Holocaust memorial and primary school win Amsterdam Architecture Prize

The Namenmonument consists of bricks that all bear the name of a Holocaust victim. The memorial touched many relatives who were present at the unveiling. “If you think about the past in your easy chair at home, about your mother, you can do that with dry eyes,” a relative told AT5/NH Amsterdam at the time. “Here I have been crying enormously, because I can touch her here. That is such a big difference.” A day later, the moment also came open to the public† More than 100 people attended the opening.

AT5/NH Amsterdam attended the unveiling of the monument in September last year.

It is the first time that the prize goes to a monument. In the expert jury report, the Monument to Namur is described as ‘Architecture with a capital ‘A’.’ “Despite its physically modest size, the impact of this project extends far beyond the city limits”, it reads “This project is not only for Amsterdam and Amsterdam residents, but offers space for meeting, reflection and education.”

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Not only the ‘architectural expressiveness’ is a reason for the jury to go for the monument. It also has to do with “the urban integration, which has turned a neglected location into a place of great value.”

Transformed primary school

Primary school de Wereldburger is therefore also among the prizes. The school, which won the audience award, was given a completely new building in Osdorp last year. The jury calls De Wereldburger a ‘social heart’ in Osdorp, which can have a lot of impact on the environment.

“Within a limited budget, the architect and client have transformed a dated closed school into an inviting, sustainable and spacious primary school,” according to the jury. “A fantastic job has been done to transform the concrete skeleton of the old school into a warm and sturdy school building.”

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The Amsterdam Architecture Prize has been in existence since 2008. It is awarded annually by Arcam, a coordination center for architecture, urban design and landscape architecture in Amsterdam. The winners include the architects of the four towers in Osdorp (2010), Het Noorderparkbad (2016), De IJhal and the Noord/Zuidlijn (both in 2019).

In addition to the Namenmonument and the primary school, the three residential towers of The Valley (Zuidas), the transformed wine silos of the Harborclub (Cruquiuseiland) and the wooden residential tower Stories (Buiksloterham) were also awarded the prize. nominated†