Entries are open for an international competition to design an accommodation facility that will convert the medieval ruins of Italy’s Castle of Roccamandolfi into a tourist resort.

The castle is situated in the Italian province of Isernia in Central Italy and stands atop a steep hill, and towers over a cliff and forest.

The competition has been announced by Young Architects Competitions and pre-fab wooden buildings company Marlegno in partnership with the Italian State Property Agency (ISPA).

The competition brief states that the new development at Castle of Roccamandolfi must not threaten or obscure the existing architecture and cannot exceed a height of five metres or 3,000 square metres overall.

Proposed materials must also be in line with the existing architecture and surrounding landscape and the design should be oriented towards the enhancement of the existing architecture.

The brief also states the program for the resort could include a range of accommodation options such as basic units aimed at trekkers that blend into the landscape, a tree house hotel, castle apartments that offer a range of suite sizes and include swimming pools and saunas, and sustainable landscape cabins.

The competiiton is open to architects, graduates and students, as well as designers and artists. Teams must have at least one member aged between 18 and 35.

The 10-member jury includes 2011 Pritzker Prize laureate Eduardo Souto de Moura.

There will be 30 finalists selected. First place will receive €10,000, second place will receive €4,000 and third place will receive €2,000. Ten honourable mentions will be announced as well as four gold honourable mentions which will each receive €1000. 

Early bird registration is currently open and will close on 28 December 2017. Standard registration opens on 29 December and closes on 31 January 2017. Submissions are due on 3 March 2017 and results will be announced on 10 April 2017.

For further information visit Young Architects Competitions.