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Thursday, 9 March 2006 | Elif Sungur
AM and NAI Honor Work by Young Architects
As in 2002 and 2004, the this year's AM NAI Prize is to be awarded for the best building by a young architect. The Prize is an initiative of the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) and the chief sponsor of the prize, AM, a real estate development company specializing in residential estates, town centers, office complexes, business parks, and shopping centers. The prize money consists of an award of EUR 1,000 for a nomination and EUR 10,000 for the winning design. The NAI and AM intend the AM NAI Prize to highlight the unique position and quality of young architects in the Netherlands. The working climate in the Netherlands differs from that in other countries in that young architects have good opportunities to realize designs at an early stage in their career.
The AM NAI Prize has, since it was established in 2000-2001, resulted in ample publicity and attention for the participating studios. The AM NAI Prize 2004 was won by NL architects with the basketBAR project in Utrecht. The 2002 Prize went to MVRDV for the Haageneiland project, on Ypenburg, The Hague.
Entry Criteria
To be eligible for entry for the AM NAI Prize 2006, the project concerned must have been completed in 2004 or 2005. The architect may be up to 40 years old in the year of project completion; for entries by groups of architects, the average age must be a maximum of 40 in the year the project was completed. The architect does not have to be of Dutch nationality, but he or she must work in the Netherlands. Entries for the AM NAI Prize, in the form of three A3 panels, may be submitted to the NAI (t.a.v. Postkamer, AM NAI Prize 2006) by April 18 2006. The nominated entries will be retained as part of the NAI Collection.
Jury
The jury decides what quality criteria it will apply. The jurors include Aaron Betsky (Director of NAI) and Mariet Schoenmakers (Development Planning Director of AM). Other members of the jury will be prominent figures in the architectural profession, such as a representative of the current (older) generation of Dutch architects, an architectural critic and an internationally recognized architect. One of the jurors will be asked to write the jury report and an essay for the book.
Publication
A book will be published in parallel with the AM NAI Prize award. The nominated entries and the prizewinning design will documented in detail. The publisher is NAI Publishers.
NAI Aims
The NAI has two motives for organizing a biennial event. Firstly, the Prize is a logical consequence of the NAI's policy of giving young architects and architecture students an opportunity to present their work. Secondly, the NAI wishes to acquire, on a strategic basis, archive material of outstanding recent works of Dutch architecture built by young architects. This initiative will help ensure that the NAI archives not only represent a comprehensive picture of the architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries, but also include a collection of the high points of contemporary Dutch architecture.
Motives of AM
The motive of AM in sponsoring the AM NAI Prize is the company's wish to boost the profile of young architects and improve their prospects of realizing outstanding architecture. AM's field of action is that of urban-scale development projects such as residential estates, town centers, office complexes, business parks and shopping centers. The company plans these projects in close consultation with its consumers and business partners. AM aims to give shape and substance to environments for living, working and shopping, from the perspective of the home purchaser and user. AM's understanding of the opportunities presented by potential sites equips it to act as a partner for governmental organizations, institutional investors and housing corporations in the sustainable design of the Netherlands. The projects AM undertakes are matched to the lifestyles of consumers and to reinforcing local cultures. AM attaches high importance to innovative architecture and is therefore keen to stimulate the work of young architects.
The closing date is 18 April 2006.
For further information, please visit http://www.nai.nl
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