Winning Designs for New International Criminal Court Building Have Been Selected

An international jury chaired by Chief Government Architect of The Netherlands, Liesbeth van der Pol, has selected three winners for the international architectural competition for the new International Criminal Court building in The Hague.

Prize winners

The winning architectural firms are:

• Ingenhoven Architects, Düsseldorf, Germany
• Schmidt Hammer Lassen / Bosch & Fjord, Ã…rhus, Denmark
• Wiel Arets Architects & Associates, Maastricht, The Netherlands

The three winning designs were selected by the jury from 19 entries from all over the world on the basis of criteria as incorporation into the urban fabric and surrounding landscape, architecture, safety and sustainability.

Prize and exhibition

The winning firms will receive cash prizes of EUR 60,000, EUR 50,000 and EUR 40,000 respectively. In addition, all three of them stand a chance of their entry being selected as the definite design for the new building. All 19 entries will be on display in the Atrium of The Hague City Hall from Wednesday 19 November to Tuesday 25 November.

Follow-up

This outcome brings us one step closer to the ultimate choice of architect for the new building on the over 72,000 m² large plot between the dunes and Van Alkemadelaan. In the months ahead, the International Criminal Court will consult with the three firms in question under equal terms, starting with the winner. It is expected the International Criminal Court will enter into a contract with the architect who has the best design and fulfills all the other award criteria at the start of 2009. It will be announced which architect is commissioned to realize the design in early 2009. The final design will be presented in 2010, after which construction can start in 2011. Work on the new building for the International Criminal Court is scheduled for completion in 2014.

Here some more remarkable entries:

Images: ICC Architectural Competition