The international architecture competition to design a Museum of 20th Century Art in Berlin is entering its final stages, with 42 firms asked to submit their proposals before a decision is made by the end of the year.

Sou Fujimoto, Zaha Hadid Architects, David Chipperfield, Herzog & de Meuron, REX Architecture, OMA, Snøhetta, SANAA and UNStudio are among those to have qualified from previous rounds, or who have been invited to submit ideas by the jury. The entrants now have until mid-September to submit their plans and models, and the jury will meet in late October.

In November 2014, the German Bundestag and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation decided to provide €200m (US$223m, £167.5m) to create the museum on the site of the Cultural Forum, which houses most of the city's most popular attractions. The new building is needed to showcase the extensive 20th century collection of the National Gallery.

“I want a building that sets a new mark at this location, but also brings the necessary openness,” said Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation president Hermann Parzinger. “We will combine outstanding architectural and urban design with the requirements of a museum in the 21st century.”

Culture minister Monika Grütter added: "We have attracted some really high profile architectural practices for this challenging construction task. This creates the best conditions for us to have a museum design that compares with the surrounding work of Scharoun, Stüler and Mies van der Rohe.

“This is an attractive challenge for any renowned agency to build in this neighbourhood. We expect exciting and bold designs without challenging the existing ensemble in question."

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