Peter Zumthor or OMA. They have a strong
And besides, it also gets more important to
vision and because of that they have work.
show you have a clear vision, so that people
But other than that, there is the grey mass
know they can trust you. People take more
Raoul: Of course you never know what
of architecture firms without such a strong
time to think about the decisions concerning
the future will bring. Maybe in ten years
story, who could accept any commission. In
what they want, for it is not guaranteed
we will look back and see that what we do
a certain way we need our vision to contrast
nowadays that a house will increase in value
today were only the first steps in our way
ourselves with these firms, because often
over the years. Clients build these houses for
of building. Maybe we have changed our
they have more experience and are more
themselves, not to sell them in a few years as
complete way of thinking, although I do not
professional than we are. We need something
was done before the recession.
consider that very likely to happen. At least for now it is our vision that makes people
else to stand out. That is something that goes for most young offices I think, we need
Is your way of working based on these recent
to choose something and make clear to
developments in the discipline?
choose for us. Niels: I think that is an important part of
ourselves who we are.
In a certain way we need our vision to contrast ourselves with these firms, because often they have more experience and are more professional than we are.
buildings!
Niels: Yes, and this is quite interesting,
being a young architect: having a vision that
because ideas like ours often arise from
older architects might not. It might be na誰ve,
crises. If there is no crisis, then there is no
but at this point it seems like our role to have
incentive, no reason to come up with a
a certain do-good mentality.
new vision. However, our vision has not so much arisen from the economic recession, but
Raoul: And it is not like we think we can
from a crisis that we saw developing in the
change the world entirely, but it is important
building sector.
to try to make some mental changes.
That is rather remarkable. Times of decay
Niels: True, we are part of a transition. Start
may suggest expressing a certain ideal
with a Prius, then comes the Tesla.
becomes more challenging. Is the expression of a clear vision more
Niels: That is what everyone told us as
important and valuable now than it was
well, saying that maybe one project would
a few years ago, before the economic
succeed, but we would not be able to hold
recession?
on to it. But on the other hand it is the one thing that distinguishes us from other firms.
Niels: Absolutely, yes. Because the smaller
That does not mean we have never been
the market, the stronger the competition,
bypassed, one time we found out there had
and so the more important it is to stand out.
been put a piece of stone wool in one of our
1] Impression Bed & Breakfast, Leenderheide (2015). Image courtesy of Werkstatt.
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