The Nobel Foundation, which manages the assets and administers all activities involved in the presentation of the prestigious Nobel Prize, has selected 12 architecture firms to participate in a competition to design the new Nobel Center in Blasieholmen, Stockholm.
According to a press statement, the foundation had considered 140 architecture firms, of which 12 have been selected to compete in the designing competition. The firms were chosen by a specially appointed evaluation committee. The committee considered each firm's designing abilities, experience, sensitivity towards historic architecture and ability to undertake projects efficiently in a cost effective manner.
The competition will have two stages in which the 12 firms will design the main building, the new venue of the Nobel Prize. The building will comprise of public rooms for science conferences, exhibitions, meetings and events. The design also requires a library, shops, a café and a restaurant to be designed alongside . The main focus of the project is to turn the venue into a major attraction of Stockholm. Currently, all the Nobel Prize events are held in the Stockholm City Hall.
The project cost, date of the competition and the panel of jury have not yet been announced yet. The foundation intends to pool in capital for the project from interested donors and hopes that the project will begin by 2013 itself.
"The competition will begin once the majority of the project's financing has been secured. Encouraging discussions are currently on-going with several donors, and we are confident that we will secure the necessary financing to begin the architectural competition and carry out the project during the current calendar year," Lars Heikensten, executive director of the Nobel Foundation, said in the statement.
Here is the list of the twelve selected architecture firms:
- 3XN, Denmark
- BIG, Denmark
- Herzog & de Meuron, Switzerland
- Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor, Sweden
- Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, France
- Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter, Denmark
- Marcel Meili, Markus Peter Architekten, Switzerland
- OMA, Netherlands
- SANAA, Japan
- Snøhetta, Norway
- Wingårdhs arkitekter, Sweden.
- David Chipperfield Architects, England/Germany.
