre, following the street layout and connecting with secondary pedestrian paths. A new square, functioning as the theatre foyer, hosts a multifunctional pavilion for exhibitions, events, or educational use.
Its edges, partly delineated by existing buildings, are defined with pebble paving in varying shades and tree-lined green areas.

Golden Mention

Hollow
Avisa Yazdani, Hamed Kamalzadeh, Mohammad Razavizadeh, Omid Golshan
United Kingdom – Iran

The Hollow
A Multi-Mise-en-Scène Theatre

The Hollow redefines the amphitheatre of Ohrid as a multi-view, interactive landscape — a place where seeing, moving, and living become part of one continuous performance. It is not reconstructed as a monument to history, but reimagined as a living architecture that connects people, the city, and the landscape through experience and exchange.
The word amphitheatre comes from the Greek amphitheatron: amphi meaning “around,” and theatron meaning “a place for viewing.” In its origin, the amphitheatre was not just a structure but an idea — a civic space for gathering around the act of seeing, where viewing itself became architecture. The Theatre of Ohrid once embodied this: a place for collective spectatorship, a shared choreography of gaze and performance.

In Ohrid, this idea finds its most natural ground. The theatre is both hollow and hill — from the city, it appears as a void, a quiet opening in the landscape; from within, it becomes an elevated point of observation toward the city and lake. It is both an object and an atmosphere — a place layered with time, memory, and movement.

To preserve, here, is not to freeze time — but to stage it.
To inhabit is not to consume history — but to look through it.

To move beyond traditional conservation, the design begins with the idea of the hollow — a form carved into the hill that becomes both ground and vessel. Two gestures guide the project: the ring and the excavation. The ring defines the horizon, framing the city, lake, and sky; the excavation defines the depth, revealing what lies beneath. Together, they turn the amphitheatre into a living vessel of memory and view.
As the project extends beneath the stage, it redefines the foundation of the amphitheatre. A new inhabitable layer emerges from the excavation, forming the living base of the theatre. It feels uncovered rather than constructed — a natural continuation of the terrain. The rough stone walls and floors merge with the hill, their uneven textures catching light softly as it filters through narrow openings cut into the stage above. These shafts of light create subtle visual and acoustic connections between levels — footsteps, shadows, and voices moving through stone.

The spaces beneath are organized along a continuous curve: a café, small shops, and a gift area, all opening toward the city. This lower ring becomes the project’s core social space — an extension of both the theatre and the urban life of Ohrid. It operates as an open platform where small concerts, talks, and spontaneous performances can take place. At other times, it becomes part of the city’s everyday rhythm — a passage to rest, meet, or simply walk through.

Here, architecture becomes a mediator between performance and daily life. The theatre opens itself to the city — inviting interaction rather than separation. It is a space that does not wait for events, but allows them to emerge naturally, shaped by those who inhabit it.
In the end, the Hollow reimagines a new kind of stage — a space where the ruin, the city, and the body encounter one another through the act of viewing.

Honorable Mention

Skenè Ohrid’s Ancient Theatre
Gianluca Dell’Abate, Gabriele Potenza
Italy

Honorable Mention

Dualities in dialogue
Agostina Lelia Babaglio, Leonardo Hernán Araoz, Juana Prieto, Victoria Brea, Paula Alejandra Klima , Valeria Pagani , Nora Ponce, Wanda Dalmau
Argentina

Honorable Mention

Rebreathe
Wenlei Ma, Pu Cheng, Jingshuang Zhao, Shanshan Liu, Yuan Peng
China

Honorable Mention

Distill Moments
Seongjin Park, Myeonghun Bae
Republic of Korea

Honorable Mention

Echoes in Ohrid: Reframed Theatre
Silvia Rueda Guerrero, Nicolas Velasco Gomez
Colombia

Honorable Mention

Echoes of the City
Simón Henao Uribe, Maria Gómez Velasquez, Julian Torres Fonceca, Marta Gil Angel, Valentina Ramirez Gonzalez, Cristian Sanchéz García, Diana Osorio Zuluaga, Sara Cardona Varela, Sebastian Diaz Arbelaez, Ricardo Garcia Cadavid, Alejandro Uribe Gomez
Colombia