From contest to final design

In September 2011, the management team of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and the Sandberg Instituut announced a procurement procedure for the design of a new building. Students, (former) lecturers and alumni were all invited to submit a design proposal. The selection process was guided by two main principles: the Rietveld and Sandberg should make optimal use of the skills and experience available internally and be an exemplary commissioning party that allows room for experimentation. This internal DIY project was not merely intended to rustle up ideas, but formed the actual selection procedure for the architectural design of the new building.

Selection

The selection procedure consisted of two phases. The preliminary round lasted from July until September 2011. During this phase, the six participating teams were given the opportunity to present themselves and their reasons for taking part. The teams then had three months to work on a preliminary design and put their vision for the new building down on paper.

In phase two, each team gave a presentation to a judging panel and the academy community at large, who were then invited to vote. The judging panel consisted of: Tijmen van Grootheest, Ben Zegers, Jurgen Bey, Annelies van Eenennaam, Judith Kroon, Jeroen Boomgaard, student member Leanie van der Vyver, and Zuidas supervisor Malcolm Smith. The panel and body of students and lecturers unanimously chose FedLev’s design as the winner. Read more about the members of the FedLev team and their design here.