The task of the competition was not only to revitalize the area between the beach and the city, but also to provide parking space for about 1,500 cars - with minimal consequences for the appearance of the area.
De Schmedt and Nouvelle took over the section from Boskovich Square to Kennedy Square, and Foster from Kennedy Square to Marvelli Square.
Nouvel's version involves the construction of a new Kurhaus - a large red domed structure, which will house various institutions of the resort's infrastructure and public spaces. A "dune system" will be built around it, under the green cover of which underground parking lots will be hidden. The space between the city blocks and the beach will be planted with pine and palm trees, which are the natural flora of the Adriatic coast. Thus, a "soft" landscape will be created, serving as an environment for the transition from traditional buildings to an almost natural environment of the coastal strip.
Julien De Schmedt was inspired to create his project by the organic forms of water and sand, as well as by the recognizable image of the famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The architect proposes to create in Rimini a permeable public space, developing both along the sea and in the direction of the city-beach. The alternation of individual types, open and closed areas is achieved through the use of organic volumes of garage buildings and seaside infrastructure as landscape elements (this will also allow to clear the beach of any buildings and maximize the view of the sea).
The site, assigned to Norman Foster, does not include a car park, so the architect's central task was to develop a streamlined hotel tower in the "Emirates style". The lower part will be used by the Fellini Foundation for the famous Rimini Film Festival. A new park will be laid out on the strip between the city and the sea, but in order to avoid the unidirectional movement along the beach, a pier 300 m long will protrude from the skyscraper into the sea - the same organic outlines as the hotel building itself. It is planned to install solar panels in the building complex, which will be able to provide lighting at night for 7 km of the city embankment.
The decision of the Rimini authorities on all three submitted proposals will be announced at the end of October 2008.
