Friends of The Canadian Museum for Human Rights Inc. announced today the eight architectural firms selected by the Architectural Review Committee in Stage 2 of the International Architectural Design Competition for The Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The eight firms were chosen from the 30 architectural firms who were invited to submit their design proposals in Stage 2. Each of the eight winning firms will receive CA$12,000, the award that was set for Stage 2 of the competition. The eight semi-finalist proposals are on exhibition at The Forks Market and on the museum's Web site from March 18-28 where the public will be able to submit its feedback. At the beginning of April, the Architectural Review Committee will interview the eight semi-finalists, three of whom will be invited to participate in Stage 3 of the competition. Each of the three finalists in Stage 3 will receive CA$100,000. The selected architect will be announced in July 2004.

The eight firms, spanning five countries (Canada, Denmark, India, South Africa and USA) and four continents (Africa, Asia, Europe and North America), are:
Antoine Predock Architect USA
Charles Correa Associates India
Dan Hanganu Architects & The Arcop Group Canada
Mashabane Rose Architects South Africa
Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. USA
Saucier + Perrotte Architectes Canada
Schmidt Hammer & Lassen Denmark
Schwartz Architects and EHDD Architecture USA

Gail Asper, Chairperson of the Fundraising Committee for Friends of The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, commented "Reaching Stage 2 of the International Architectural Design Competition is very meaningful as we have now moved into the realm of substantive concepts that have the ability to be transformed into an actual international human rights institution of powerful breadth and depth. Even with our exceedingly high expectations, I know I speak for the entire Architectural Review Committee when I say that we were truly moved by the extraordinary sensitivity, vision, intellect and transcendent qualities of the proposals. We have absolutely no doubt that The Canadian Museum for Human Rights will be a world-class human rights institution. As my father and the museum's founder Dr. Israel Asper said "People will come to this museum and no matter how well-versed they are in the subject, they will leave with their lives changed."

The vision of The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is to create a distinctive architecturally exceptional museum that will help to eliminate intolerance through recognition of human rights as the foundation for human equality, dignity and freedom world-wide. The museum has made groundbreaking history, as it will be the largest human rights institution and centre for education in the world today. The museum is a joint project of Friends of The Canadian Museum for Human Rights Inc., the Forks North Portage Partnership, the Government of Canada, the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg.

The site is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city in the geographic centre of Canada. The land on which the project will be located is an historic place at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers at the Forks. The building program is estimated at 240,000 square feet (22,300 gross square meters) with the Tower of Hope as a distinctive and additional element of the project.