The capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, recently underwent a competition for the design for the new city center to be built within the next ten years. Ministries and state agencies will be relocated here, creating a strong state center. The competition included international architecture superstars like Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and Massimiliano Fuksas along with some local firms out of Bulgaria.

Among the six finalists, french architect Dominique Perrault was selected. The concept includes a strong green core surrounded by buildings that step up from the core. Vegetation and the link between the built and the living environment appear to be strong with green not only seen on the horizontal but also the vertical plane. It will be interesting to see what develops from these initial sketchy ideas.

Norman Foster vision:

Zaha Hadid vision:

images via Bustler