International Architecture Competition
We need a new world wonder that sparks massive climate action
Total prize money
€250.000
Competition Launch
15 January 2025
A 100% sustainable landmark that ignites the hearts and minds of millions
A space full of wonder, hope and possibility
A physical and emotional experience that inspires everyone to participate in protecting the future of life on our planet.
Our mission is to inspire sustainable lifestyles through architecture, technology, design, urbanism, activism and storytelling.
By bringing together climate initiatives, activists and entrepreneurs, we're shifting the conversation from despair, to hope and action
Boyan Slat
Environmental Entrepreneur
Thomas Dambo
Recycle Artist
Aunty Ivy
Cultural Ambassador
These are our initiatives
to create change
Community
Climate-friendly habits
Shift is also a digital platform dedicated to showcasing the most promising sustainable ad circuluar initiatives and solutions currently in existence - and the 'climate heroes' behind them.
Soon Available
International Design Competition
This is your chance to share your vision with the brightest minds in art and architecture.
Manifest
the change
With a keen eye
on the future
We have a selection of the finest jury members here at this Shift Landmark competition.
Aric Chen
Director, Nieuwe Instituut
Aric Chen
Director, Nieuwe Instituut
Aric Chen is the General and Artistic Director of the Nieuwe Instituut, the Netherlands’ national museum and institute for architecture, design, and digital culture, in Rotterdam. He has previously served as: Professor and founding Director of the Curatorial Lab at the College of Design & Innovation at Tongji University in Shanghai, China; Curatorial Director of the Design Miami fairs in Miami Beach, USA, and Basel, Switzerland.
More about Aric Chen
Astrid Leyssens
Founder, We Are Impact Collective
Astrid Leyssens
Founder, We Are Impact Collective
Astrid is the Founder of We Are Impact Collective, where she drives system change through sustainable impact investing and strategy. With broad experience in both private equity and family office sectors, she advises companies on integrating social and environmental value into their long-term strategies. A seasoned board member, investor and mentor, Astrid excels in guiding organizations through complex challenges while fostering innovation and societal impact.
More about Astrid Leyssens
Ben van Berkel
Founder, UNStudio
Ben van Berkel
Founder, UNStudio
Ben van Berkel is the Founder of UNStudio, the internationally renowned architecture and design firm. With a focus on innovative, human-centered design, he has led the creation of iconic projects spanning architecture, urban planning and product design. Known for his interdisciplinary approach, Van Berkel's work explores the intersection of architecture, technology and sustainability to shape the built environment of the future.
More about Ben van Berkel
Clemens Brenninkmeijer
Head of Sustainability at Redevco
Clemens Brenninkmeijer
Head of Sustainability at Redevco
Clemens Brenninkmeijer is Head of Sustainability at Redevco, one of Europe’s largest independent real estate asset management companies. He is passionate about the role of real estate in creating vibrant, dynamic, liveable and sustainable cities and ensuring that projects are good for people and planet. He also serves as Global Governing Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and sits on their C Change Steering Committee.
More about Clemens Brenninkmeijer
Dr. Lewis Akenji
Executive Director, Hot or Cool Institute
Dr. Lewis Akenji
Executive Director, Hot or Cool Institute
Dr. Lewis Akenji is the Managing Director of Hot or Cool Institute, a public-interest think tank that explores the intersection between society and sustainability. His work takes a political economy lens to economic development and the environment, with implications on the fair distribution of resources within ecological limits.
More about Dr. Lewis Akenji
Geke Roelink
Director, NEMO Science Museum
Geke Roelink
Director, NEMO Science Museum
Géke Roelink is the Director of the NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam, where she leads initiatives to inspire curiosity and engagement with science and technology. She has a passion for creating educational experiences that make complex scientific concepts accessible to a wide audience. Under her leadership, NEMO continues to innovate in its mission to foster critical thinking and learning through interactive exhibits and programs.
More about Géke Roelink
Lodewijk Hoekstra
Founder NL Greenlabel and Presenter
Lodewijk Hoekstra
Founder NL Greenlabel and Presenter
Lodewijk Hoekstra is a passionate advocate for a sustainable world where people and nature exist in harmony. Over the past 20 years he has become well-known as a TV gardener, and has authored books such as Green Happiness. As the quartermaster ambassador for Green Circles Green Healthy City, he works to make municipalities more sustainable, and he co-founded NL Greenlabel to establish a standard for nature-inclusive development.
More about Lodewijk Hoekstra
Mireia Luzárraga
Co-founder, TAKK
Mireia Luzárraga
Co-founder, TAKK
Mireia Luzárraga is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Core I sequence at Columbia University’ GSAPP in New York. She is principal of TAKK architecture, a research-driven design office based in Barcelona and New York. Her work focuses on investigating how design can catalyze egalitarian societies through the incorporation of feminism, queer ecologies, and posthuman studies into spatial practices.
More about Mireia Luzárraga
Nicole Maarsen
Founder, Social Value Foundation
Nicole Maarsen
Founder, Social Value Foundation
Nicole Maarsen is the Founder of Social Value Foundation which focuses on creating healthy, inclusive and resilient ecosystems in cities. She is also a supervisory board member of Home.Earth, an impact real estate company. Over the past 20 years she has held senior roles at ING Real Estate, Syntrus Achmea and Maarsen Groep, and is actively involved in various industry boards, including the Dutch Green Building Council and the Economic Institute for Construction.
More about Nicole Maarsen
Every milestone
is a step closer
We believe that the journey is as important as the destination. That is why we believe it is important for you to know what to expect, and when.
2024
12
24Brief available for download
2025
01
25Competition Launch: Concept Idea Phase
03
25Submission Deadline: Concept Idea Phase
04
25Announcement of Shortlisted Firms
05
255 Selected Teams work on concept design
09
25Submission deadline
11
25Winner Announced
Want to receive reminders of the key dates?
Read our
latest news
Here you will find the latest news about Shift
No such thing as
a stupid question
We've put together a list of frequently asked questions, which covers the basics. For more info please read the brief. Feel free to contact us if there's something we didn't cover.
- Clearly, the ambition for this landmark is high. This is because the climate stakes are equally high. That said, we are fully aware of the legacy and connotation of World Wonders and hope firms considering participating are able to distinguish between the megalomaniacal structures then and what we are trying to achieve now. At the end of the day, we are looking for a physical location that millions of people will want to visit, a place that is special, that garners media attention and that inspires awe.
- The word “Wonder” has a broader meaning, which involves curiosity and questioning — wondering how things are done or can be done better. For us, wonder is a necessary bridge to inciting meaningful change.
- Quite honestly, we have ignored the signs of climate change for so long, and the world is now in such a dire state, that it is literally going to take a wonder to turn things around. And yes, by wonder we mean a miracle. Orchestrating the greatest comeback in the history of the planet isn’t impossible, but clearly, it’s not going to happen by itself.
How does the competition work?
The competition comprises two stages held from January to November 2025. Stage One is an open international competition that will lead to the selection of three architecture teams advancing to Stage Two. There they will be accompanied by two pre-selected architecture firms that were directly invited to submit materials for Stage One and automatically qualify for Stage Two. The submission deadline for Stage One is 5th of March 2025. Five teams will be selected for Stage Two in total, where they will learn the exact location of the planned landmark and have the opportunity to engage with both the selected municipality and the Shift team. In Stage Two, all firms will be asked to build out their interdisciplinary teams with additional expertise. The winning team will be selected after jury deliberations and invited to move on to the next phase of design development.
Why a landmark?
We believe that transformation happens in the real world, and it starts by visiting a place that inspires you to see the world in a different way. Shift currently exists as a digital platform, but for real impact, it also needs to exist in the physical world. As physical destinations, landmarks have the ability to empower people in ways digital platforms simply cannot — in our case, to transform the dominant narrative from denial and powerlessness to hope and action. A landmark for sustainability — the Shift landmark — is key to this mission. Check out this video for more information about our vision.
Is calling for a “new Wonder of the World’ not a tad bit pretentious?
We don’t think so, and here’s why:
I missed the deadline. Now what?
Unfortunately, we cannot accept submissions beyond the deadline. If you encountered a technical difficulty while submitting, you can send us your submission through the contact form within 24 hours of the submission deadline.
Where will the location of the landmark be?
Several Dutch municipalities are currently interested in becoming the location for the Shift landmark. We will decide on a definitive location by the end of Q1 2025, in conjunction with the launch of Stage Two of the competition.
Who is behind this?
Shift was founded by social entrepreneur Don Ritzen. Don believes that behavioral change is the biggest challenge to overcoming climate change but is overlooked because it is controversial and confronting. That is why he set out to create an approach that could inspire millions. Before starting Shift, Don was the co-founder of Amsterdam-based accelerator Rockstart, which has offices in Bogota, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Since its founding in 2010, Rockstart has invested in 350+ early-stage startups to date, of which many are impact-oriented companies such as Peerby and Hubs. Together, these companies are now worth EUR 1.7 billion. The founder, Don Ritzen, has personally invested almost the entirety of his financial resources into Shift and has worked exclusively on the project for several years with no pay. While he has no personal financial stake in the project, he is putting his money where his mouth is and is leading by example.
Which partners are involved?
We have a mix of industry veterans and impact investors including large family offices who are backing and financing Shift.
Is Shift a foundation or a business?
Shift is a steward-owned startup which means that the mission comes first and is embedded in the legal structure. The Shift World BV legal entity is 95% owned by a foundation, Stichting Shift World, with the remaining shares owned by impact investors and crowdfunders who receive a limited upside of 5% return per year. This allows Shift to make a profit in the future and re-invest these profits into the mission. The founder and Shift team are deliberately not shareholders in Shift to ensure their only purpose is to advance its mission: to help solve climate change. Want to read more about Steward Ownership, check out this website.
What are you trying to achieve with Shift?
We spent many years researching climate change psychology, behavioral change and social tipping points. The main lessons learned: we need 25% of people to live a truly sustainable lifestyle in order to set a new normal and inspire the "early majority" to live within planetary boundaries. We are currently at around 10%. Our mission is to create a movement of millions of people to help reach the social tipping point of 25%. Our research shows that when people first take individual ownership and action, they also start to influence the people, organisations and companies around them. This is how we move from individual change to systemic change.
Once the first Shift landmark arises, do you plan to build more?
We plan to build a series of Shift landmarks that span the globe — one on each continent. The effects of climate change are indiscriminate and impact everyone; the more people we incite to action, the greater our chances of survival. If our landmark indeed has the profound impact we hope and expect it will have, then the more landmarks the better.
Contact Shift
If you have general questions or press inquires please reach out to Shift
Welcome to a
Future Proof Team
Our team and advisory group has decades of experience across various industries. Shift is backed by a group of experienced impact investors.
Our team
Make a shift today
Our vacancies
Don Ritzen
Co-founder & CEO
Ivonne Schippers
Behaviour Change Manager
Mark Schiefelbein
Product Lead
Chesney Bruce
Designer
Carl Giesberts
Lead developer
Jiri Svoboda
Online Marketing Manager
Arne de Bruin
Operations
Melle Krikke
Community Manager
The Advisory Committee
Ruben Lentz
Expert on future proof cities
Astrid Leyssens
Impact investor and Systemic Change
Ohad Gilad
Entrepreneur, Investor and Changemaker
Raul Corrêa-Smith
Social & Spatial Designer and Teacher
Volkert Engelsman
Business, Organic Food and Inclusivity
Hannes van Raaij
Tech and Strategy
Jenny Elissen
Creative Strategist and Entrepreneur
Martijn Roordink
Founder of Spaces
We are ready
when you are
If there are any questions, please reach out. We have a PR kit assembled with the essentials you’ll need. Visit Shift.world if you want to know more about us.
Contact Shift
If you have general questions or press inquires please reach out to Shift
Stay in the know
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Shift.world - 2024
More about Shift? Visit Shift.world
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