William Gladstone School, Sofia: New Academic Wing Competition

The William Gladstone School in Sofia, officially the 18th Comprehensive School William Gladstone, has announced an open international architectural competition for a concept design for a new academic wing. According to the published schedule, registration on the competition website closes on 27 January 2027 and entries are due on 1 February 2027. The organiser notes that the formal launch has been postponed because of a technical issue with publication on the Bulgarian public procurement portal (CAIS EPP), so the dates may still change.

The school opened in the 1907/1908 academic year as the Third Boys’ Grammar School, and its building was inaugurated in 1910 and named after the British statesman William Gladstone, who spoke out for the Bulgarian people in 1876. With more than 2,200 pupils from year 1 to year 12, it is now the largest school in Bulgaria. The extension is meant to give it room for new learning resources and to move all pupils to a single-shift timetable.

The new building must connect functionally to the historic school and to the Bulgarian-Japanese Cultural Centre, forming one educational complex, and entries must also reorganise and landscape the existing schoolyard. The organisers set six design principles: a recognisable architecture that balances heritage and a contemporary identity, adaptable spaces for active and informal learning, human scale, daylight and a healthy indoor climate, safe and clear access, and universal design.

The competition is open to Bulgarian and foreign architects and their teams. A seven-member international jury will award EUR 30,000 for first prize, EUR 20,000 for second and EUR 10,000 for third. Questions can be sent until 23 January 2027, and results are scheduled for 16 April 2027. The technical brief, rules and annexes, including DWG drawings, a point cloud and a 3D model, are listed on the competition website.