Twelve Architects to Compete to Design Nobel Center in Stockholm

During the winter there has been a selection process to choose the architects who will be invited to participate in the planned architectural competition to design a Nobel Center at Blasieholmen in Stockholm. In total, over 140 architects have been considered by a specially appointed evaluation committee. Of these, 12 have been selected to be invited to the architectural competition.

We are now happy to be able to announce the names of the 12 architects selected:

Kim Herforth Nielsen – 3XN, Denmark

Bjarke Ingels – BIG, Denmark

David Chipperfield – David Chipperfield Architects, England/Germany

Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron and Ascan Mergenthaler – Herzog & de Meuron, Switzerland**

Johan Celsing – Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor, Sweden

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal – Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, France

Lene Tranberg – Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter, Denmark

Marcel Meili and Markus Peter – Marcel Meili, Markus Peter Architekten, Switzerland

Rem Koolhaas and Reinier de Graaf – OMA, Netherlands 

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa – SANAA, Japan

Kjetil Thorsen – Snøhetta, Norway 

Gert Wingårdh – Wingårdhs arkitekter, Sweden

Within the two-stage competition, the architects' task will be to design the building that will become the new home of the Nobel Prize in Stockholm. The building will house the Nobel Foundation, together with associated activities that the foundation initiates within research, educational efforts, museum operations and digital media. The building will contain public rooms for exhibitions, scientific conferences, meetings and events, as well as a library, restaurant, café and shop. The ambition is that the Nobel Center will become one of Stockholm's main attractions.

Important criteria in selecting the architects included design and artistic abilities and experience working in intricate urban environments where historical context and the natural environment must be considered with sensitivity. Practical considerations included the architects' ability to develop the project in close cooperation with the client over the course of a lengthy planning process and their experience managing construction projects cost-effectively. The names of members of the jury will be published in conjunction with the start of the competition.

“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,” says Lars Heikensten, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation.

**Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron and Ascan Mergenthaler have decided not to participate in the competition.

Contact: Annika Pontikis, Public Relations Manager, the Nobel Foundation
E-mail: annika.pontikis@nobel.se, tel: +46 8 663 14 70

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