The Jury of the AM NAI Prize 2006 has nominated the following buildings for the Best Building by a Young Architect: the CONO Cheese Factory by Bastiaan Jongerius architecten b.v., De Plussenburgh by Arons & Gelauff architecten, Brughuis in Middelburg by BAR architects, interior of WORM Rotterdam by 2012 Architecten and KAPKAR/TAW-BW-5860 by Frank Havermans. The winner will be announced in November.
A total of 75 young architects submitted a building they designed in the AM NAI Prize competition. 'The jury was impressed by the continued strength of Dutch architecture, though it noticed that economic conditions had led to a greater precision and pragmatism in the designs. In general, the architects concentrated either on exterior effect or interior composition, achieving startling effects with an economy of means.'
The jury consists of Liesbeth van de Pol (architect and partner in ZeinstraVanderPol), Mariet Schoenmakers (Director of Area Development for AM), Lara Schrijver (architecture theorist), Jeroen van Schooten (architect and Chairman of the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects BNA), Brett Steele (Director of the AA School of Architecture), Josep Luis Mateo (architect) and Aaron Betsky (Director of the NAI).
Jury Comments on the Nominated Buildings
– The CONO Cheese Factory in West-Beemster by Bastiaan Jongerius architecten b.v.: 'The composition of the different cubes is impressive.'
– De Plussenburgh in IJsselmonde by Arons & Gelauff architecten: 'It's simultaneously overwhelming and exciting.'
– Brughuis in Middelburg by BAR: 'It's literally a jewel balancing on the water.'
– Interior of WORM in Rotterdam by 2012 Architecten: 'The cultural program together with the recycling of materials and the incorporation of the building forms a sort of authenticity.'
– KAPKAR/TAW-BW-5860 in Vught by Frank Havermans: 'It is pure ideology that he is selling.'
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 winning design will moreover be added to the NAI Collection. To be eligible for entry for the AM NAI Prize 2006, the building must have been completed in 2004 or 2005. The architect of the building must be no more than forty years old in the year of project completion. The NAI and AM intend the AM NAI Prize to highlight the special 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 have their designs actually built at an early stage in their career.
The AM NAI Prize award will be accompanied by the publication of a book under the title 'Bare Facts.' This publication will discuss the nominated entries in detail. The publisher will be NAI Publishers. One of the jurors will be asked to write up the jury report and an essay for inclusion in the book.