Museumplein of Amsterdam
The International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens 2008
edited by Patrizia Boschiero, Luigi Latini, Domenico Luciani
Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche
Treviso 2008
100 pages
82 illustrations in colour and 50 black and white
available on request from the Foundation
the Italian edition is also available
The jury of the International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens has decided to dedicate the 2008 award to the Museumplein of Amsterdam, a key open space for the life of the city and for the major cultural institutions that give onto it, an emblem of the radically new approach pursued by the Public Administration at the end of the 20th century, designed and coordinated by the landscape expert Sven-Ingvar Andersson.
The project is an excellent example of how a clear idea, skilful coordination and community involvement were able to transform an enormous, traffic-ridden and historically unstructured area into a place which, despite its visible organizational problems, eloquently speaks the language of poise and dignity, a “campo dei musei”, a vast lawn in dialogue with the open sky, freely embracing nature, light, water and trees, the presence of citizens and visitors and even great public gatherings.
In depth
Contents
The International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens. Regulations, 3
Preface to the English edition, 4
Museumplein of Amsterdam. Jury report, 6
Het Museumplein in Amsterdam. Juryrapport, 12
Museumplein di Amsterdam. Motivazione della giuria, 20
Fracture Area with Peripheral Development. The spatial development of Museumplein, Ludger Smit, 25
Chronology of the Museumplein area, 38
Sven-Ingvar Andersson in Amsterdam, Alle Hosper, 46
Museumplein, Amsterdam, Sven-Ingvar Andersson, 55
The Master Plan for the Museumplein of Amsterdam, 60
Diary by Sven-Ingvar Andersson, August 1999, Sven-Ingvar Andersson, 72
Public speech by Sven-Ingvar Andersson for the inauguration of the Museumplein, 22nd August 1999, Sven-Ingvar Andersson, 76
Museumplein, the cultural heart of Amsterdam, Museumplein Project Team of Amsterdam City Council, 79
The design of the Museumplein: start from scratch or repair?, Lodewijk Wiegersma, 86
Sven-Ingvar Andersson (1927-2007), 88
Corpus of the main completed works, 90
Bibliography available, 91
Reference for the illustrations, 96
