A 350-year old naval yard has been identified as the site for the MH17 memorial, October 4, 2014. — AFP pic

AMSTERDAM, Oct 4 — The city of Amsterdam has launched a design competition for a memorial honoring the passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17).

The passenger flight left Amsterdam on July 17 and was en route to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over the Russia-Ukraine border.

The open-ideas architectural competition, launched in association with Matterbetter, has suggested the Marine Establissement site in the city center as the location for the memorial.

A 350-year-old Dutch navy base, the site is situated on the island of Kattenburg, which was man-made to accommodate a large shipyard for Amsterdam.

The memorial site will also feature a landscape park, in an attempt to transform the former military site into a public space.

The competition is open to architects, students, engineers, and designers and the submissions deadline is December 10. The winner will be announced on January 20, 2015. — AFP-Relaxnews