An independent jury has selected, on behalf of the municipality of Amsterdam, ten design teams for the next phase of the international architecture prize for the National Slavery Museum. The teams were chosen from a large number of national and international submissions. This concludes the first phase of the competition.
Alderwoman Touria Meliani (Arts and Culture): “With the selection of these ten design teams, the National Slavery Museum comes one step closer. The museum will be a place where stories that have been underexposed for too long become visible, where there is room for recognition, connection, and conversation, and where people can reflect together on a shared past that still impacts the present. I am pleased with the jury’s careful selection and I thank them for their efforts. Given the rich combination of disciplines and perspectives within the teams, I am confident that we can proceed with the process of making this museum a place that does justice to the past and is meaningful for everyone.”
Jury Selection
The jury, chaired by Government Architect Francesco Veenstra, evaluated the submissions based on, among other criteria: design quality (reference projects), motivation, collaboration, social relevance, and how the design teams address the significance of the history of slavery and its impact on the present. In addition, diversity in the composition of the teams was explicitly analyzed, including perspectives from Suriname and the Caribbean. The jury unanimously reached a selection of the ten participating teams.
In the next phase of the competition
The ten selected teams will work on their vision for the museum building and park at Kop van Java-eiland in Amsterdam. The focus is not only on architectural quality and spatial coherence, but also on the social importance of the museum and the way it provides space for multiple voices (polyphony), gathering, and reflection.
The same independent jury will evaluate these submissions. In the end, up to five teams will be selected for the final design phase. These five designs will also be presented to the public in an exhibition, allowing residents, stakeholders, and interested parties to review the proposals, discuss them, and share their views.
The selected design teams (in alphabetical order):
Ten design teams selected to design National Slavery Museum
