The Great Pyramid Competition Jury on January 22, 2008 in Milan. From left: Omar Akbar, Stefano Boeri, Rem Koolhaas, Ingo Niermann and Miuccia Prada. Image from the documentary “Die Große Pyramide”, (C) W2 Film & Frauke Finsterwalder.

In September 2007 the Friends of the Great Pyramid e.V. invited four international architectural firms to an urban planning ideas competition for the area around the Great Pyramid. The competition objective was to specify high quality and unique, functional as well as aesthetic strategies that are economically feasible to implement. The planning concepts should demonstrate the idea and the positive implications of the project to partners, decision makers, clients and other stakeholders.

The Participants (A-Z):

Ai Weiwei/FAKE Design, Beijing
Atelier Bow-Wow, Tokyo
Nikolaus Hirsch, Wolfgang Lorch and Markus Miessen, Frankfurt/M. and London
MADA s.p.a.m., Shanghai

The Jury (A-Z):

Omar Akbar, Architect, Executive Director Bauhaus Dessau Foundation
Stefano Boeri, Architect, Editor ABITARE, Milan
Rem Koolhaas (President), Architect, OMA, Rotterdam
Ingo Niermann, Writer and Journalist, Friends of the Great Pyramid e.V.
Miuccia Prada, Designer and Entrepreneur, Milan

As competition site we selected a plot of about 2 sqkm situated on the northern edge of Dessau-Rosslau/Germany on the largest open and connected plot of land within the city limits. At this evaluation location we had introduced the Great Pyramid concept in the previous months in order to raise public attention for the project and because we found the region of Anhalt-Dessau with its uniquely rich cultural heritage (Bauhaus Dessau, Wittenberg Luther sites, Dessau-Woerlitz Garden Realm) not unsuitable to actually host the Great Pyramid. Notwithstanding that fact, participants in the competition were encouraged to use site-independent or modular approaches to the planning that also could be applied to other locations.

On January 22, 2008 the Jury met in Milan and decided to name all four entries as winners. You may refer to the jury president´s Rem Koolhaas protocol “Four Winners” in the book to learn more about this somewhat unusual but thoroughly transparent verdict.

We are grateful for the most inspiring concepts and ideas that were entered into the competition.