CLAD PEOPLE
We’re living in the age of the iPhone, yet the architecture and construction industries are still in the Walkman phase Ben van Berkel founder, UN Studio
D
utch architect Ben van Berkel and his design firm UNStudio have launched a tech startup to “improve the health and wellbeing
of people in buildings worldwide.” UNSense will explore and develop new integrated tech solutions specifically designed for cities, buildings and indoor environments. It will be run as an independent sister company, headquartered in Amsterdam FreedomLab Campus. Explaining the concept, Van Berkel said: “We are living in the age of the iPhone, yet the architecture and construction industries are still in the Walkman phase. With UNSense, I want to fully integrate innovative technologies into the built environment and improve the way people live, work and get from A to B. It is not the hardware or the software itself that interests me, but how it can be applied within architecture and urban design to improve our daily lives.” He argued that traditional architectural practices do not have the resources or skill sets necessary to develop new technologies, with little room for prototyping and testing such applications, hence the decision to establish the studio as a standalone initiative. Data analysts, algorithmists, neuroscientists,
Ben van Berkel believes practices will all become ‘arch tech’ firms
policymakers, students, city planners, sociologists and economists will join architects in developing products for the firm. Early prototypes include Solar Bricks – PV Modules that can be used as a cladding
18 CLADGLOBAL.COM
CLAD mag 2018 ISSUE 2