chePOST Name: Patrick van Dodewaard Graduated in January 2016 Field of Study: Architecture/Structural Design Subject: What if.. Architecture meets Real Estate
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During the Dutch Design Week 2015 a curious
Aken? They assigned two teams in one office,
to a design would have influence on the spatial
architectural competition caught my attention.
both earning a salary, to work on a single assign-
qualities of the place. The thing that remains
A new development for the ‘ugliest roundabout
ment? I can also imagine that two competitive
peculiar however, is the role of Van Aken, since
of Eindhoven’, the Marconiplein, was presented.
teams within one office is not a great tool for
they get the image of being played with, by
Two designs which both appeared unlikely to
teambuilding. What really frightens me however
being forced to design two proposals for SDK
win a typical architectural competition were pro-
is that the architect seems to throw away all its
with ‘help’ of a famous Dutch designer. Again, I
posed. The competition was presented as a great
expertise and lets the public decide what the
do not know the financial compensation for this
example of public participation and received
best solution is on the basis of just one rendering
whole circus, but it does not gives them a strong
major attention in the newspapers and social
and a model. An audience of whom the majority
appearance. SDK did a good job with marketing
media. When I was processing the designs, I
probably does not even lives in Eindhoven and
the project and I am sure that they will rent all
was however rather confused, not about the
is just visiting the Dutch Design Week. So why
apartments with ease. Though I truly hope that
difficult choice between the colored houses with
would you want to involve them at all?
this way of marketing is not the future for com-
small windmills (Design A) or the potatoes with
mercial development in The Netherlands.
the birdhouses attached (Design B), it was the
For me the competition seemed too bizarre to
competition itself that confused me.
be true, and luckily it was. A few months later
By the way, design A won.
it became clear that the competition was not a The competition, called a ‘Hubson’s Choice’ (a
real competition but, obviously, a great market-
choice of taking what is available or nothing at
ing stunt instead. SDK wanted to create some
all) by the online magazine Uncube, was a com-
buzz around the project by giving the public the
petition set up by SDK Vastgoed. SDK is respon-
illusion that they had a say. SDK succeeded with
sible for hiring Dutch designer Maarten Baas
flying colors since it received great attention
and the Eindhoven based architectural firm Van
for the project, even I am contributing to this
Aken. Their job was to come up with two design
attention. The ‘pseudo-comp’ also explains the
proposals in which ‘design meets architecture’
fact that the audience was not taken seriously,
for the plot next to the Marconiplein. The devel-
although they had a voice. The majority of the
oper even proudly presented: “Our ambition is
votes was given by experts and more important-
that the project will be featured on postcards of
ly, the designs were already preselected by SDK,
Eindhoven.” A panel of judges and the audience
deleting all uncertainties out of this marketing
could then vote for their favorite proposal. The
trick. In an interview Baas even admitted that
curious fact that both designs were delivered
the two teams where having contact with each
by Van Aken surprised me. Why do you assign
other quite often thus it can impossibly be seen
an architectural firm, and afterwards come up
as a competition.
with a competition? The role of van Aken is quite doubtful in this case. I have no information
In the end I am quite relieved that it was just a
about the wages payed whatsoever, but it is a
marketing trick, it would be a very shady devel-
reasonable question to ask: what is in it for Van
opment if people without any direct connection
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