In collaboration with gsmprjct°, Jimmy Lee and Sid Lee. The challenge The over 100 year-old Ajax Amsterdam is a Dutch football club based in Amsterdam. The city has completely related to this legendary and world-famous club: Amsterdam is Ajax, Ajax is Amsterdam. The Dutch national team has built its reputation over time, and the club has won all the awards in the profession: the Champions' League, the UEFA Cup and the European Cup winners' cup.

1. ajax
experience
In collaboration with gsmprjct°, Jimmy Lee and Sid Lee

2. general
INFORMATION
Contact us An overview
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN LoCATIoN
Sid Lee Architecture Rembrandtplein
75, Queen Street, suite 1500, Utrechtsestraat 9
Montreal (Quebec) 1017 DA Amsterdam
H3C 2N6 Canada
BRANDING AND GRAPHIC DESIGN CLIENT
Sid Lee Amsterdam AFC AJAX N.V. Netherlands
Gerard Doustraat 72-80, 1072VV
Amsterdam, Netherlands TyPE
Museum
TELEPHoNE
Montreal: 514-282-2200 SURfACE (SCoPE)
Amsterdam: +31 20 66 23 030 1 000 m2
WEB SITE
www.sidleearchitecture.com CoNSTRUCTIoN BUDGET
www.sidlee.com 4.2 M EUROS / 5.5 M$ CDN
CoNTACTS PRoDUCTIoN
August 2010 to Novembre 2011
Name
Jean Pelland
Phone oCCUPATIoN
514-282-6834 ext 554 November 2011
E-mail
jpelland@sidleearchitecture.com
PUBLIC RELATIoNS
Name: Marie-Eve Chaumont
Phone: 514-282-2200 ext 482
E-mail: media@sidlee.com
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3. The challenge
"Amsterdam is Ajax. Ajax is Amsterdam ". The over 100 year-old Ajax Amsterdam is a In 2010, Sid Lee Architecture, in collaboration
with gsmprjct°, Sid Lee, and Jimmy Lee, was
Dutch football club based in Amsterdam. The
city has completely adopted to this legendary mandated by the AFC (Ajax Football Club) to
and world-famous club: Amsterdam is Ajax, Ajax create the brand new Ajax Experience, a museum
is Amsterdam. The Dutch national team has experience that praises the epic sports franchise,
built its reputation over time, and the club has allowing visitors to discover what has led Ajax
won all the awards in the profession: the to become one of the most respected teams in
Champions' League, the UEFA Cup and the the history of football.
European Cup winners' cup.
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4. We build giants...
Located beforehand at the Ajax Stadium in a more iconic building called the bank that used to host
classic and smaller space, and then relocated at the the ABN AMRO Bank, hence embodying this
Arena stadium on the outskirts of the city, the legendary place that binds the team to its city.
Ajax football club's museum already attracted a
large number of football aficionados. However, The Experience aims at celebrating a unique
the club wanted to give the museum a third life history of successes through a series of playful
and have it this time in a more central location. So and interactive events, and inspiring historical
the goal was to turn this museum into an experience memories. Visitors will be initiated into the
and to reconnect it to the heart of its city, discovery of the team’s history and its heroes,
Amsterdam. and they will find out what it takes to build a
young player into an iconic player, in essence
The Ajax Experience is located on the most how Ajax succeeds in building Giant players. At
popular square in the center of Amsterdam, the the conclusion of the experience, visitors will
Rembrandtplein, not far from the place the club fully understand how Ajax builds Giants.
was originally founded in 1900: the Café Oost-
Indië in Kalverstraat. The Experience was set in an
“Two years ago, we thought: we
have such great memorabilia
here at the club. Why not put all
of that into a great experience.
And we’re an Amsterdam club.
So why not go back to the heart
of Amsterdam.”
1 2
Henri van der Aat, Ajax commercial director
5
LEGEND: 1. Rembrandt square 2. Statue of Rembrandt
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5. ajax experience ajax experience
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6. 3
4 2
7 5
6
1
Walkthrough Experience
The project is built around the head of the trail: The museum is divided into 7 big steps or
the stadium. It is located at the center of the different experiences:
museum, and its stadium-like architecture gives
a "reverse bleachers" feel to the whole museum. 1. History Hall
2. The Ajax Academy
The trail is conceived as an enfilade so that the 3. The Locker room
visitors can fully live the developing process of an 4. The "Pitch"
athlete: from the Giants engraved in his memory
5. The Stadium
to his own glory on the field.
6. Ajax around the world
7. The Retail
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7. Step 1:
We build
giants
The history hall
With the ticket stand and a waiting area, the hall with a triangulated surface, creating the effect of
is first and foremost branded with an imposing a roughly sculpted surface with lines that
historical print that underlines the excellence challenge gravity. Embedded in those sculpted
and the glory of the greatest players of the team, walls are the different Giants and the historical
"the Giants". With free general admission and timeline of the club spanning from 1900 to today,
visible from the street, the museum gives the underlining the great events of the club as it
history of the club back to where it belongs: its evolved each time with the birthing of great new
own city. players. For the mural, the club officials had the
hard task of choosing 17 Giants worthy of being
The hall acts as a prelude to the experience and part of the club's historical fresco.
the architecture spreads out in a sculptural wall
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9. 1
We wanted to create a strong, personalized,
dynamic, graphic identity that would live throughout
the experience.
We worked on 3 different layers to address various
aspects of the club's history:
1 WE BUILD GIANTS
We want to represent the Giants in a strong, iconic, and dynamic way. To bring all of the
enlarged pictures to the same level and create uniformity, we use high contrast black&white
and red&white pictures.
2
2 111 yEARS OF hISTORy
Quickly show and visualize important periods of great Ajax history with strong iconic typography.
3
3 GLORIOUS MOMENTS
Using a collage technique for photographic elements, and setting a strong and clear timeline, we
display all stories and anecdotes that made Ajax players become GIANTS and honor them with
being part of the wall.
Those anecdotes are chosen to satisfy tourists as well as hardcore fans who already know a lot about
their favorite club.
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10. 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
Jan DE naTrIS SJaaK SWarT rUUD KrOl FranK rIJKaarD DEnnIS BErGKaMP ClarEnCE SEEDOrF EDWIn van DEr Sar raFaël van DEr vaarT CHrISTIan ErIKSEn
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
PIET van rEEnEn PIET KEIZEr JOHan CrUIJFF MarCO van BaSTEn DannY BlInD JarI lITManEn PaTrICK KlUIvErT WESlEY SnEIJDEr
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11. In the open vista (hall), 2 architectural
languages play against one another in a back
and forth game: the pure lines of the
bleachers versus the sculptural language of
the mural.
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12. Step 2:
The Ajax
aCADEMy
We build Giants
The academy offers a strong contrast to the how the AFC turns young players into world-
public space of the hall as it is much darker and famous athletes, as well as the club's training
multiple audio and visual elements are integrated. methods based on the TIPS (technique, insight,
personality, and speed ) model.
In this section of the museum, visitors will learn

13. A. THE ''WELL'' OF TALENT
AJAX IS POWERED BY YOUTH
Witness how the renowned football club is also the best school of football,
empowering young athletes with superior football skills.
The well of talents acts as an introduction to the Ajax philosophy
and approach to football using the training program as a way
of conveying the essential ideas behind the club’s philosophy. This
section is the only pulsed space of the experience. It shows how the
athletes flourish through their training in the club; how they have
the potential within their reach to become Giants.
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14. b. THE ACADEMY
AJAX IS A SCHOOL WHERE FOOTBALL IS TAUGHT AND MASTERED
Ajax, as an academy of Giants, is an equilibrium between the people who
run it, the training methods and intelligence, and the club as an institution
and place where all of these people, ideas and athletes thrive.
The space is somewhat a “behind the scenes” of Ajax, explaining the context
in which it succeeds in training so many successful players. Between the
training methods, the club where success is cultivated, the people are
the ones that bring it together and build the culture and the players.
The idea is to understand the scope of various elements that act together
to build a Giant.
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15. TRAINING mETHoDS PEoPLE CLUB
videoloop videoloop videoloop
TRAINING mETHoDS PEoPLE CLUB
station 1 station 2 station 3
After going through the Well of Talent, These videos are structured around interviews
visitors are greeted by three (3) two-minute with individuals active in each of these spheres
documentaries, each presenting a strong (from trainers to management to fans).
element of the process:
1. The People
2. The Club Heritage
3. The Training Methods
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16. 2 large showcases under the stadium present
the club heritage as a society, place and
cradle of success with apparel, trophies, and
a broad explanation of historical facts tied to
the memorabilia.
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17. B A
TECHNIQUE INSIGHT C
BooTHS INTERACTIVE TABLES SPEED AREA
C. THE TrAiNiNg FiELD
After understanding the context and how the The training field holds a series of play stations,
elements work together to form the academy, each individually exploring the 4 key topics with
the visitor explores 275 m 2 of interactive features. use of interactive technology. Similar to drills,
the activities are designed with a play & learn
T.I.P.S.: HOW TO TRAIN TO BECOME A GIANT approach, where content becomes embedded in
the physical experience.
This unique training program, developed by
Ajax, is key to becoming a Giant.
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18. Playing field
1066mm Touch Screen
(Ultra thin bevel)
+ multi-user interactive
Insight basic info
+ graphics
Profile metallic casing
observation zone
Graphic design on floor
PLAyER 1
ComfoRT AREA
Graphic design on floor
oBSERVATIoN oBSERVATIoN
zoNE PLAyER 2 zoNE
ComfoRT AREA
Insight
Insight: decyphering, anticipating, and playing the game. These pods will give insights on different strategies, and
can be viewed either solo or with another person.
3 interactive tables are used as displays that hold different
insightful analyses on some of the greatest Ajax games.
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