KINGSTON, Jamaica – 29th January 2019: The Government of Jamaica’s Houses of Parliament (Architectural) Design Competition People’s Choice Exhibition is currently underway at the National Gallery of Jamaica in Downtown, Kingston. The exhibit forms part of a People’s Choice voting mechanism that will determine which of the five designs on display will win the Competition’s People’s Choice Award in March when the contest ends.
The Exhibition is slated to run from Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 through to Thursday, February 28th, 2019 during the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. It showcases the three-dimensional models; animated videos and detailed conceptual drawings submitted by the top five architectural design teams, in the Houses of Parliament Design Competition – a methodology launched by the UDC on behalf of the GoJ in May 2018. The Competition format invited all Jamaicans across the world to participate in the design and development of a purpose-built, modern facility to house parliamentary sittings and matters of the country’s governance.
The UDC, managers of the Competition, has partnered with the National Gallery to provide free entry to the gallery on the Saturdays, which fall within the exhibition period (February 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd). The National Gallery also provides free entry for children and students with valid IDs. The standard $400 entry fee for adults and $200 for seniors remains in effect for all other days with the exception of the Gallery’s free entry offering every last Sunday.
Voting will be facilitated locally and in the Diaspora via a customised SMS platform where persons can text the design code of their preferred design (i.e. HOP1, HOP2, HOP3, HOP4 or HOP5) to 1-876-399-4774 and also via the Competition’s website www.ourjaparliament.com – during the exhibition period.
The creative pieces on exhibition were submitted on December 18, 2018 by the five shortlisted design teams led by Jamaican architects Mr. Damian Edmond of Form Architects; Mr. Evan Williams of Design Collaborative Architects and Town Planners; Mr. Ravi Sittol of Atelier-Vidal Limited and Adjaye Associates Limited; Mr. Stephen Facey of the National Flower Team and Ms. Guenet Anderson of GSA-Architects and Planners Limited.
Each of the five teams participated in individual 45-minute sessions between January 14th and 16th where they presented to the Competition’s esteemed panel of jurors comprising professionals within the built environment. The panel of jurors appointed ahead of the competition by the Parliamentary Steering Committee with oversight for the project include Mr. Mark Raymond (Jury Chair), Mr. Christopher Lue, Mrs. Jacquiann Lawton, Mr. Richard Picart, Dr. Elizabeth Pigou-Dennis, Mr. Dwight Ricketts and Mr. Martin Addington.
A formal announcement of the winning architectural design, runner ups and winner of the People’s Choice Award is expected in March 2019.
For further information, please contact:
Corporate relations and Marketing Department
Urban Development Corporation
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Kingston Mall,
Downtown Kingston
Email: cr@udcja.com
Phone: (876) 771-4354/656-8031