Bangkok--Nov 21--BrandComm Consultants
A total of 679 contestants from 49 countries registered for the Tsunami Memorial Design Competition, which Thailand had launched to gather conceptual designs for building an interactive memorial at Khao Lak-Lamru National Park in Phangnga province, Southern Thailand to commemorate the devastated tsunami in December 2004. Submission of design entries from the contestants are due on 6 December and the announcement of the first five winners will be made on 15 December.
Presiding over a news conference to announce the result of the registration of contestants to the competition, Dr. Plodprasob Suraswadi, Vice Minister for Natural Resources and Environment and Chairman of the Sub-Committee for Tsunami Memorial Project, said : “At the closure of the registration process on 15 November, the organizing committee has received 679 registrants from 49 countries, including Thailand. By continent, 277 comes from Asia, 188 from Europe, 176 from North America, 35 from Oceania, 2 from South America and 1 from Africa. USA topped the list with 151 registrants, followed by Thailand ( 134), Japan (43) Germany (37 ), UK ( 36), Australia (35), Singapore (22), France (16), Hong Kong (16 ), Italy (15), Poland (15), Canada (14), Indonesia (13), Finland (11), Spain (11), South Korea (10), Malaysia (9), Switzerland (8), India (7), Mexico (7) Sweden (7), Portugal (5), Vietnam (5), Austria (4), Israel (4), the Netherlands (4), People’s Republic of China, Greece, Hungary, the Philippines and Russian Federation ( 3 each), Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Turkey ( 2 each), Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Kazakhstan , Lebanon, Mozambique, Norway, Panama, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Yugoslavia ( 1 each ).
Explaining the location of the memorial site, Dr. Plodprasob said that the site is part of the Khao Lak - Lamru National Park, which runs approximately 30 kilometers in east-west direction amidst mountainous areas. The designated site is on the western-most tip of the national park where it touches the Andaman Sea. The site which comprises a small chuck of land, cliff and beach called Had Lek, offers an ideal location for the memorial”
Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, Director General of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture and Chairman of the Competition Organizing Committee, said that the international contest received an overwhelming response from all corners of the world. “The number of registered contestants exceeded the target, which the working team and the Competition Organizing Committee take pride in. The overwhelming response stands testimony to peoples’ perception of the devastation caused by the killer tsunami as well as their benevolent intentions to join hands in the rehabilitation efforts launched by Thailand,” he added.
H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra will preside over the ceremony in the afternoon of 26 December. The Thai government is sending invitations to leaders of various countries which lost their citizens in the Tsunami in Thailand as well as relatives of the lost people from Thailand and around the world to attend the ceremony, Dr Apinan said.
Mr. Mati Tungpanich, President of the Council of Architects, Thailand and Chairman of the Tsunami Memorial Design Competition Task Force said that the Council of Architects, Thailand, which is a non-profit organization, promotes education and research in architecture and helps Thai architects gain international recognition. Under this mandate, the Council of Architects, Thailand was assigned to organize the Tsunami Memorial Design Competition.
The design competition is being held from September 2005 to May 2006 in two stages. In Stage I, after the closing of registration, submission of entries is due on 6 December. A seven-member jury of prominent design professionals from Thailand and other countries will select five finalists and announce the results on 15 December 2005. The owners of the five selected designs will then be invited to further develop their concepts in Stage II of the competition. The selected designs will be exhibited for public viewing during 23-28 December coinciding with the cornerstone laying ceremony for the memorial at Khao Lak-Lamru National Park in Phangnga Province on 26 December.The Stage I Jury consisting of prominent design professionals from Thailand and other countries. The seven-member panel comprises Jonas Bohlin (Sweden), Stephan Braunfels (Germany), Daniel Libeskind (USA), David Elliott (England), Xu Anzhi (China), Prof. Decha Boonkham and M.R. Chanvudhi Varavarn (Thailand).In the Stage II of the competition, a workshop will be organized for the owners of the five entries from 21 to 24 January 2006 where they will have an opportunity to work with the licensed architects in Thailand for the development of final design for construction. The final designs of the five entries are due for submission on 2 May. The selection process by the Stage II Jury is expected to be completed by 14 May and the winning design will be submitted to the Thai Government on 15 May. An official announcement of the winner will be made by the Thai Government on 22 May. The winning design, along with the other four entries, will be exhibited in Bangkok for public viewing from 1 to 15 June.Upon submission of the final designs, the five individuals or teams participating in Stage II of the competition will receive a US$ 25,000 Honorarium. The owner of the selected final design will sign a contract with the Thai government and then be asked to work cooperatively with an architect registered in Thailand in the development of the final design for construction.
For more information on Tsunami Memorial Design Competition,
please contact:
Tsunami Memorial Design Competition
Council of Architects, Thailand
The Information Technology Building
Wisutkasat Road, Pranakorn, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Fax: (66) 2 280 8882
Email: [email protected]
Or BrandComm Consultants Co., Ltd.
The Official PR Consultant for the Tsunami Memorial Design Competition
Fax: (66) 2 645 0170
Email: pramaporn@brandcomm-pr.com End.