Amsterdam has been one of Europe’s pioneers of architecture and design, largely because of the 17th century rings of canal houses, gabled facades, windmills and drawbridges. Modern architecture developed organically in Amsterdam between the facades of historical buildings, making it one of the finest blends between Renaissance, Berlage and the Amsterdam School. The city has a very strong cultural and artistic identity. Amsterdam is the most important cultural and artistic center to the north from Paris and between London and Cologne.

Being a relatively small city in terms of its area, Amsterdam is enveloped by a sizeable green cover.  Voted as one of the greenest cities in Europe, Amsterdam takes an active approach towards sustainability and conservation. One can find a variety of flora and fauna in beautiful forests, parks, dunes and other landscapes within an easy reach of the city center. The city is home to a number of parks with Vondelpark one of its crown jewels. The park is spread in an area of 47 acres, attracting almost 10 million visitors annually.  The park hosts a wide variety of cultural, artistic and sporting events apart from the usual jogging and lazing around in the lush greens of the park.

The objective of this competition, Amsterdam Spring Pavilion, is to create a multi-usage pavilion in the emblematic Vondelpark that can connect people, nature and architecture. The pavilion should capture the essence of spring which is also the season of full bloom and be able to host different activities and activate the zone. The pavilion should become a cultural and leisure reference point for inhabitants and visitors of the city, a space that is integrated in the natural environment of the park and that is flexible enough to adapt to a wide variety of activities on a moderate scale.