The EXPO West design jury, led by Daniel Libeskind, met yesterday in the Falls Park to shortlist from over 40 local and international entries to the design competition.
According to Mr Libeskind, who also designed the Ground Zero development in New York, the competition will place Belfast on the map in terms of world class architecture: “The EXPO West Design Competition in Belfast is an exciting initiative which will produce an extraordinary example of world class architecture and urban design. With the powerful history of the site, the project is committed to the meaningful revitalization of Belfast.”
Geraldine McAteer, CEO of the West Belfast Partnership commented: “This is a huge step forward for the people of West Belfast, and Belfast as a whole. We were overwhelmed by the interest shown by such a wide range of people during the consultation period and are confident that the design brief is committed to providing for the needs of local residents. We look forward to seeing the winning design. ”
Director of PLACE, Michael Hegarty added: “We at PLACE are honoured to have been involved in the lead up to this competition and highly commend the dedication that DSD has shown throughout the process – not only the inclusive way in which it has approached the public consultations, but it’s commitment to creating high quality architecture in Belfast. It is extremely exciting for Belfast that an architect such as Daniel Libeskind, whose work is world renowned, is demonstrating his interest in our small corner of the world and shows the high level of international interest in the regeneration of Northern Ireland.”
Yesterday was also cause for celebration for local school children from St. Mary’s primary School, Divis Street who received certificates from Mr Libeskind and Minister for Social Development Alex Attwood MLA, in recognition of their part in an educational project, ‘Architecture in the Curriculum 2010’, a PLACE pilot initiative, which encourages primary school teachers to use the buildings around them as a rich learning resource. Mr Libeskind also took time to meet up with university students from New York, University of Ulster and University of Limerick who have been studying Belfast interfaces.
In the news
UTV Live: Report on the site visit and shortlisting (starts around 1m10s; available online until 28th Feb)
BBC News: World Trade Centre reconstruction architect in Belfast (20th Jan 2011)
Image: Daniel Libeskind, Chair of the Design Jury and Alex Attwood MLA speak to reporters during Saturday’s site visit. Photo by Robin Cordiner.