Results of the competition for the Jordanian Cultural Center Darat King Abdullah II

One of the two winning designs (design by Zaha Hadid)

At the suggestion of His Majesty King Abdullah II, an invited architectural competition for the design of the cultural and theater building Darat King Abdullah II took place last year in Amman, Jordan.

The municipal administration decided to organize an international architectural competition for the best world architects who have experience in designing similarly typological buildings. After a rigorous preliminary selection of contestants, only 6 teams out of 30 applicants were invited to participate in the competition. Their task was to design a building suitable for a variety of diverse artistic activities. It should include two theater halls (for 1,600 and 400 spectators), rehearsal spaces, and public areas such as restaurants and cafes.

At the end of June this year, the results of the competition were announced. Two designs were awarded first prize - the design by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects and Zaha Hadid. The third place went to the design of the Norwegian studio Snøhetta. In addition to these award-winning teams, the competition also included Kerry Hill Architects, HLT Henning Larsen Tegnestue, and Atelier Christian de Portzamparc.

> More information about the competition designs