pantheon// 2020 | abstraction

pantheon// biannual publication of d.b.s.g. stylos / issue 1 / volume 25

ABSTRACTION

abstraction (n.) /ab-ˈstrak-shən , əb-/ (n.)

1A: the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events 1B: something which exists only as an idea 2: freedom from representational qualities in art 3: a state of preoccupation 4: the process of considering something independetly of its associations, attributes, or concrete accompaniments

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biannual publication of study association Stylos faculty of Architecture, TU Delft colophon volume 25, issue 1, May 2020 2.300 prints Stylos members and friends of the Stylos Foundation receive the pantheon// editorial office BG.midden.110 Julianalaan 132-134 2628 BL Delft pantheon@stylos.nl

The Delftsch Bouwkundig Studenten Gezelschap Stylos was founded in 1894 to look after the study and student interests at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at the Delft University of Technology.

advertisements 30 | Design Expess 31 | Vanschagen publisher Quantes, Den Haag

chairman: secretary: treasurer: education bachelor: education master: external affairs: events and initiatives:

cover Bart Claver

QQ (qualitate qua) Roos te Velde editors Isa Heeling Bart Claver Melle Haak Merel Huizen Roos te Velde

board 126 Lenneke Slangen Valerie Heesakkers Roos te Velde Lisa Kappers Sem van den Eijnde Thijs Reitsma Yael von Mengden

contact D.B.S.G. Stylos Julianalaan 132-134 2628 BL Delft

Eva Zandbergen Alexsandra Wróbel Liz Hoogeveen Tamar Henquet

info@stylos.nl +31 (0)15 2783697 www.stylos.nl

ABSTRACTION// 04

CHAIRMAN’S NOTE

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LENNEKE SLANGEN

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ABSTRACTOIN

WHAT IS ART // ARCHITECTURE ISA HEELING

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DESIGNERS FROM THE FUTURE RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT

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UITZOOMEN ROOS TE VELDE

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Early Saul leiter PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAUL LEITER

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@architect: Johan Blokland RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT

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ARCHITECTURE & EMOTION LIZ HOOGEVEEN

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101 YEARS OF BAUHAUS BART CLAVER

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FEELING STRESSED? MEREL HUIZEN

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CHEPOS: CONSTRUCTING A LIFESTYLE

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ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM

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35MM

COME ON WOMAN! GUTS! TAMAR HENQUET

LIZ HOOGEVEEN

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VERBEELDING VOOR ALTIJD RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT & MELLE HAAK

KARIM JASPER

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BART CLAVER

AN ABSTRACT WAY OF EXPERIENCING ARCHITECTURE ALEXANDRA WRÓBEL

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FABRIEK MELLE HAAK

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#GET INSPIRED MEREL HUIZEN

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU FINISH YOUR MASTER

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DESIGN IN REVERSE MEREL HUIZEN & MELLE HAAK

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THOMAS RAU LIZ HOOGEVEEN

ARCHITECTURE IN 5 SECONDS RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT

EVA ZANDBERGEN

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HUMANS OF BK ISA HEELING & TAMAR HENQUET

WANT TO FEATURE IN THE NEXT pantheon//?

ARE YOU AN ASPIRING WRITER, MAD LAY-OUTER OR JUST IN NEED OF A CREATIVE OUTLET, COME BY STYLOS OR MAIL US AT pantheon@stylos.nl

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COMMITTEE

membership Stylos €10,- per year account number 296475

2019/2020

Stylos Foundation The pantheon// is funded by the Stylos Foundation.

ROOS TE VELDE QQ

The Stylos Foundation fulfills a flywheel function to stimulate student initiatives at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Enivronment at the Delft University of Technology. The board of the Stylos Foundation offers financial and substantive support to these projects.

As a friend of the Stylos Foundation you will be informed on these projects by receiving the B-nieuws every two weeks and two publications of the pantheon//. We ask a donation of €90,- per year as a company and €45,- per year as an individual (recently graduated friends of the Foundation will pay €10,- the first two years).

ISA HEELING CHAIRMAN

account number 1673413 disclaimer All photos are (c) the property of their respective owners. We are a non-profit organisation and we thank you for the use of these pictures.

Photo: Bart Claver

EDITORIAL

RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT EDITOR

BY BART CLAVER Struggle. That is not the theme of this edition of pantheon//, but it is the best word to describe my feeling when writing this editorial. Normally in the editorial the theme for the current issue is introduced, but that seemed like a difficult task with abstraction.

I knew the meaning of abstraction and I suspect that you, our reader, know so also.

Only when searching through dictionaries I came to understand that is not so easy to define abstraction. The first was Websters dictionary which said: “the act or process of abstracting; the state of being abstracted.” That does not really sound like an explanation at all really. The second was the Oxford dictionary with: “a general idea not based on any particular real person, thing or situation.” Which comes closer to how I perceived the word abstraction.

Finally I found the explanation that you read two pages ago in the Lexico dictionary: “the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events.”

Dealing with ideas is what we tried while working on this issue. We had talks with architects and teachers about not only their work, but also their ideas behind these works and their understanding about abstraction.

We striped back the façade of building and institutions to see what the underlaying ideals were. Editors searched for the ways how we experienced architecture and how this impacts us on a emotional level.

BART CLAVER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

This stripping back the façade and all that’s unnecessary reminded me of a drawing by Olivia de Recat in The New Yorker. This drawing represented different kinds of relationships only in two lines. The relation between you and your best friend from childhood, being close from a early age but drifting apart as you go to different schools and move away.

The relation between you and your dog with the line of the dog being smaller than yours as you life longer, but the lines staying incredibly tight. A visual representation for the saying: “A dog is part of your life, but for a dog you are it’s whole life.” Then there is one of the most import one the relation between you and your parent. The line of the parent starts and after a while your line starts, staying close together until you start being a teenager and your line drifts away while you start being more independent and making your own way in the world. In your twenties it’s gets closer again and then drifts away again as you start your own family. In the end it’s get close for a final time and your parents line stops.

Striped of everything else showing the most important parts of ones life, totally and utterly abstracted.//

MELLE HAAK EDITOR

MEREL HUIZEN EDITOR

EVA ZANDBERGEN EDITOR

TAMAR HENQUET EDITOR

ALEKSANDRA WRÓBEL EDITOR

LIZ HOOGEVEEN EDITOR

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CHAIRMAN’S NOTE A new academic year, a new board, new students, new (committee)members, with lots of ambitious plans, ideas and most of all their own visions. Six months ago, we started this adventure together.

Together we have been addressing important subjects within society and the built environment. A task which can be challenging at times because we have to make difficult decisions in order to improve. Do we stick to what is familiar or do we take a leap of faith?

And what is that leap of faith?

The current nitrogen crisis makes us rethink the way that we built, what we eat, the way that we live our lives. In addition, the discussion of inclusivity makes us question the way we look at each other, the way we speak our truths, the way we live with each other.

Not looking at our own habits, but most of all each other’s. Everything and everyone is being scrutinized.

This edition of pantheon// is focused on Abstraction.

When speaking of Abstraction, we want to focus on the things that matter most, the essence behind it all.

Something that can easily be forgotten.

While writing this, our society is facing a difficult challenge: the pandemic caused by the corona virus (COVID-19). The virus has a bigger impact on us and our daily lives than we would have hoped, with the duration still unclear. We have been asked to socially distance ourselves from each other and to be critical of our own actions. Unfortunately, as a result of the measures, lots of people are lonely and in need of help. Luckily, there are social initiatives being set up to help the ones in need.

On the contrary, in this time when we really need each other the most, we are still more critical of each other’s actions than of our own. While this might be the most important time to look closely to our own lifestyle and the way you contribute to these challenges.

The essence behind all these challenges, whether it’s the social discussions or a life changing virus, is to be critical of your own actions and to be there for each other. Instead of being there for ourselves and judging each other.

We can conquer everything together but in order to do so we have to start being more critical of ourselves Lastly, this pandemic also means a lot of plans that we have come up with together, are unfortunately now postponed or cancelled. In addition, we are not able to gather at our beloved faculty. We, as a board, have been rethinking Stylos and our role as a study association. What is our essence?

For now, we are looking forward to help, inspire, discuss, connect and laugh. But most importantly, to do all of these things together. Because that, for us, is the most important thing as a study association.

Lenneke Slangen Board 126 of D.B.S.G. Stylos

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ROOS TE VELDE

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even uitzoomen hoor waar staan we nu op deze dag? bevend onderzoeken we door, naar branden, ziektes, donderslag schrik en angst overspoelen het gros door ongrijpbaarheid van het geheel ik kan alleen maar verzoeken, aan ons verandering is essentieel.

Roos te Velde

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After more than 20 years of the pantheon//, it is time we let YOU speak. Times are changing, and so are we. We would like to get to know your opinion on this magazine and the future of it.

So, we need your help! Scan the QR code and fill in the questions concerning the future of pantheon//. If you want more space than just a few lines, feel free to send us an email at pantheon@stylos.nl. Keep your eye on the social media of Stylos to learn more about the next edition.

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@JOHAN BLOKLAND Johan Blokland studeerde van 1990 tot 1996 aan onze faculteit en is tegenwoordig mede-eigenaar van opZoom Architecten. We spraken met Johan over zijn architectuuropvattingen en het inspelen op historische en sociale context.

Talloze keren fietste ik er als kind al voorbij, maar vandaag neem ik de tijd om de gevel van kantoorgebouw De Nederlanden van 1845, ontworpen door Willem Dudok, eens goed te bekijken. Ik maak een foto van de imposante entree en merk net op tijd dat ik midden op het fietspad sta. Snel stap ik op het trottoir om de naderende scooter vrij baan te geven.

Het Arnhemse stadscentrum bruist als nooit tevoren.

Met goede zin loop ik door de voordeur en het lichte trappenhuis naar de derde verdieping. Hier is opZoom architecten gevestigd en vandaag heb ik een afspraak met architect en mede-eigenaar Johan Blokland.

Johan Blokland (1971) studeerde van 1990 tot 1996 Bouwkunde aan de TU Delft. Bij de open dagen maakte met name de maquettehal, toen nog in het oude gebouw aan de Van den Broekweg, veel indruk.

Johan zag dat er veel werd geknutseld en voelde zich direct thuis. Gedurende de studie begon hij zich meer te interesseren voor de conceptuele kant van architectuur. Nadenken waarom je bepaalde ingrepen doet en dat plaatsen in de historische en sociale context. Tijdens deze eerste studiejaren ontstond ook de ambitie om architect te worden. Na zijn keuze voor de master Architectuur, een halfjaar durende stage in Berlijn en een reis naar Zuid-Afrika kwam hij te werken bij Atelier PRO architecten. Hier leerde Johan de fijne kneepjes van het vak. In 2005 maakte hij de stap naar een leidinggevende rol bij de Arnhemse vestiging van Fame architectuur en stedenbouw. Samen met zijn collega Marie-Jeanne Sas miste hij hier echter de ontwerpkant van het vak. Zij kozen er in 2012 voor om Fame Arnhem voort te zetten in een nieuw bureau; opZoom architecten. Hier is Johan verantwoordelijk voor het voortbestaan van het bedrijf, maar staat hij ook direct in verbinding met de projecten waar opZoom mee bezig is.

RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT

Wat is het belangrijkste dat u van uw tijd als student Bouwkunde heeft meegenomen naar uw dagelijkse werk?

‘Op de TU Delft heb ik geleerd wat conceptueel ontwerpen is. Dit is iets wat bij elke opgave een grote rol speelt. Het analyseren van de vraag en de context en dat vertalen in logische stappen naar een concept en uiteindelijk een ontwerp. Abstraheren speelt hierin een heel belangrijke rol. Van de opdrachtgever krijgen we vaak stapels aan informatie over het project. Het eerste wat we dan doen, is deze informatie schiften en kijken wat voor ons van belang is. We proberen onze vinger te leggen op de essentie van het project en deze in tekst en tekeningen weer te geven. Van daaruit beginnen we dan met ontwerpen. Deze werkwijze hanteren we bij elk project, maar hoe complexer de opdracht, hoe belangrijker het is om deze tot de essentie te herleiden. Verder geldt dat de meest belangrijke dingen vaak het minst omschreven staan. Zo weet de opdrachtgever vaak heel goed hoe bijvoorbeeld de ziekenhuiskamers eruit moeten zien, maar doet hij geen uitspraken over de verkeersruimte die de kamers verbindt. In deze ongedefinieerde ruimte kan de architect zijn meerwaarde toevoegen.’

Wat was uw eerste project na de studie?

‘Na mijn studie ben ik met mijn vriendin naar ZuidAfrika gegaan. Daar was mijn eerste opdracht een collectief toiletblok in een township. Bij deze opdracht moesten we direct vanuit een heel praktische instelling te werk gaan. Het technische deel lag centraal in het gebouwtje en diende goed afgesloten te kunnen worden. Kostbare materialen zoals lood, koper en ijzer werden er anders namelijk afgestript. Daarnaast hebben we daar eenvoudige woongebouwen opgezet. We zijn toen ook heel organisatorisch bezig geweest met als doel om een woningbouwvereniging in Zuid-Afrika op te richten.’

‘Mijn eerste echte opdracht was een collectief toiletgebouw’

Afbeelding 1: De Nederlanden van 1845, thuishaven van opZoom architecten

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13 opZoom architecten heeft veel transformaties gedaan zoals De Boulevard, een oude praktijkschool aan de Boulevard Heuvelink in Arnhem omgetoverd tot woongebouw met 40 lofts. Opvallend is dat u in veel ontwerpen de geschiedenis van de plek of het pand duidelijk laat terugkomen.

‘Dat is inderdaad iets waar we met opZoom vaak naar op zoek zijn. Geschiedenis is voor mijzelf ook altijd een interessegebied geweest. Daarom heb ik naast Bouwkunde in mijn derde jaar ook een halfjaar Kunstgeschiedenis gestudeerd. Ik denk dat de betekenis of geest van een plek (genius loci) essentieel is bij een architectonische opgave.

Veel opdrachtgevers pakken dit aspect niet direct op, maar voor omwonenden is het fijn dat ze zien dat de architect het oude gebouw, waar ze veel herinneringen aan hebben, heeft bestudeerd en respecteert. Verwijzen naar de geschiedenis kan een ontwerp zoveel rijker maken. In mijn vroegere jaren als architect hanteerde ik een meer moderne stijl.

Details, zoals kozijnen, werkte ik dan zo veel mogelijk weg in de gevel. Het resultaat was strak, maar miste karakter. Daarnaast deed het ontwerp hierdoor soms geen recht aan zijn verfijnde functies. Een gevel is meer dan alleen een gat en een vlak. Een kozijn geeft aan dat een raam bevestigingspunten nodig heeft, maar vormt ook een overgang tussen binnen en buiten, tussen een gesloten muur en de opening.

Tegenwoordig hecht ik ook steeds meer waarde aan deze tussenzones op een groter schaalniveau, zoals gangen en entrees.’

Afbeelding 2: Impressie doorsnede De Boulevard

Verwijzen naar de geschiedenis, het gebruik van archetypes en het maken van functionele woningplattegronden zijn vaardigheden die u bezit.

Wat zijn uw zwakke punten?

‘Door de jaren heen heb ik veel moeten leren over het toepassen van materialen en kleuren. Eigenlijk is het iets waar ik nog steeds veel over leer. Een kleur pakt op een gebouw veelal heel anders uit dan naar aanleiding van afbeeldingen werd verwacht. Ook met 3D modelleren is de uiteindelijke uitstraling nauwelijks te voorspellen. In de kamer hiernaast hebben we daarom een grote verzameling aan materialen en één op één gevelmodellen. Het gebeurt regelmatig dat we voor een ontwerp zo’n model laten maken, maar totaal niet tevreden zijn. Dan passen we het ontwerp aan en proberen we het opnieuw.

‘Verwijzen naar de geschiedenis kan een ontwerp zoveel rijker maken’

14 In 2016 won opZoom de Gulden Feniks met het project Bouw van Jou en in 2019 de Willem Diehl publieksprijs met De Boulevard. Hoe is het om dergelijke prijzen te winnen?

Het doel van een architectenbureau ligt natuurlijk niet in het winnen van prijzen, maar toch was het erg leuk. Voor de mensen die hier werken is het een heel positieve impuls en het is daarnaast goede reclame. Mede door het succes van De Boulevard zijn we nu betrokken bij het transformatieproject van de Koepelgevangenis, een zeer prestigieus en leuk project. Daar ligt wat mij betreft de ambitie. Ik hoef echt geen architectenbureau te leiden van 100 werknemers, maar wil de komende jaren het liefst zo veel mogelijk bijzondere projecten doen.

Hoe zou u het vak architectuur abstraheren tot één zin?

‘Het terugbrengen van een opgave of een plek tot de essentie en dat daarna vertalen naar een concept dat wordt uitgewerkt tot een aansprekend en passend gebouw.’

Ik bedank Johan voor het interview en pak mijn spullen weer in. Van de andere kant van de vergaderkamer pakt hij een kleine, simpele maquette van foamboard.

Het blijkt voor een transformatie te zijn van een schoolgebouw van Jo Vegter.

‘Zo’n maquette werkt zo fijn om dingen uit te leggen.

Je merkt ook aan de opdrachtgevers dat het veel meer tot de verbeelding spreekt dan een super mooi opgewerkt 3D-model.’

Johan vertelt verder over de opdracht en hoe ze de maquette met slechts een paar restmaterialen hebben gemaakt. Zijn ogen glinsteren en met een beetje inbeeldingsvermogen zie ik hoe de scholier Johan tijdens de open dag in Delft door de maquettehal loopt, geïmponeerd en gemotiveerd tegelijk. //

BRONNEN Afbeelding 1 - Eigen foto Afbeelding 2 - https://storage.googleapis.com/capstone01/opzoom/2012/08/doorsnede-tpv-de-entree.jpg - Blokland, J. (z.d.). Johan Blokland. Geraadpleegd op 20 december 2019, van https://www.linkedin.com/in/johan-blokland-5b512513 - de Wilde, A. (2019, 7 juni). Het Gelders Huis en De Boulevard winnaars Willem Diehlprijs 2019. Geraadpleegd op 25 december 2019, van https://www.dearchitect.nl/architectuur/nieuws/2019/06/ het-gelders-huis-en-de-boulevard-winnaars-willem-diehlprijs-2019-101211325?vakmedianet-approve-cookies=1 - NRP Gulden Feniks. (z.d.). Bouw van Jou - Gulden Feniks. Geraadpleegd op 21 december 2019, van https://www.nrpguldenfeniks.nl/ archief/jaargangen/2016/renovatie/bouw-van-jou-1/ - opZoom architecten. (z.d.-a). opZoom architecten. Geraadpleegd op 21 december 2019, van https://architectenweb.nl/bedrijven/bedrijf. aspx?ID=14739 - opZoom architecten. (z.d.). wij zijn opZoom architecten. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2019, van https://opzoom.nl/ - Schulte, T. (2018). De Boulevard: de transformatie van een ambachtsschool (1ste editie). Arnhem: Coers en Roest | ArtLibro.

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101 years of Bauhaus 2019 marked the centennial since the founding of the Bauhaus in 1919 by Walter Gropius. The school existed for a mere fourteen years before being forced to shut down by the rise of the Nazi’s to power. Yet in these fourteen years it left a lager legacy then maybe could be expected. Countless artist and architects have been inspired by the school in the last 100 years and marks can still been seen today in the world and our own faculty of Architecture and the Build Environment at the TU Delft.

To call something Bauhaus will almost instantaneous pull up a image of something modern, something with clean abstract lines and primary colours. Design critic Ernst Kallai wrote of this:

“Houses with lots of glass and shining metal: Bauhaus style.

The same is true of home hygiene without home atmosphere: Bauhaus style.

Lamp with nickel-coated body and a disk of opaque glass as lampshade: Bauhaus style.

Wallpaper patterned in cubes: Bauhaus style.

No paintings on the wall: Bauhaus style.

Incomprehensible paintings on the wall: Bauhaus style.

Printing with sans-serif letters and bold rules: Bauhaus style. everything written in lowercase: Bauhaus style.

EVERYTHING EXPRESSED IN CAPITAL LETTERS: BAUHAUS STYLE.” As Kallai points out, almost anything modern can be called Bauhaus, and by some is called Bauhaus. Even when it has no connection in the slightest to the school. The white buildings in cities like Tel Aviv are not (as often claimed) inspired by the schools use of minimal and primary colours, but by the cooling effects that white has over other colours. The public housing projects that evolved after the Second World War do not come from the Bauhaus but other cities like Rotterdam and Hamburg.

The history of architecture at the school is even shorter then its fourteen year existence, as for the first 7 years architecture was not even a course that was taught. Nor was the schools always a haven for minimalistic industrial design and abstract geometric forms.

An often overlooked part of the schools history is the diversity of ideologies, opinions and styles. Over its short life the Bauhaus had three different directors all with a different vision; they left their mark on the school and its legacy. At its inception in 1919

by Gropius it was something new and daring. Attracting avantgarde artist and designers from not only Germany but all over Europe. The ideology of the school was not yet set on what it is most known for today. It was not even clearly outlined, but shifted many times. Theo van Doesburg remarked during a visit in January of 1921 that the school had a Arts and Crafts vibe.

He thought that there was enough space to try something new, something more progressive. In April of that year Van Doesburg moved to Weimar (the city where the Bauhaus at that time resided) along with the editorial of the abstract magazine De Stijl. Here he gave courses about De Stijl and gathered a substantial following among students. Although Gropius found it impossible to give Van Doesburg a teaching position, as under his directorship the school strived to have a broad curriculum and Van Doesburg was too dogmatic in his ideals.

Partially under this influence the direction of the school shifted.

The theatre got painted in De Stijl, Oskar Schlemmer designed the now famous abstract ballet costumes and Gropius changed the motto of the Bauhaus from “Art and Craft – a new unit” to “Art and technology – a new unit”. In 1928 Gropius left and passed the directorship over to Hannes Meyer, the head of the architecture program. This change in leadership marked another shift in direction for the Bauhaus. Under Meyer the architecture program expended even more and started focussing on buildings that were formed by factors such as climate, hygiene, sociology and building materials.

Only two years later Meyer was forced to leave from mounting pressure from National Socialism. Mies van der Rohe took over and radically shifts the direction of the school again. These were to be the final years of the Bauhaus and a far cry from the Arts and Crafts vibe that Theo van Doesburg encountered only nine years previously. Now the focus was on study of spaces, planes and materials. A mere three years later the school was forced to close as the Nazi’s came to power.

BART CLAVER

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As the direction of the school constantly changed during its lifetime, the direction of the Bauhaus “style” was changing outside of it. In 1939 Gropius organised a exhibit for the MoMA titled: “Bauhaus 1919-1928”. With this title he omits the last five years of the schools history and its last two directors. Gropius style evolved over the years as is natural for most architects and designers, but he kept a tight hold on the name Bauhaus.

Mies van der Rohe moved to Chicago in 1938 and took over directorship of the architecture faculty of the Illinois Institute of Technology. He rebuilt the campus in steel, brick and glass, unlike anything he had done before in Germany.

To say that the Bauhaus had a significant impact on architecture, art and design may be an understatement, but to call everything that is modern, industrial or minimal influenced by Bauhaus spits in the face of the complex history of the school. The school of Bauhaus is unfortunately a victim of its own success. To fit everything into a box and put a label on it is something that humans like to do, but it is the direct opposite of what Gropius, his colleague and students were trying to achieve. Their designs did not come from a single style or even a combination of styles, but from pure functionality and modern materials. In the schools own magazine also titled Bauhaus, a writer wrote: No Bauhaus Style and no Bauhaus fashion (…..) Such facile stylistic labelling of the modern must be emphatically rejected.” A great ideal, but something even the Bauhaus at times could not keep.

Products produced by the school in its factory and sweatshop were marked with a stamp that said “Bauhaus Dessau”. The school itself may be partially to blame for its own curse. Not willing to be put in a box and labelled by a style, but at the same time adopting an aesthetic language that could be so easily defined. Uniformly embraced all over the design world, but widely misunderstood. The Bauhaus has always been a school, a place, not a static style and never a single uniform movement.//

SOURCES Curtis, W. J. R. (1996). Modern Architecture Since 1900 (Subsequent). Amsterdam, Nederland: Amsterdam University Press.

2 Doesburg, T. (1921). Rondblik. De Stijl, 4(9), 143–144.

3 Droste, M. (2018). Bauhaus. Updated Edition. Köln, Germany: Taschen.

4 Weber, N. F. (2019). The Bauhaus at 100: science by design. Nature, 572(7768), 174–175. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02355-4 1

chepos

KARIM JASPERS

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Constructing a lifestyle The built environment is responsible for 40% of the global CO2 emissions. Not only that, it covers the earth in a concrete shell where no vegetation can penetrate through, resulting in loss of biodiversity and lack of absorption of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, the natural resources that are consumed to construct the ever-growing metropolises are shrinking. This does not end in the near future; the world population is increasing exponentially every year. Cities need to house more and more humans, each with their individual desires and goals. To reach the Paris Agreement, the built environment needs to ‘go green’ as soon as possible. Architects and construction companies are already competing to create the most energy efficient building, the Dutch government is imposing a nitrogen verdict on the housing market and ‘greenwashing’ has become a tool for real estate agents to sell their buildings to the public. However, we are all fixated on the wrong aspect. Producing net zero buildings is a valuable basis, yet to really initiate a global impact, we should zoom out and look at the entire picture.

Text & Lay-out: Karim Jaspers

in climate, it should be designed pleasantly and it should ensure a proper functioning during its lifespan. Nowadays, the built environment is changing towards ‘sustainabilism’; an architectural philosophy that has sustainability as the main guiding principle. Engineering is already represented in this principle by creating energy-efficient buildings that suffice for certain certificates. The artistic side of buildings can be seen in the global trend of greenwashing; creating representations of sustainability that can be understood by the general public. However, the user aspect has not been incorporated in the design practices yet. True sustainabilism has to connect engineering, art and user. Incorporating the lifestyle of users is therefore of vital importance.

Since the beginning of history the function of buildings used to be to protect humans from the environment. However, since a few decades the environment has become the one needing protection from its humans. Instead of stopping heavy winds from entering the building presentday walls should prevent pollution from leaving.

Buildings are only a tool created by humans to house residents and other functions. Buildings by themselves do not generate pollution. Without the user there would be no pollution at all. To change the resilience of the built environment the focus needs to be on the user instead of the producer.

The biggest obstacle for this is the active participation of humans. Most of us want to strive for a society that focuses on the climate, reduces CO2 and protects the environment. Most of us want the government to plant more trees, introduce a carbon tax and prohibit airplane flights. However, those people are the same people who fly across the world, who only care superficially about separating trash and who only buy biological products when they feel like it. The desire is present, yet the actual behavior is stuck to wishing for a stricter government. The main reason for this is that people only see short-term and personal disadvantages in living environmentfriendly. Separating trash is beneficial, but walking two extra floors to throw away that one plastic cup is most of the times too much work. There is no advantage for the individual in performing these simple actions except for perhaps a momentary feeling of goodness. The same happens for airplane flights: taking the public transport limits the amount of emissions tremendously, but due to some monetary and comfort issues, the airplane is preferred. The ultimate solution of not going to a distant country at all and staying at home does not exist in the minds of most people. It is too easy and comfortable.

Buildings by themselves do not generate pollution The ancient principles of Vitruvius, Firmitas, Venustas and Utilitas have been guiding the architectural styles for centuries. It has been rephrased many times, but it has always been a combination of engineering, art and user. A building should be able to withstand changes

True sustainabilism has to connect engineering, art and user

Chepos is the independent architecture magazine of study association Cheops of the Technical University Eindhoven. For every edition, Chepos and pantheon// publish one of each other’s articles.

Thus, most people want to contribute to a better society and environment but only if it benefits them personally as well. An example are solar panels, which reduce the needs of fossil fuels.

These are bought by many people as they are also economically beneficial. Within a few years, you have reduced your personal carbon footprint while simultaneously having gained money. The perfect compromise. The problem is that most of the other small environmental dilemmas do not have any personal benefit. Why would anyone take the stairs if the elevator is right in front of them? We are constantly choosing the option that takes the least physical or mental effort. Most of these decisions are made unconsciously. Then, how are designers supposed to change behaviors if the people that execute these behaviors are not even aware they are making decisions?

The answer is quite obvious, architects have been doing this for centuries. The way buildings are shaped reinforce certain behaviors. Habitations are nothing more than places for long habits.

Most movements and actions that are performed in the home environment are habitual, they are performed lacking any conscious process. Habits can be defined as automatic responses to regularly occurring cues, of which these cues can be of architectural nature. Most buildings and urban plans complement the habits of the user, however, to create behavioral change towards a sustainable lifestyle, perhaps future habitations should disrupt existing habits. Imagine a house that guides you to actively participate in reducing your personal carbon footprint.

Habitations are nothing more than places for long habits But the question remains: how do we design an environment in which its occupants will live a sustainable lifestyle? Therefore, we should consult the discipline of sociology and psychology, the masters in shaping behaviors. One of the main difficulties they describe with adapting towards a sustainable lifestyle is the so-called ‘awarenessgap’. This gap explains the difference between general environmental awareness of a person and his actual pro-environmental behavior. A

Building the Environment large majority of people is aware of the general consequences of human behavior, however, their specific actions show otherwise. This could partially be explained by the shared responsibility that people feel. One small action can never have influence on the global challenges that we are facing, so why would any individual perform this action?

If the social norm is to act sustainably, then many people will follow Another big part of the problem is the missing procedural knowledge of people. This means that people have a general idea on what they should be changing, but do not know the specific actions or procedures to adapt their behavior. This applies to the general public for simple eco-friendly

actions, but also to experts such as architects and urbanists. Perhaps you are convinced that introducing the residents in the environmental challenges of the built environment is a crucial aspect. But where should you start? This is why two small psychological solutions are given to enhance your procedural knowledge on this topic as well.

One of the ways is to construct a social norm based on environmental behavior. The social norm in which a person is situated is crucial for his actions. Humans are herd animals by nature; meaning they inherently want to belong to any group. To become part, a certain social norm that is set up by this group should be followed. If the social norm is to act sustainably then many people will follow this trend, regardless the attitude towards this norm. The latter is essential: people do not necessarily need a positive attitude towards sustainability to act accordingly; a social norm is often enough. After conforming to the norm, humans tend to adapt their attitude towards this

norm anyway, resulting in a genuine acceptance of their newly modified sustainable behavior. This social norm can be taken into the design process of an apartment complex or a whole neighborhood to create a green community or even a friendly competition.

Another tool that can be applied in a design is the creation of opportunities. Evidently, the tools for pro-environmental actions should be in proximity of the user. People will never bring their broken devices to a repair shop if there is none in their neighborhood. In addition, most humans are, as mentioned earlier, inherently lazy: decisions are made based on the option that takes the least effort. Therefore, organizing spaces and neighborhoods in such a way that the most sustainable behavior takes the least effort will result in a habitual change towards this behavior.

Architects should place stairs in eyesight rather than elevators and design its routes accordingly.

We should design to support a sustainable lifestyle These two examples are only a small part of the many ways behavior can be influenced through design and planning. For practitioners of the built environment it can have a significant effect if this procedural knowledge on how to influence residents is extended. Therefore, research has to not only stress the importance of a sustainable lifestyle, but also highlight its possibilities for in practice.

Until now, there has not yet been a truly sustainable building. There are constructions that acquire certifications of sustainability and monuments that represent the environment in their façade, or a combination of both. However, the user has been mostly forgotten about.

Future architecture should again be a fusion of engineering, art and user. We should design to support a sustainable lifestyle and not only focus on creating high-end technologies with the idea that this will solve all our problems. To realize the Paris Agreement, we need to look at the bigger picture and recognize the importance of involving the user in the design. Not the built environment, but the user is responsible for this 40% of the global CO2 emissions.

Images: 1. Constructing a lifestyle (illustration by: Karim Jaspers) Sources: 1. Douglass, D. B. “Defining a sustainable aesthetic: a new paradigm for architecture”. 2008. University of Southern California, California. 2. O’Neill, D. W., Fanning, A. L., Lamb, W. F., & Steinberger, J. K. “A good life for all within planetary boundaries”. Nature Sustainability (, 1(2), 2018, p.

88-95). 3. Ong, I. “Bad (Habit)at: Architecture as Action Forms”.

2019. Interactivearchitecturea.org 4. “Paris Agreement”. 2015.

United Nations. Unfccc.int 5. Van Zon, L. “CO2 and (the average) you”. 2014. Sustainsubstance.org 6. Verplanken, B. “Promoting Sustainability: Towards a Segmentation Model of Individual and Household Behaviour and Behaviour Change”. Wiley Online Library (, 26, p. 193-205). 7. Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. “Mind the Gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior?”. Environmental Education Research (, 8(3), 2002, p. 239-260).

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ArtScience Museum

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“The welcoming hand of Singapore”

While walking through Marina Bay Sands, a major resort in Singapore, you can’t look away from the ArtScience Museum. Designed

by Moshe Safdie, it is one of the most remarkable buildings in Asia. Since its opening in 2011, it has been awarded more than once.

But what is it exactly, that makes this museum so remarkable?

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here art and science meet

First of all, art and science traditionally are stored in two different buildings at museums. The ArtScience Museum, on the contrary, emphasizes the relationship between art and science. Whereas art can be inspirational for scientists, science often has a huge impact on the world of art. With this thought in mind, Moshe Safdie designed a museum where the two converge.

Image 1: Drawing of exhibition spaces

The building consists out of two main exhibition spaces: one ‘flying’ above the promenade and the other beneath a water lily garden. What stands out the most are the petals, which form a spacious flower-like structure. The form is often seen as the abstraction of a lotus blossom, which makes the building an abstraction of nature.

However, it is also compared to a hand. Sheldon Adelson, who developed Marina Bay Sands, therefore called it “The welcoming hand of Singapore”.

Image 2: Drawing of petals

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aterials and construction In addition, it may seem like those petals are placed randomly, but nothing is further from the truth. The structure comes from different spheroids. Safdie found this form in his search for rational geometry, because he wanted to “capture the basic order and organization of nature” (2016). Thereby he bridges the gap between art and science again.

Then the construction and materials. The building wouldn’t be as breathtaking without the idea of the building floating in the air. This is accomplished by a steel diagrid structure and steel columns. Moreover, the whole museum is clad with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), which is normally used for racing yachts. The use of FRP makes the skin of the building jointless and gives it a lighter appearance.

Image 3: Construction of the museum

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ustainability Furthermore, the building has some beautiful sustainability features. One of them is the roof which collects rainwater and drains it through an oculus. This creates a huge waterfall in the open-air atrium. Part of the rainwater is recycled for use in the restrooms.

The museum is therefore awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification.

The United States Green Building Council stated that the museum “has set some of the highest environmental performance standards.”

In a word, Safdie wanted to abstract nature in the most beautiful way possible with the ArtScience Museum.

He lent forms of nature for both appearance and construction. Moreover, he bridges the gap between art and science and the building was awarded for its brilliant sustainability features. Therefore, it’s impossible to look away from this extraordinary eye-catcher. // SOURCES Beciri, D. (2012, 17 juni). Green Architecture – ArtScience Museum in Singapore. http://www.robaid.com/architecture/green-architecture-artscience-museum-in-singapore.htm 2 Koo, N. (2019, 10 mei). Lesser-known facts you never knew about the ArtScience Museum. https://thepeakmagazine.com.sg/lifestyle/ artscience-museum-facts/?slide=5-5--It-is-the-first-museumin-Asia-Pacific-to-attai 3 Safdie Architects (2011). Marina Bay Sands – ArtScience Museum. https://www.safdiearchitects.com/projects/marina-bay-sandsartscience-museum 5 Safdie Architects (2011, 15 maart). ArtScience Museum in Singapore. https://www.archdaily.com/119076/artscience-museum-insingapore-safdie-architects 5 Safdie, M. (2016, 2 oktober). World Architecture Day – Facebook [Video]. https://www.facebook.com/ArtScienceMuseum/videos/ moshe-safdie-on-escher-and-bach-world-architecture-day-oct3rd/1071261106260865/ 6 Visit Singapore (2020). ArtScience Museum. https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/arts/museums-galleries/artsciencemuseum/ 1

Image 4: Oculus in open-air atrium

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35mm

Analog Cityscapes A 35mm Olympus OM-20 with a 40mm lens. This little camera was my grandfather’s camera and now it’s mine. It is analog, mechanical and old-fashioned but it works. No fancy modern functions like in camera filters, autofocus or a LCD-screen. It is completely mechanical except for its two button batteries that power the light meter and last me a year. This is the camera that I always carry with me everywhere. If it is a school day I care it with me, if it is a trip abroad I have it, even when it is a casually Friday night playing pool with some old friends.

I always carry it with me. Why this camera, why not a more modern camera that uses a SD-card in place of a 35mm role of film. I have been asked this question more times than I can count.

This camera is older than I am. Right now I am 20 years old and this camera is twice that age. It was bought by my grandfather while he served in the Dutch army in West-Germany. With it he captured his vacations, family and even my mother coming in second in the Dutch national BMX championship in 1984.

I dug it up three years ago when I was in my final year of high school for an art project. For this project I would photograph people dressed in the style of the 1960’s.

In the end it fell through for multiple reasons. With less than two months until the deadline I needed a new project and fast. I had already took shots of friends and cityscapes using the camera for practice and decided that the best option was to continue that. Everything involving this project was done by me, shooting the film, developing and scanning. I even got a enlarger from my art teacher that had been sitting in his shed for year, so I started printing my photographs. The results of the project were nothing amazing, but I like the look that film gave me and the joy that was doing everything by hand.

So today after three years, 45 rolls of film or 1620 photographs when someone asks me why I still shoot film, I just tell them it gives me joy.

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MELLE HAAK

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FABRIEK

soms lijkt de wereld een fabriek bussen komen, mensen stromen, geen tijd voor dromen snel en doelgericht, iedereen een plicht volgens de lijn van de grafiek winst; de visie van de directeur de machines moeten aan iedereen voor zich, maar simultaan als jezelf of liefst een betere versie daarvan omringt door mensen, maar alleen op de lopende band verscholen in routine een facebookpost in de vitrine zorgen onmiddellijk verbrand en verdwenen in de schoorsteen soms lijkt de wereld een fabriek en zou ik een vogel willen zijn om even weg te kunnen dromen kijkend naar de mensenstromen fladderen in zonneschijn bewegen als muziek me even laten gaan te lachen om de fabriek neerkijkend op onnozele methodiek om daarna weer door te gaan

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What happens After finishing their master 95% of architecture students will have found a job within one and a half years, but where do they end up? Studying architecture at the TU Delft gives you multiple job opportunities for the future. When starting their bachelor most students think of becoming an architect, but in the end many choose a different path. The bachelor in architecture has five different master options, which each have many different job opportunities. It is hard to find something that suits you. Therefore we give you a few ideas you may never have heard or thought of before.

INTERIOR DESIGNER MSC: ARCHITECTURE Have you secretly, while designing a building, always loved fantasising about what it will look like from the inside, how you are going to decorate that what is now still empty space? Maybe you should think about becoming an interior designer.

Being an interior designer is more than just being able to match pretty colours. By having a background in architecture you will know about the history of design and have an understanding of ergonomics. You are aware of ethics and therefore are more capable than most in how you communicate with your clients. You also have knowledge in programming, doing research and 3D design. All these aspects give you a good chance at succeeding in this business. So, if you like drawing, designing and are a peoples person, but are not meant for the architecture industry, maybe think about becoming an interior designer. It might be of interest to you. //

If you are into history and love finding out about the background of a building, city or monument, maybe you should be thinking of getting a job in monument restauration. When learning to become an architect you also learn about the history and repetition of this history in projects. You will know everything there is to know about a buildings background.

As a restauration architect you are asked to have knowledge of monuments, historical ways of building, detail, materials and also sustainability. You will come in contact with standard regulations and permits and will help to preserve history. With your master’s degree in architecture you already have an understanding of the many different aspects of architecture, which will be very useful when pursuing this career. You will work with others to keep the history intact and rebuild something to the exact detail it deserves. //

MSC: ARCHITECTURE

MONUMENT RESTAURATION

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after you finish your master?

PROJECT DEVELOPER MSC: BUILDING TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT A project developer, in short, does it all. He stays with the project from beginning until the end. As a project developer you will be navigating a team of experts, starting with buying the ground necessary for your teams project and ending with delivering the final project and putting it on the market. You will be accountable for the financial, constructional and creative side and have an overview over the process. You could work independent, but also on behalf of, for example, municipalities and provinces.

Being a project developer you need to be able to communicate well, as you will be in contact with multiple parties who are all involved in the process. You need to be persuasive and own a certain level of leadership skills. You need to be able to plan and organise and also analyse and connect, for that you are in charge of the entire project. In short you need to know a bit of everything, so that you are able to guide your team into the right direction and make something great in the process. //

SOURCES Little, S. (2020, 29 januari). 10 Things You Should Know About Becoming an Interior Designer.

2 Marco Bruijnes Architectenbureau. (2020). Restauratie monument.

3 Nationale Beroepengids. (2019). Projectontwikkelaar: Salaris, Vacatures, Opleiding, Taken, Toekomst & Skills.

4 THE WORLD BANK. (2015). Urban Redevelopment | Urban Regeneration.

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If you like working on a bigger scale and are thinking about doing more than just creating a house, but instead want to create a community and want to be able to optimize this community with your skillset. You should start considering urban redevelopment.

Urban redevelopment is a unique career where you will need to think of both the already existing residents, communities and homes and about how to enhance these features for the better. You will come in contact with municipalities and will have to understand the history behind your urban project. It often involves a rezoning by the government of a given area where, with your help, it will result in a higher density. Next to this you will be revising the infrastructure for it to function more effectively. If you are interested in redeveloping instead of creating and want to make an already existing urban area even better, you should think about becoming an urban redeveloper. //

MSC: URBANISM

URBAN REDEVELOPER

YOUR AD HERE? CONTACT US PANTHEON@STYLOS.NL

Werken bij Vanschagen Architecten We hebben inspirerend en leerzaam werk voor studenten die bij ons willen komen werken of een stage lopen.

Mocht je interesse hebben mail dan naar: kw@vanschagenarchitecten.nl Bellen kan ook: 010 413 65 98 VANSCHAGEN ARCHITECTEN Zomerhofstraat 86 3032 CM Rotterdam www.vanschagenarchitecten.nl

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DESIGNING IN REVERSE Drawing is the technique of illustrating a composition of lines, dots or surfaces that represent an object, figure or plan. Architects, just as artists in other artforms, use drawing a lot. Mostly, these drawings are with intention of designing.

As a matter of fact, in the design process many sketches are being made for experimenting and adjusting on the design to bring it to its full potential. However, not only is drawing used as a design tool but also as a method of passing on an image or information to someone else. Examples are conceptual drawings, technical drawings or impressions.

Mostly, these are made during the design process or for the presentation

TEXT: MEREL HUIZEN DRAWINGS: MELLE HAAK

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However, drawing can also be practiced to reverse the process of design. In other words, drawing can be used to abstract. When drawing a façade for example, the first drawing is the one where the artist needs to look and analyse the image very well. The illustrations after the first one, the artist has already drawn the structure of the image and has less difficulty drawing. Eventually, when the image is practiced well enough, the artist will only need a few lines to suggest the appearance of the façade.

Anyhow, what makes reverse designing so extraordinary, is that the last and most abstract drawing of the façade could look very much like a concept drawing. Conceptual

drawings from the design process represent the essence of the design through the designers eyes. Only now it is not the designer who illustrated the drawing, but the drawing artist.

Since the designer and artist are not the same person, they are expected to have a different frame of reference. This could possibly mean that the essence of the image of the façade could differ between the two persons. Therefore, the actual concept drawings of the designer and the abstract ‘concept drawing’ of the drawing artist can be totally different. //

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Thomas Rau “Leuk dat je gestudeerd hebt; je kunt alles weer vergeten” Een radicale bouwmeester. Een schrijver. Een inspirator.

Thomas Rau staat bekend om zijn ingrijpende ideeën die de hele wereld weleens op z’n kop kunnen gooien. Maar volgens hemzelf is hij “alleen maar bezig de realiteit in kaart te brengen”. Een architect die in de realiteit wil leven, en niet in een fake realiteit. Wat is het verhaal achter deze innovator?

Om te beginnen: hoe is Thomas Rau eigenlijk precies in de bouwwereld beland?

Naar eigen zeggen heeft hij zelf niet gekozen om architect te worden, maar heeft de architectuur hém gekozen. “Eerst zat ik in de zorg en deed ik een dansopleiding; ik had helemaal niets met architectuur”, vertelt hij, “Totdat ik op een gegeven moment een droom kreeg waarin mij verteld werd dat ik architect moest worden”. Hij vertrouwde op zijn intuïtie en joeg zijn droom letterlijk achterna. “Mijn leven staat eigenlijk in het teken om te ontdekken waarom ik voor architectuur moest kiezen en daar ben ik nog steeds mee bezig”.

Rau startte zijn eigen architectenbureau en ontdekte wat architectuur voor hem betekent.

Volgens hem faciliteert architectuur de biografische ontwikkeling van de mens, wat zijn reden is om te ontdekken wie de mens is. “Het ‘mens zijn’ vormt voor mij de toegang tot architectuur”, zegt hij.

Daar komen bepaalde wetmatigheden en problemen bij kijken. Volgens Rau zijn we die wetmatigheden volledig uit het oog verloren.

We denken dat we het ‘mens zijn’ kunnen loskoppelen van wat ons bestaan mogelijk maakt, wat een van de grootste misverstanden is. Hiermee wordt een fake realiteit gecreëerd.

''Het ‘mens zijn’ vormt voor mij de toegang tot architectuur”

Hij legt uit dat hij een onderscheid maakt tussen de 1e en de 2e natuur: “De 1e natuur is alles wat de mens niet kan maken, terwijl de 2e natuur juist alles is wat de natuur niet kan voortbrengen”. Zo zal een lamp nooit voortgebracht kunnen worden door de 1e natuur; een boom zal daarentegen nooit groeien in de 2e natuur. Architectuur abstraheert hij als “een ruimtelijke context als 2e natuur ten dienste van de biografische ontwikkeling van de mens”.

Rau benadrukt hierbij dat die 2e natuur wel dezelfde natuurwetten volgt als de 1e natuur. “Zwaartekracht is bijvoorbeeld bepalend in de 1e natuur”, vertelt hij.

“In de 2e natuur ook”, legt hij uit terwijl hij een boek op de grond laat vallen. Conclusie: we kunnen de 2e natuur niet loskoppelen van de wetmatigheden van de 1e natuur.

Dat we de wetmatigheden uit het oog verloren zijn, komt volgens hem doordat de mens denkt dat hij het middelpunt van de schepping is. “Hoe kan je denken dat je het middelpunt bent van alles, als je van alles om je heen afhankelijk bent?”, vraagt hij zich af. Hij stelt dat we hooguit op

LIZ HOOGEVEEN FOTO’S: LIZ HOOGEVEEN

ooghoogte staan met alles, en zeker niet erboven.

Het idee dat de mens als middelpunt kan worden beschouwd komt deels door de kerk, denkt Rau. Het moreel wenselijk gedrag werd vroeger namelijk bepaald door de kerk, die de mens stelde als middelpunt van de schepping. Daarna is de overheid de instantie geworden om de zinvraag te beantwoorden. Nu heeft de markt het stokje overgenomen. “De media vertellen je wie je bent en wie je niet bent; welk boek je wilt”, legt hij uit.

Dat betekent dat nu de markt de zinvraag heeft overgenomen, wat tevens een groot misverstand is. De enige die de zinvraag kan beantwoorden, is de mens zelf, meent hij. Door het verschuiven van de zinvraag is de architectuur van nu niet meer verbonden aan het ‘mens zijn’ an sich. Ofwel: de realiteit wordt niet meer als realiteit waargenomen.

''De media vertellen je wie je bent en wie je niet bent”

Inspiratie voor zijn architectuur haalt hij altijd uit de opdrachtgever en de plek, wat voor hem de meest authentieke inspiratiebronnen zijn. Ook kunst vormt een grote inspiratiebron: “De kunst heeft de meest immateriële relatie met de toekomst.

Daarom kan kunst misschien een stukje toekomst die nog niemand kent, inzichtelijk maken”. Een van zijn favoriete kunstenaars is Marina Abramović.

Hierbij noemt hij haar wereldberoemde kunstwerk A Minute Of Silence, waarbij gasten tegenover Abramović kwamen zitten en zij de gastvrouw was.

Als op een gegeven moment haar ex-man tegenover haar komt zitten, realiseert zij zich dat zij de gast is geworden. In het begin is dat heel oncomfortabel, totdat zij hem de hand reikt en accepteert dat zij de gast is. “Dat is onze rol op aarde”, aldus Rau, “De gast in plaats van de gastheer of gastvrouw”.

Hoewel Rau grote successen boekte met zijn architectenbureau, liet hij het hier niet bij. Een aantal jaren geleden kreeg hij roodvonk en ging hij ten rade bij de dokter. Die vertelde hem dat deze ziekte werd veroorzaakt doordat hij nog steeds niet deed wat hij moest doen. Dat werd de geboorte van Turntoo, een architectenbureau “voor de architectuur van een nieuw economisch systeem”.

Afbeelding 1 & 2: Enkele foto’s van architectenbureau RAU

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Afbeelding 3: Schema van Turntoo, “van grondstof tot afval”

Economie stelt Rau als de relatie tussen de mensheid en de aarde. Volgens hem zijn macht en verantwoordelijkheid in de economie van nu steeds verder van elkaar komen te staan. Zo noemt hij AirBnB: “Zij hebben duizenden kamers weten aan te bieden, zonder ook maar een daarvan schoon te maken vanochtend”. Met andere woorden: macht wordt gecentraliseerd, terwijl verantwoordelijkheid wordt gecollectiviseerd. “Dit gaat natuurlijk fout”.

''We moeten van eigendom naar eigenslim”

Hij bedacht daarom een nieuw economisch systeem, waarin o.a. macht en verantwoordelijkheid weer bij elkaar worden gebracht, waarin we weer met beide voeten in de realiteit komen te staan. Nu wordt iets gecreëerd waar de consument verantwoordelijkheid voor neemt, wat we eigendom noemen. In het nieuwe systeem zet de creator een creatie neer en neemt daar dan ook verantwoordelijkheid voor. “We moeten van eigendom naar eigenslim”.

In de architectuur betekent dit dat de persoon die de vergunning aanvraagt in principe dertig jaar lang aansprakelijk is voor de ontwikkeling.

In plaats van wegwerparchitectuur moeten we architectuur gaan maken die de tijdelijke behoeftes van mensen gaat faciliteren. Om dat voor elkaar te krijgen moeten materialen worden gefaciliteerd die nodig zijn voor die architectuur.

Die materialen worden volgens Rau nu veel te vaak als ‘afval’ gezien. In 2011 is hij daarom begonnen met het maken van materialenpaspoorten, waardoor alle materialen die in een gebouw verwerkt zijn, worden herkend als bruikbare materialen.

Een aantal jaar later richtte hij het Madaster op, “de openbare bibliotheek van de materialen.”

In de bouw moet de aannemer verantwoordelijk worden voor het documenteren van alle materialen.

Na het bouwen van het gebouw wordt deze documentatie overgeleverd aan de opdrachtgever, die de documentatie as built invoert in het Madaster.

Dit nieuwe economische systeem kan alleen op gang komen door een verandering in houding. Die verandering komt niet uit de bouwsector zelf: “Het probleem is dat wij als mensen denken dat de manier waarop we het tot nu toe gedaan hebben, de beste manier is”.

Waar moet de verandering dan vandaan komen?

Rau denkt dat die uit de vliegtuigindustrie en auto-industrie moet komen. Zij hebben een logistiek proces georganiseerd waarbij verantwoordelijkheidsafspraken met elkaar gemaakt zijn. Hij legt dit uit aan de hand van een kapotte lamp bij een Audi: “Als je lichten kapot zijn, ga je terug naar Audi. Als zij vervolgens honderden klachten krijgen over een kapotte lamp, kloppen zij op de deur bij Bosch (die verantwoordelijk is voor de lampen), die vervolgens weer bij de volgende partij langskomen”.

Die partij zal door de verantwoordelijkheid zorgen

Afbeelding 5: Schema van Turntoo, “het nieuwe cyclische model”

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voor een optimale kwaliteit. In de nieuwe economie is bouwen daarom ook een logistiek proces, wat ons nog een stap dichter bij de realiteit brengt.

Maar hoelang duurt die verandering nog? Rau stelt dat we nu op het omslagpunt staan. “Iedereen is ‘duurzaam’ en voelt dat er iets moet veranderen, maar niemand wil de eerste zijn die verandert.”

Duurzaamheid heeft volgens hem echter niets te maken met circulariteit en bestaat alleen maar uit het repareren van het systeem. Het staat op een ander bewustzijnsniveau om naar het leven te kijken: waar duurzaamheid gaat over het optimaliseren van het systeem, gaat circulariteit over het faciliteren van verantwoordelijkheid. De creator die daarbij verantwoordelijkheid neemt zal anders nadenken over zijn creaties. “Als je als oorspronkelijke producent weet: als ik shit maak, krijg ik shit terug, ga je het toch anders doen”, licht hij toe.

“Ik begrijp niet dat de studenten niet allang op het Malieveld staan”

En hoe zit het dan met de universiteiten, gaan die een beetje de goede kant op? Rau stelt dat die volstrekt achterlopen omdat zij veel te afhankelijk zijn van het bedrijfsleven. “Als iemand van de universiteit hier

komt zeg ik: ‘Leuk dat je gestudeerd hebt; je kunt alles weer vergeten’”, vertelt hij. Verwoed voegt hij toe dat circulariteit geen hype is, maar een voorwaarde. De mensen die volgens hem les zouden moeten geven, zouden een bedreiging vormen voor de universiteit.

De universiteit maakt de studenten klaar voor wat er is, in plaats van wat er komt, denkt hij. “Ik begrijp niet dat de studenten niet allang op het Malieveld staan. Jullie krijgen niet het beste en ik vind dat jullie daar wel het recht op hebben”. Daarbij haalt hij Material Matters tevoorschijn, een boek geschreven door hem en zijn vrouw Sabine Oberhuber.

“Dit moet absoluut verplichte lectuur worden op de universiteiten!”

Op de vraag wat Thomas Rau in de toekomst nog graag zou willen doen, antwoordt hij dat hij het allerliefst een gevangenis zou willen ontwerpen. “Ik denk dat we mensen door middel van architectuur veel beter kunnen resocialiseren dan hoe we dat nu doen”, zegt hij, “Architectuur kan namelijk ook een therapeutische invloed hebben op mensen”. Hoe hij dat precies voor elkaar wil krijgen, houdt hij nog even geheim.

Of Rau het laat bij architectenbureaus RAU en Turntoo? Wat hem betreft niet; de realiteit moet tot in de details in kaart gebracht worden. “Ik denk dat ik er nog niet ben, dat er nog een 3e stap is. Maar die zal nog wel komen”. //

Afbeelding 4: schema van Turntoo, “het nieuwe cyclische model”

BRONNEN Afvalgids (2020). Milieustraat op Turntoo-basis [Aangepaste afbeeldingen]. www. afvalgids.nl 2 Rau (2020). About. www.rau.eu/thomas-rau/ 1

ISA HEELING

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What is art // architecture?

Fountain, by Marcel Duchamp, 1917

ISA HEELING

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The answer to the question; ‘What makes something art?’ has been an ongoing discussion since the beginning of time, the answer everchanging. According to Plato, art was an imitation of nature. Centuries later, however, artists stopped literally painting and sculpting their surroundings.

The artwork became more abstract, and with that also the meaning and definition of art itself. Nowadays, art is defined by the dictionary as: ‘the use of the imagination to express ideas or feelings, particularly in painting, drawing or sculpture.’ You would think that this means that the artists always really think their pieces through, that there is always a deeper meaning.

If you, however, would take a look at Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, this statement is immediately thrown out of the window. His work almost ridicules the meaning of art of the time and states that something becomes art as soon as it is exhibited in a museum. However, if art is something subjective, a thing which everyone attaches their own value to, a few art critics should not be the ones to decide if a piece should be labelled as art or not.

To see if the same indefinite answer also applies to architecture, maybe we should ask ourselves the similar question; ‘What is architecture.’ While artists work from the real to the abstract, architects work the other way around. According to the dictionary, architecture is defined as: ‘the art and study of designing buildings.’ Yet not every building that has been made can be defined as architecture. Things that define architecture are not only the buildings on their own. It also includes the response the building has on its context, on its use of sustainable elements, on the way the project will be used or on its construction.

For example, some architects would not describe the typical ‘70’s terraced house as architecture. This is because thousands of them have been mass-produced and have been placed all over the world, without taking the building’s individual context to mind, creating the same mood and image in different places.

Every architectural city plan should set a different mood for its habitants and visitors. While some reflect chaos, other reflect an almost military order, and while some are set in straight, strict grids, others roam free. They represent different people, societies, values, and desires from certain points in our history and create a matching living space for everybody.

Why is architecture so important to us as human beings, you may ask. It seems like it is just the place you live in, some sort of box, creating safety for yourself and your belongings. However, it is so much more than that. It is like an expression of the human civilisation and ideals of an era. Architecture is something permanent, something that endures and outlives us. The architecture of our era is something that future generations will remember us by, of which they will base on how we lived and who we were, just like we do now with the architecture from the generations who lived before us.

At the end of the day, the definition of architecture is, just like it is with art, undefined and everchanging. This however, is not necessarily a bad thing. Because of the continuous struggle to comprehend the meaning of architecture, architects tend to stay true to their ideas and concepts, instead of reforming them into something society would think of as ‘correct.’//

SOURCES

All About Architecture. (2018, 31 juli). WHAT IS ARCHITECTURE? Geraadpleegd van https://medium.com/ 2 Herman, J. (2014, 27 juni). 27 Responses to the Question “What is Art?” Geraadpleegd van https://www.mentalfloss.com 3 Marder, L. (2019, 26 juli). Is It Even Possible to Define What Art Is, Exactly? Geraadpleegd van https://www.thoughtco.com 4 Oxford university press. (z.d.). Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries | Find definitions, translations, and grammar explanations at Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. Geraadpleegd van https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ 5 Philosophy Now. (z.d.). What is Art? and/or What is Beauty? | Issue 108. Geraadpleegd van https://philosophynow.org/ 6 Quintal, B. (2019, 12 januari). 121 Definitions of Architecture.

Geraadpleegd van https://www.archdaily.com 7 RAIC. (z.d.). What is Architecture | Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. Geraadpleegd van https://raic.org/raic/what-architecture 1

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Source: Saul Leiter from his book Early Black and White

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Source: Saul Leiter from his book Early Color

41 38

Designers from the future

Michela Turrin

Paul de Ruiter

RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT PHOTOS: BART CLAVER & CATHY FLORIS

It’s two minutes to one and together with my fellow committee member and photographer Bart Claver I’m entering the 3D-printlab at BK-city. My mouth drops as I take a good look around. Half of the room is filled with prototypes, from translucent art objects to perforated organically formed walls, the other half gives space to machines that look like having arrived from the future. Michela Turrin, assistant professor at the faculty and leader of several projects containing computational design, comes over from her desk.

‘Hello, I’m Michela. Paul will be there in a few minutes.

Please take a seat.’

Paul de Ruiter is lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft and head of operations of LAMA (Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing in Architecture). Paul and Michela are both working in the 3D-printlab, next to the section Urbanism. Here they design and research several aspects of 3D-printing and computational design.

Their point of interest is large scale 3D-printing and how to optimize this so that it can compete with conventional building methods. The lab gives them the opportunity to both design and manufacture.

Since 3D-printing and computational design go hand in hand, this happens in a fully integrated process, the manufacturing process reflects on the design process and vice versa. The design process demands a kind of manufacturing technique, but the manufacturing technique also demands a kind of design methodology. It’s a feedback loop.

When did the fascination for this subject start?

Paul: ‘Nothing is more fun than finding a solution for a problem. I always see how technology around me is developing with high speed. At a certain point 3D-printing exploded. This happened when people could buy themselves a 3D-printer. Soon people started asking if 3D-printing could battle with other manufacturing methods. After a lot of research with Michela and my other colleagues I think it’s possible.’

Michela: ‘The thing I really like about 3D-printing is that you can use your creativity in the process of exploring sustainable building methods. We used the opportunity we saw in making free forms to change technical systems into design features like we did with the acoustic wall.’

‘Nothing is more fun than finding a solution for a problem’

Design projects that they’re doing are often with a team of people from different companies with varying skills. This follows the essence of the method; put a maximal amount of knowledge into the design process for a product that’s got it all.

A good example of a project where 3D-printing fulfills a main role is one of the graduate projects ‘Living in a bottle.’ The goal here is to print a tiny house that’s completely made out of PET, a kind of plastic. A mono-material building would be the result. PET is a transparent material, but by applying multiple layers the walls get translucent. This makes the house feel like a tent, there’s plenty of light coming in, but nobody is able to have a clear look through the fabric.

This would be a very sustainable building method, since the required material is nothing more than plastic waste. Expanding is quite easy also. Extra PET is the only requirement to print an additional structure.

By shredding and reprinting it’s even possible to build a whole new building. In this case, the value lays in the material and the printer is the tool that forms this material.

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Why isn’t 3D-printing a part of the contemporary building industry?

Michela: ‘I admit that there are still lots of cons to 3D-printing as a manufacturing method. Besides from the costs, which are still too high, the techniques aren’t sufficient as well. This manifests itself in a low reliability of the final product.’

Paul: ‘Moreover the general process of the building industry is highly fragmented. That makes innovation quite difficult. You have to get all the partners in line to adopt the new technology. And like Michela said; the safety can’t get certified yet. The building industry wants to avoid every possible risk and that’s understandable. When the safety has been optimized and we offer enough advantages and knowledge to the building industry I am convinced that 3D-printing will take over the world. I have no idea how long this is going to take though.

I can imagine this lab feels like a playground to you.

What’s the weirdest thing you have ever 3D-printed?

Paul: ‘I once printed a Mandalorian Star Wars bracelet.

It was made for the son of a friend, he was very happy with it. A few days ago the University Library asked me to print two chess pieces that went missing.

Actually we’re printing a lot of weird stuff.’

Michela: ‘I can’t beat the Star Wars bracelet, but I remember there was a Master student who wanted to print a pure form of wood. He converted this into some kind of paste. It shows the creativity that 3D-printing induces.’

‘I once printed a Mandalorian Star Wars bracelet’

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Paul, besides your work here in the printlab you also give lectures and workshops to students. How do you abstract your knowledge in such a way that the students can understand?

Paul: ‘The best way to explain stuff is to keep it as simple as possible. It’s really easy to make it difficult by using all the terms, but then everyone would be asleep after five minutes. The essentials are actually pretty simple and at the same time the most important. I would also like to mention something else. The 3D-printlab is open for everyone. We’re not a facility like the ‘maquettehal’ where you can just drop by and let them print your model, but if you have a cool idea we’re more than happy to share our knowledge, doesn’t matter if you’re a first year Bachelor or a Master student. Knowledge generation is our primary goal and we’re all nerds, so we love to develop a good or weird idea.’

I thank Paul and Michela for the interview. Beforehand by mail Paul had offered me to print a piece of my OV3-model. We walk to one of the smaller printers and he explains how to insert the right material before starting the print.

‘It probably takes an hour or so. If you come back after one and a half it should be finished.’

I thank Paul once again and walk out of the lab.

‘Knowledge generation is our primary goal’

Full of high expectations I enter the 3D-printlab. I walk to the printer, but there’s nothing to see. It should be finished then, I think.

‘Hey Raf,’ Paul makes his way over from the other side of the lab, ‘something went wrong with the construction paste. I’ll try again tomorrow.’

In his hand I see a broken and deformed piece of my model. The icon of a developing technique. //

SOURCES PHOTO MICHELA - https://www.instagram.com/p/BwgvLPkFciR/ OTHER PHOTOS - Bart Claver and Cathy Floris Design Informatics. (z.d.). Retrieved Decembre 5, 2019, from http:// designinformatics.bk.tudelft.nl/index.php?page=faculty 2 Koslow, T. (2019, 9 november). 2019 Greatest 3D Printed Houses, Buildings & Structures. Retrieved Decembre 1, 2019, from https:// all3dp.com/1/3d-printed-house-homes-buildings-3d-printing-construction/ 3 Staff. (z.d.). Retrieved Decembre 1, 2019, from https://www.tudelft. nl/staff/p.deruiter/ 4 Starr, M. (2015, 19 januari). World’s first 3D-printed apartment building constructed in China. Retrieved Decembre 3, 2019, van https:// www.cnet.com/news/worlds-first-3d-printed-apartment-buildingconstructed-in-china/ 5 Turrin, M. (z.d.). Michela Turrin - Linkedin. Retrieved Decembre 2, 2019, van https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelaturrin/?challengeId=AQHnZbj1KO_sRgAAAW9NpDdMbdynu4HuR3d2rTkH1TRsxNN8_K4g7DkBVNefK6StJDoWuw07lnpDc_9NSN-5ZJB32MY1CPtHiw&submissi onId=beb3cdd6-769a-e415-8a52-af5f56e54d05 1

How would you abstract the craft architecture into one sentence?

Michela: ‘Integrating different perspectives and a lot of expertise to come to a design which shows a social understanding of how to use spaces and delivers an enjoyable experience for the occupants.’

Paul: ‘Creating a well thought of and well-engineered environment where the architect clearly takes his responsibility for the users of the design.’

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&

ARCHITECTUR

“Emotion takes you to another space” “Architecture is a story-telling profession. There is no story without emotion”, Daniel Libeskind said once. In his interview with Out of Sync (2016) he stated that architecture nowadays is not connected with emotion. At the same time, emotion is the soul of architecture to him. But why is this so important to Libeskind?

In the 19th and 20th century there were some new movements in architecture. Suddenly, the emotions of the years before were thrown away and form follows function became the norm. “Architecture was seen as an abstraction without meaning behind it”, Libeskind explains. Many neutralized spaces arose, often only using as few materials as possible.

In the present, still too many neutralized spaces are being built according to Libeskind. One of the reasons behind this could be the emergence of electronical devices. Libeskind admits that they bring loads of advantages: “You couldn’t do anything without a computer if you want to use your time efficiently”.

However, he thinks that drawing is the source of architecture. Drawings are like the score of a piece of music: they set the tone in terms of composition but can be interpreted in different ways. They also convey an atmosphere which is crucial to a story-telling profession.

Image 1: Abstract drawing of Libeskind SOURCES Libeskind, D. (2012, 19 september). Architecture is a language [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEkDosanxGk 2 Libeskind, D. (2016, 17 december). Emotion in Architecture [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j64YQdrE5CU 3 Libeskind, D. (2017, 20 juli). We mustn’t forget the emotional impact of the buildings around us. https://edition.cnn.com/style/ article/daniel-libeskind-architecture-emotions/index.html 1

Pavka, E. (2010, 25 november). Jewish Museum, Berlin. https:// www.archdaily.com/91273/ad-classics-jewish-museum-berlindaniel-libeskind 5 Studio Libeskind (2020). Projects [Afbeeldingen]. https://libeskind. com 4

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LIZ HOOGEVEEN

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RE

Image 2: Jewish Museum in Berlin

So, are there any projects of Libeskind we could point out and see if architecture could be an abstraction of emotion?

One that would come to mind is the Jewish Museum in Berlin. He tells that, before drawing anything, he explored the site and “put himself into the souls of those who were not there”. He tried to feel the emptiness in that moment.

At the same time, he wanted to bring back the Jewish presence to Berlin. To achieve this, he has designed several references to the Jewish culture in this project. One of them is the form of the building, which is an abstracted Jewish Star of David. Furthermore, the zig-zag lines that stand out, come from connecting locations of historical events.

Another project that could be seen as an abstraction of emotion, is the World Trade Centre. When he visited that place in 2001, it was like a ghost town. He wanted to make people move to the neighbourhood again and create personal connections. He also wanted to connect the towers which surrounded the place with each other.

In both projects he tried to translate the history and surroundings to a place where the past would be remembered, but also where a sense of hope would grow.

Image 3: World Trade Centre

Because of the history those places can be seen as sacred.

“But sacred does not preclude celebration”, he says. If people are eating an ice cream or having some fun, that is not in contradiction with the space according to him.

“No matter how sad, how tragic a site might be, how abused by history, architecture has the notion of a future”.

Furthermore, both projects carry loads of symbolism.

To Libeskind, symbolism means that there are emotions involved.

To conclude, emotion and architecture being pulled apart from each other is not a phenomenon only happening in the present. Already in the 19th and 20th century form follows function became the norm. One of the reasons that it’s happening nowadays, could be the emergence of electronical devices. Architect Libeskind states that we should bring emotion and architecture together so we can tell a story.

By his designs of the Jewish Museum and the World Trade Centre he wants to grow a sense of hope and redemption. “To me, that is the emotion of architecture”. //

EMOTION

MEREL HUIZEN

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FEELING STRESSED?

Psychological stress is very common in today’s society.

Especially in universities, students are expected to deliver high quality and have results of higher standards. Long term exposure to this tension or pressure can cause health issues, differing from simple headaches to a burn-out. Therefore, it is beneficial for one to be able to cope with stress or at least notice that one is experiencing it. The first step towards this, is to have some basic knowledge on how stress implements.

What is stress? Why do we experience stress? And does stress affect our behaviour?

First of all, it is important to understand the biology behind stress. Considering humans as animals or organisms, stress is a natural response to the stimulus we call danger. In other words, when we feels endangered by something, we experience stress. This stimulus and its receiver can differ from a prey being chased by a predator to a student having an upcoming deadline. In both cases the psychological response from any organism would be to be stressed.

There are multiple ways for organisms to react to the danger that causes this stress. These behaviours are fighting, fleeing and freezing. To refer back to the previous example, a prey animal who notices that a predator is on its way, can choose to either fight the predator, flee from the predator or freeze and hope the predator won’t attack.

Which of the three reactions an organism subconsciously chooses, pertains to the type of stress they experience and the extent of it. There are mainly two types of stress; positive and negative stress. Positive stress, also called eustress, is the stress that awakens cautiousness and alertness. This helps to concentrate and motivates to work. Eustress is mostly expressed in the reaction fighting.

Although, positive stress may sound harmless, being exposed to positive stress for too long or too much at once could cause eustress transferring into distress, which is appointed negative. Negative stress results in poor focus which makes it more difficult to achieve a goal. It is distress that causes a pressing feeling that mostly provokes fleeing or freezing.

For humans, this provocation of behaviour is no different.

Students for example do the same as the prey animal which was mentioned earlier. When exposed to eustress, students fight stress by working hard on projects or studies. Distress on the other hand, causes them to freeze and procrastinate or even to flee from their responsibility by not showing up at a presentation or an exam.

Did you know? That your brain cannot produce stress hormones while you are eating. Therefore eating is a very common way of avoiding the feeling of stress.

To summarize, stress is an natural response to danger that provokes different types of (human) behaviour. This insight in the working of stress makes recognising stress much easier and can help us to notice it is time for a break. That continuously benefits mental- and physical health as well as the joy of work or studies.// SOURCES

Bakker, E. (2017). Effecten van verschillende copingstijlen op eustress en distress en de algemene gezondheid van studenten (Thesis). Retrieved from https://essay.utwente.nl/72667/1/Bakker_BA_BMS.pdf 2 Geerling, R. (2016, 8 April). Van eustress naar disstres. Retrieved on 22 December 2019, from https://ttisuccessinsights.nl/van-eustressnaar-distress-en-weer-terug/ 3 Gray, J. A. (1987). The Psychology of Fear and Stress (2nd edition).

Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

4 Montero, O. (2010, 27 October). Illustration retrieved from https:// www.flickr.com/photos/osmont/5129078782 1

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Besef van tijd blijkt elastisch. Hoe lang ik nu al bezig ben met het verjagen van kwaadaardige vuurmannen weet ik niet. Met wilde bewegingen van armen en benen verzend ik energiebundels, die de wezens tollend door de lucht doen schieten.

Eentje belandt midden tussen de saladeschalen op de grote buffettafel. De onverstoorbaarheid waarmee mijn oom doorgaat met het volscheppen van zijn bord verbaast mij. Veel tijd om hierbij stil te staan heb ik niet. Vanaf bovenaan de trap komt er alweer een nieuwe groep wezens aangerend. Ik zie nu dat mijn moeder en tante met elkaar staan te praten.

Ze kijken naar me en lachen amicaal. In de ogen van mijn tante zie ik een lichte afkeer. Blijkbaar heeft ze het niet zo op kinderen die de wereld redden.

Opeens staat mijn één jaar oudere neef naast me.

‘Wat doen we?’ vraagt hij.

Ik rol met mijn ogen. ‘Dat zie je toch? Het vuurleger valt aan, we moeten ze verslaan.’

Heel even zie ik onbegrip op zijn gezicht, maar al snel vechten we zij aan zij en maken we het vuurleger koud. De aard van de ons omringende figuren is veranderd, oogt lieflijker. Paradijsvogels vliegen nu door de ruimte en lachend kijken we om ons heen. Dapper schieten de dieren langs de kroonluchter, die rustig op zijn plek blijft hangen.

‘Moet je horen. Ze zingen liedjes en roepen naar elkaar,’ zegt mijn neef.

En inderdaad, de vogels zingen zo hard als ze kunnen. Maar geen onverstaanbare vogelliedjes, nee, uit tientallen fladderende projectielen hoor ik nu de liedjes van juf Anja, over de jungle en aardig doen tegen elkaar. Euforie maakt zich meester van mijn lichaam en vrolijk spring ik mee op de cadans van de muziek. Omhoogkijkend en meezingend laat ik het vuurleger ver achter me. Een verfrommeld schetspapier dat zijn belofte niet heeft waargemaakt.

Met een schok stuit ik op een onbeweegbaar object. Ik val op de grond en samen met mij ook de paradijsvogels. Of vallen ze door de grond? Als ik opkijk zijn ze verdwenen. Het onbeweegbare object draait zich om en opeens kijk ik in de grote ogen van mijn oom. In zijn hand heeft hij een groot bord vol met tonijnsalade en cherrytomaatjes.

‘Och jongen, je liep zomaar tegen me aan. Gaat het?’

Ik knik en krabbel overeind. Geen spoor te bekennen van de vogels die net nog zo prominent aanwezig waren. Mijn oom pakt een bord van de stapel.

‘Hier, zal ik wat voor je opscheppen? Vierjarige jongens moeten goed eten. Daar worden ze groot en sterk van.’

Ik knik weer, maar eigenlijk wil ik mijn hoofd schudden. Alsof ik nog niet groot en sterk ben, hij moest eens weten.

TEKST: RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT ILLUSTRATIES: MELLE HAAK

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Door het getik van regendruppels schrik ik op uit mijn gemijmer. Het boek dat voor mij op tafel ligt, deed onbedoeld dienst als dekmantel voor de verhalen in mijn hoofd. Voorzichtig kijk ik om me heen, heeft iemand me weg zien dromen? Schuin tegenover me zie ik hoe een student van een jaar of twintig met een lachje op het gezicht zijn hoofd de andere kant opdraait.

Ik kom hier de laatste tijd graag. De plek weerspiegelt mijn huidige carrière, maar neemt me vaak mee naar tijden van vroeger, toen het ontwerp voor dit gebouw nog in mijn hoofd zat en ver daarvoor. Toen ik vijftien jaar geleden de opdracht kreeg voor een bibliotheek in het stadscentrum sprong ik een gat in de lucht. Na enkele jaren in loondienst bij een architectenbureau had ik toen net de stap gemaakt en was ik voor mezelf begonnen, een langgekoesterde droom. In het ontwerpproces van mijn eerste echte “eigen” project waren mijn gedachten overal en nergens. Aangezien ik zonder collega’s werkte, moest ik alles tot in de puntjes perfect definiëren. Ik was me bewust van de grote verantwoordelijkheid die ik op het gebied van veiligheid droeg, maar realiseerde me daarnaast dat de verantwoordelijkheid veel meer omvatte dan alleen veiligheid. Werknemers, gebruikers en passanten van de bibliotheek zouden decennialang lezen, rondlopen en om zich heen kijken in mijn hersenspinsel, dat zich door veel schaafwerk ontwikkeld zou hebben tot ontwerp. Mijn gedachten zouden talloze boeken, met bergen kennis, beschermen tegen weer en wind.

Ik sla mijn boek dicht en sta op. Met zorgvuldige stappen laat ik de grote tafel met de lachende student achter mij. Mijn ogen speuren de ruimte af die ik zo goed ken. Waar zou ze zijn? Twee grijze pensionado’s beantwoorden mijn blik, alsof ik naar hen op zoek was.

‘Hallo meneer, weet u misschien waar de toiletten zich hier bevinden?’ vraagt de man.

Ik wijs het stel de weg en loop door. Ergens steekt er iets. Een onbegrepen ontwerp maakt een architect niet gelukkig.

De architect is een egoïst. Waar de politicus zijn mening altijd aanlengt in de hoop iets van zijn gedachtegoed terug te zien in de beleidsvoering, is architectuur een vak van de grote uitspraken. Ondanks de hoge mate van overleg tussen architect, constructeur en aannemer, ligt in elke, vloer, raam of wand de ideologie van de ontwerper besloten. Dit uit zich in gebouwen die zich zowel fysiek als mentaal in de belevingswereld van de gewone mens dringen. Onbeweegbare objecten neerkijkend op het individu. Een sleuteltaak van de architect is het gebruiksvriendelijk maken van zijn gebouw, zonder zichzelf hierbij te verloochenen. Gebruiksvriendelijkheid zit niet alleen in praktische dingen, zoals toiletten die duidelijk te vinden zijn. Een gebouw dat voor de bezoeker aanvoelt als een soort Grote Vriendelijke Reus kan het streven zijn. De bezoeker zich een beter mens laten voelen. Hem groot maken en tegelijkertijd voldoende ruimte geven of bewust heel klein maken en aan het denken zetten. Misschien is gebruiksinteractief een beter woord. Men moet met het gebouw kunnen communiceren. De architect als wingman aan de zijlijn, hij heeft zijn werk gedaan.

Toch voelt het niet alsof ik aan de zijlijn sta. Ik begeef me nu middenin mijn verzonnen realiteit. Overal om mij heen lopen echte mensen, van vlees en bloed, met meningen en gevoelens. Het lukt me om die mensen weg te denken en weer even helemaal alleen door het ontwerp te lopen. Om me heen zie ik hoe eerdere schetsontwerpen zich proberen te manifesteren. Een muur, die zolang vanzelfsprekend leek, verbrokkelt en valt uiteen. Bijna loop ik tegen de glazen balustrade aan die de vloer en vide van elkaar scheidt. De houten trap vervaagt voor mijn ogen. Mijn ogen, zijn ze open of gesloten? Ik weet het niet. Dan zie ik een blond hoofdje tevoorschijn komen achter een boekenrek. Het hoofdje kijkt omhoog en onthult een lachend gezichtje.

‘Papa! Kom eens kijken. Ik zag net twee pratende hondjes in de leeshoek, ze waren heel aardig.’

Met een grote glimlach til ik mijn dochtertje op m’n arm.

‘Echt waar? Dat moet ik zien!’ //

COME ON WOMEN! GUTS! “The star system, which sees the firm as a pyramid with a Designer on top, has little to do with today’s complex relations in architecture and construction. But as sexism defines me as a scribe, typist, and photographer to my husband, so the star system defines our associates as ‘second bananas’ and our staff as pencils”.1

In the essay Sexism and the Star System, Denise Scott Brown addresses her experiences with sexism in the architectural practice. Scott Brown (1931) is an American architect, urbanist, writer and teacher. Together with her husband she founded the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates in Philadelphia. The couple is regarded as among the most influential architects of the 20th century, both in practice and academia. As a female architect working alongside her husband in their firm, Scott Brown has first hand experience of discrimination within the profession. She experienced people’s tendency to assign a firm’s work to a single (male) starchitect. These experiences range from not being referenced for her architectural or literary work to her husband receiving the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1991 for their conjoined work without her mentioning. Scott Brown consequently did not attend the award ceremony in protest.

Scott Brown identifies a type of discrimination that is specific to the field of architecture and a direct side effect of the starchitect system introduced in the 20th century. Developers saw the benefit of signing top names and talents in order to

convince municipalities to approve large developments. To increase an architect’s credibility he (or she, but let’s be honest) had to design iconic and highly visible architecture: a type of architecture that invited media to report heavily on the project and the architect himself. This in turn increased the stardom of the architect creating a perpetual circle of misrepresentation.

Sexism and racism consequently led the media’s focus to be white and male. Architects that fall outside of this category are either consumed by the body of the firm or serve as tokens for committees and events. In the essay, Denise Scott Brown describes the moments in which she wryly greets her fellow token at the table; the singular black man.

One might wonder whether this issue is still relevant today.

Have we outgrown the starchitect system? One quick Google search for MVRDV, one of the largest architectural offices in the Netherlands, conjures up a full portrait and the Wikipedia page of Winny Maas... Not Nathalie de Vries or a combination of all three architects that gave their name to the firm. Scott Brown speculates about the possible interesting effects of the rise of

TAMAR HENQUET

52 female admissions in architectural schools. Although promising, at the time it was still a trend that had yet to meet the cult of personality that occurs at the top. In a recent interview, Ellen Schindler, the tenth partner and first woman at the top of international architecture firm De Zwarte Hond, reflects on the topic of female architects at the top in the run-up to a symposium on Dutch architecture that only invited female architects.

She speculates that it’s just a matter of time until the fact that 50% of the current first year built environment students are women has an impact at the top. However, there is a big leak noticeable along the way: “If you look at the number ... of women at the top of bureaus you wonder where women go after their studies.“2 On a positive note she argues that the phenomena of the male starchitect is fading and that the current generation of architects works in a completely different way, among others due to the humbling effect of the crisis. However, there is still a major role in it for the media. She argues that female architects should be highlighted in a more conscious way. A firm could deliberately tackle this by proposing female designers for interviews or lectures.

EUROPE 39%

Female architects

NL 2019 23%

Female architects In response to the question whether an all female congress is a good idea she hesitates: “Before you know it, you’ll make it a female problem, whilst it’s clearly a societal issue. That’s why we should tackle it more broadly, from society, education and the bureaus.” 2 The conference did spark a conversation and a critical look at her own firm in which the percentages vary depending on location: Keulen (50% female) opposed to Groningen (21% female). Once again, the skewed proportions are most visible at the top. Recently, the firm defined a frame of values and their implementation. Schindler argues that it is essential to set norms on inclusivity - note: not diversity, which looks good on pictures but does not cover the same impact as inclusivity within the structure of the firm.

All interventions aside, the architect makes an unfortunate observation: “When we have a vacancy for a senior function, we have to look for women with a magnifying glass. Where are they?”2 She feels like women have an obligation to stand up for themselves more. Schindler notices that men are more comfortable to ask for a wage or bluff to get the job. She wants to avoid making an exception for women and rather works as a mentor for them in which she tells them: “Come on women!

Guts!” 2

NL 2003 15%

Female architects

T UD 2019 50%

Female architecture students

SOURCES Scott Brown, D. (1931). Sexism and the Star System. In Rendell, J., Penner, B., & Borden, I. (Ed.), Gender Space Architecture: An interdisciplinary introduction (pp. 258-264). London: Routledge.

2 Klerk, M. (2019, December 11). Ellen Schindler over de man-vrouwverhouding in de architectuur: “Soms denk ik: ‘kom op, vrouwen, guts!”.

Retrieved from https://versbeton.nl/2019/12/ellen-schindler-overde-man-vrouwverhouding-in-de-architectuur-soms-denk-ik-komop-vrouwen-guts/ 3 Rosa (n.d.). Denise Scott Brown [photograph]. Retrieved from https://rosavzw.be/site/het-geheugen/portretten-van-inspirerende-vrouwen/wetenschap-en-techniek/833-denise-scott-brownarchitect-en-stedenbouwkundige 4 Beerthuis, F. (2019). Ellen Schindler [photograph]. Retrieved from https://versbeton.nl/2019/12/ellen-schindler-over-de-man-vrouwverhouding-in-de-architectuur-soms-denk-ik-kom-op-vrouwenguts/ 1

T UD 2003 33%

Female architecture students

53

AN ABSTRACT WAY OF EXPERIENCING ARCHITECTURE

Fig.1: The sound is received into the space and informs the receipent.

To experience the absolute silence, John Cage entered into the anechoic chamber. He came out changed: it turned out that the experience of silence is not possible. Cage heard two sounds of different heights (...) generated by his body. The composer was delighted - no music will die while I’m alive.1 Sound is a must for every experience of space, that is why everyone is in constant dialogue with architecture - the human body constantly generates sounds that resound in a specific place, and then come back again thus shaping emotionally rich experiences of being inside architecture. The notion of silence, on the other hand, is usually equated with the conscious or experienced lack of specific sound-signals and a low-frequency background, and not with a physical lack of sounds (which cannot be experienced in nature).

In this context, the silence of architecture can be therefore equated with the death of the city in its semantic meaning city, which remains only in form of a pile of bricks overgrown with tall grass which slowly changes its status and returns to the nature together with its sounds: wind and rain.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the presence of man is the only factor which determines the existence of both silence and sound in architecture, because he is the only one able to give them meaning, receive and generate them.

Silence in architecture can therefore be understood as a strong will of internal meditation, stimulating the imagination to open itself to the attentive process of listening to spaces that contain music in crudo; the latent music waiting to be extracted by those who hear more.2 Martin Heidegger also claims that the practice of silence allows you to tame space, get to know it, identify it, name it, so understand and truly live.3 Architecture

ALEKSANDRA WRĂ“BEL

54 should therefore be a sanctuary of silence, slowness and cultural continuity to defend us against loss of meaning, strengthening our sense of reality and biological and cultural continuity.4 It should sound; be a performance, a place of a spectacle that requires its guest to be fully active - to listen, experience, co-create and experience actively.

AUDIBLE ARCHITECTURE Contemporary architecture tends to be composed and perceived on the basis of mono-sensory views, with almost complete omission of the key role that other senses play in the experience.

This has consequences at both aesthetic and existential levels the rich transmission of architecture as the art of multi-sensory cognition is reduced and flattened, thereby losing its depth and excluding man from its full experience - one can even speak of a kind of blindness that affects contemporary recipients.5 As Juhani Pallasmaa notes: instead of experiencing our being in the world, we are watching it from outside as viewers of images projected onto the retina of our eye.6 Vision is the dominant medium in the perception of architecture, although it creates with the viewer a relationship based on a distance and superficiality, while hearing enhances the feeling of being inside, immersion in it and continuous communication with it.7 Unlike sight, hearing can create with space an intimate dialogue in which man becomes an equal partner in conversation.

Every building and every space has its distinctive sound of intimacy and monumentality, invitation or rejection, hostility or hospitality.8 It is important, therefore, for the sound to be finally heard and included in the creation of the reception of space because the buildings are not a dead and deaf environment with which man must constantly struggle and impose his sounds.

It is necessary to go back in time to understand the attitude of tribal people who with great humility listened to their landscape and let it shape them.

In the same way today, buildings and their interiors, through their composition of geometry, material and chiaroscuro creation, want to speak to people and fill them with an infinite number of impressions.

The above considerations regarding (for a change) conscious perception of architecture through the sound character of its space create the auditory architecture of the place, a phenomenon known since the Paleolithic times, which postulates were collected in the book Spaces speak, are you listening? by a couple of Canadian scientists - Barry Blesser and Linda Ruth-Salter.

The phenomenon of auditory architecture refers to those features of space that can be experienced by hearing - a composition of planes, objects and geometry that in a complex environment create specific acoustics of the place. In its broadest sense, its definition comprise of any sound or acoustic attribute which boundaries simultaneously form and disappear with the development of sound - their only limit is the acoustic

horizon.9 To understand that auditory architecture is an element constantly inherent in the human subconsciousness, just think of translocation of familiar sounds into an unknown environment: moved to an open desert, traffic would no longer have the auditory personality of dense, urban buildings.10 Auditory architecture can also be read in its social sense: the bare marble floors and walls of the office lobby loudly announce the arrival of clients by echoing their footsteps; on the other hand the same room but furnished with thick carpet, padded furniture and heavy draperies will suppress sudden or reflected sounds, thus silencing identical information. Dimensions of the space are in both cases the same but the auditory experience determines whether the entrance to the interior is considered in the context of public or private event.11 By analogy, acoustic design of the space may also shape behaviour and emotions of its users, for example: in a small museum hall, which walls and floor are cladded with stone tiles, the organic shape of a marble sculpture located in the middle will distract all sounds, which consequently will bounce off on and from the walls and get differentiated tones, directions and heights. Such space will be very unclear in terms of auditory perception and thus will generate a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. The interior will create a distant relationship with the observer, imposing on him strict contemplation rather than relaxation, to muted conversations instead of laughter, to leaving instead of staying.

However, if the same room with an identical sculpture receives a textile floor and draperies on the walls, its soundscape will completely change: the sounds reflected from the sculpture will be absorbed by the walls material, thanks to which the interior will fill the background with low tones and create a sense of bliss, peace and domestication.

It will be easier here for a relax or a loose conversation.

SCENARIO OF SENSUAL EXPERIENCING

I like the idea of arranging the internal structures of my buildings in sequences of rooms that guide us, take us places, but also let us go out and seduce us. (...) I give thought to careful and conscious staging of tension between inside and outside, public and intimate, and to thresholds transitions, borders.12 Implementing the same principles into an urban scale, experiencing of the city in an audible way begins with a single step on a surface that by emitting appropriate sounds can intensify the feelings of which we will not be able to realize, but we will feel better and tell that there is an original atmosphere, which will be the result of a specific acoustic climate.13 The sound of the reverberating steps and their reception depends largely on the acoustic landscape of the space - the ratio of width to height of the building, its compactness and the material used for the facade.

The sound of footsteps in the square fades away among the hum of the mass of people; the multitude of auditory stimuli effectively drowns them out and thus does not allow for longer

55 contemplation. Such situation creates a sense of anonymity in the space and also builds a weak emotional relationship with the recipient. A narrow street, on the other hand, has much less traffic, which makes the sounds more readable. The close distance between buildings’ walls creates a resonating well, which amplifies the sound of the person passing by and thus enters into an audio dialogue with him. Consequently, a person starts to feel a desired sense of identity, peace and security.

The auditory experience depends to a large extent on the materials: passing by the glass curtain wall, sound footsteps is completely reflected from it, which makes the perception of the street fragment cool and distant. A few meters further however, when we encounter a stone wall overgrown with ivy, the street is already perceived as cosy and domesticated, although its character considered in the context of the entire length has not changed at all.

My dedication to finding the right size of things is motivated by the desire to create degrees of intimacy, of closeness and distance. I love placing materials, surfaces, and edges, shiny and mat, in the light of the sun, and generating deep solids and gradations of shading and darkness for the magic of light falling on things. Until everything is right.14 The medium of water also plays an important role in acoustic experiencing of an urban space. A fountain, pond or a river produce natural, soothing sounds for the ear and therefore, they attract public attention and create spaces which are characterised by spontaneous and diversified sounds. Unfortunately, the urban soundscape is dominated by overlapping sound plans generated by traffic, which are perceived as tiring and drowning out the unique sound of the city. Negative experience of noise is, however, often associated with the inefficient process of listening: the sounds of the engine, wheels passing on the tracks or traffic lights do not have to be part of one great mass attacking a man, but should be heard again as separate sounds that are part of a larger, multi-layered composition, thanks to which the city’s reception will become less burdensome, and many of the sounds will be categorized as signals that build its auditory characteristics.

NEW THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE

Fig.2. Sensual representation of architectural landscapes.

Based on the postulates of auditory architecture, one can also ask about the possibility of hearing architecture which means experiencing it by means of sound, but not in the form of a sound installation (which usually has a didactic function of the city’s unusual or forgotten sounds) but by analogy to visual perception. Given the fact that sound information is stronger than visual (due to the uninterrupted listening process), one can hypothesize that audible information of architecture brings more complete information than its image. Is Jan Sebastian Bach’s music and the touch of the profiled detail of the portal able to convey a deeper experience of the reception of the baroque church facade than its photograph?

The question about the architectural perception of architecture also refers to the example of the blind who, relying mainly on the sense of hearing, would then be able to hear the difference

56 in the street between a one-storey house, a four-storey brick building or a ten-storey glass tower. It will be probably easier to hear the difference between a tall glass facade and a low stone wall, but will the difference be also heard when the percentage of windows on the plastered facade will change?

If so, is it possible to assume that one can hear the sound of a given street fragment composed of specific buildings arranged in a fixed sequence?

Juhani Pallasmaa believes that each city has its own echo, which depends on the layout and scale of its streets and the dominant architectural style and materials used15 but can this theory be translated into a specific sound which consequently create a melodic line of a given street, district, city?

G. Follmer in his book The sound of the City states that cities nowadays - very different (...) are at risk that they will all sound the same.16 Indeed, the progressive sound globalization of cities can become a huge problem, because it is associated with the gradual blurring of the individual sound characteristics of each of them - a loss of acoustic identity.

The postulates of auditory architecture aim at broadening the perspective of multi-sensory experience of space by sensitizing the recipient to its constituent elements and thus building a strong emotional bond that stimulates his imagination and sensitivity. Architecture perceived in this way has a chance to become a spectacle with a variety of material, colour, sound and light stimuli, so that its experience will refer to the deepest memories in form of taste, smell, texture, sound and not only a specific image. Contemporary architecture has more than ever become just a visual forgetting that in contrast to sight, hearing enhances the feeling of being inside architecture, immersion in it and results in communication.17 Being stripped of all the multi-sensory dignity that architecture offers, it damages sensitivity and the aesthetic feelings of the observer. It should be remembered that space is not only evaluated by means of sounds, but above all by the action of imagination, because in itself it has no meaning until it is given to it by a man.//

Fig.3 Representation of architecture received through the sound.

SOURCES Larson, K. (2000). Louis Kahn: Unbuilt Masterworks. New York, The Monacelli Press.

2 Czaja, D. (2012). Szmery, szepty i krzyki. Muzyka wenecka. In: R. Losiak, R. Tańczuk, Audiosfera Miasta, (p.62). Wrocław, Poland: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego.

3 Janiak, A. (2007). Zdesakralizowane świątynie ciszy – kościół, cmentarz, muzeum, biblioteka. In A. Janiak, W. Krzemińska, A. Wojtasik – Tokarz, Przestrzenie wizualne i akustyczne człowieka.

Antropologia audiowizualna jako przedmiot I metoda badań, (p.248).

Wrocław, Poland: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskiej Szkoły Wyższej Edukacji TWP. 4 Pallasmaa, J. (2010). Architektura w słowach. In J. Kusiak, B. Świątkowska (Eds.), Miasto – Zdrój, Architektura i programowanie zmysłów (p.66). Warszawa, Poland: Fundacja Nowej Kultury Bęc Zmiana.

5 Pallasmaa, J. (2012). Oczy skóry. Architektura i zmysły (p.63). Kraków, Poland: Instytut Architektury.

6 Ibid, p.39.

7 Kłopotowska, A. (2015). Akustyczne obrazy przestrzeni miejskiej.

Słuch jako narzędzie emocjonalnego odbioru przestrzeni u osób z dysfunkcją widzenia. In: A. Kłopotowska (Eds.) Dźwięki Architektury (p.194). Białystok, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Białostockiej.

8 Pallasmaa, J. (2012). Oczy skóry. Architektura i zmysły (p.62). Kraków, Poland: Instytut Architektury.

9 Leither, B. (2010). Sound architecture – space created through travelling sound. In S. Voegelin, Listening to Noise and Silence: Towards a Philosophy of Sound Art (p.38). NY: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. 10 Blesser, B., Ruth-Salter, L. (2016). Spaces speak are you listening? (p.2) MIT Press, Massachusetts.

11 Ibid., (p.3).

12 Zumthor, P. (2010), Thinking architecture (p.86), Basel : Birkhäuser.

13 Siestrzewitowska, M. J. (2015 ). Słuchanie miasta. Dźwięk jako element tożsamości przestrzennej. In: A. Kłopotowska (Eds.), Dźwięki Architektury (p.127). Białystok, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Białostockiej.

14 Zumthor, P. (2010), Thinking architecture (p.87), Basel : Birkhäuser.

15 Bernat, S. (2015) Rewitalizacja akustyczna krajobrazu. In: A. Kłopotowska (Eds.), Dźwięki Architektury (p.161). Białystok, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Białostockiej.

16 Follmer, G. The Sound of the City. Retrived from http://www. goethe.de/kue/arc/dos/dos/sls/sku/en1515752.html 17 Kłopotowska, A. (2015). Akustyczne obrazy przestrzeni miejskiej.

Słuch jako narzędzie emocjonalnego odbioru przestrzeni u osób z dysfunkcją widzenia. In: A. Kłopotowska (Eds.) Dźwięki Architektury (p.194). Białystok, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Białostockiej.

1

MEREL HUIZEN

57

#GET INSPIRED #TO READ

#TO WATCH

#TO TRAVEL

LONDON IS A FOREST Paul Wood (2019l)

THE IRONY OF FATE Eldar Ryazanov (1976)

COÏMBRA Portugal

Paul Wood is an artist and writer with an enormous passion for nature, specifically the urban nature of his hometown London.

In The irony of fate Russian film director and screenwriter Eldar Ryazanov uses comedy to portray the repetitional element of Soviet urbanism.

Don’t know where to travel? The beautiful city of Coïmbra might be the place to go!

In his book London is a forest he defines the word forest and relates this to London’s urban environment.

Using six different forest trails, Wood takes you on a journey through the green structures of the city and hereby explains about its history, plants and animals. More importantly, he discusses the different types of habitats and he highlights some mentionable individual trees.

The movie tells the story of Zhenya Lukashin who on a drunken New Year’s Eve accidentally takes a plane from his hometown Moscow to Leningrad. There he, still drunk and unconscious of the fact that he is in a different city, breaks in to a woman’s apartment. Due to the identical design of the urban planning and the ‘copy and pasted’ neighbourhoods, Zhenya is convinced he is still in Moscow and that the apartment is his. After just a while he realises he is wrong and that his night took a very unexpected turn.

Being one of the Europe’s oldest cities, Coïmbra offers a hand full of authentic architecture originating from roman times. The city is quite small which makes it a calm and peaceful place to be. Interesting places to visit are the Santa Cruz Monastery and the impressive Bibliotheca Joanina. Also recommended is a picknick in the breathtaking botanical gardens and of course a walk to the south side of the Mondego river where you have the best view over the city.

Bookcover of ‘London id a Forest’

Disc cover of ‘The Irony of Fate’

Faculty of Law, Coïmbra, Portugal Photo by Dagmar Korpel

Architecture in 5 seconds

RAF VAN OOSTERHOUT

58

In their book Film in 5 seconds Matteo Civaschi and Gianmarco Milesi compress the storylines of over 150 films into a few pictograms, challenging their readers to guess the titles in 5 seconds.

Architecture is a whole other field of work than film, but at the same time it’s got a lot in common. Telling a story plays an important role in both disciplines. Below you can find abstractions of one design statement and three shaping processes of buildings. Do you know which buildings are depicted?

The answers can be found on the next page. //

Statement?

=

+

+

Building?

+

+ + + +

+

+

+

=

+ =

+ Created by Chanut is Industries from the Noun Project

=

+ +

+

=

=

Building?

Created by Masrur Mahmood from the Noun Project

Created by Marie Van den Broeck Created by Fahmihorizon Created by b farias Created by Masrur Mahmood from the Noun Project from the Noun Project from theden Noun Project Created by Marie Van Broeck from the Noun Project from the Noun Project

Created by Masrur Mahmood from the Noun Project

Created by Masrur Mahmood from the Noun Project

Building?

Building?

Created by Marie Van den Broeck from the Noun Project

Created by Sitara Shah from the Noun Project Created

by Fahmihorizon from the Noun Project

Created by b farias from the Noun Project

Created by Fahmihorizon from the Noun Project

Created by Marie Van den Broeck from the Noun Project Created by Marie Van den Broeck from the Noun Project

De Rotterdam

Created by Sitara Shah from the Noun Project

Created by b farias from the Noun Project

Created by Fahmihorizon from the Noun Project Created by Fahmihorizon from the Noun Project

Created by Sitara Shah from the Noun Project

Created by b farias from the Noun Project

Created by Sitara Shah from the Noun Project

Created by b farias from the Noun Project

Created by Sitara Shah from the Noun Project

59

SOURCES PICTOGRAMS - https://thenounproject.com/

Architecture in 5 seconds Answers

PHOTOS: - https://www.peri.sg/projects/skyscrapers-and-towers/marina-bay-sands.html - https://www.archdaily.com/451377/de-rotterdam-oma - https://www.worldfortravel.com/the-artscience-museum-singapore/

WHAT: Quote WHO: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe WHEN: 1947

WHAT: Marina Bay Sands WHO: Moshe Safdie WHEN: 2010 WHERE: Singapore WHAT: De Rotterdam WHO: OMA WHEN: 2013 WHERE: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

WHAT: ArtScience Museum WHO: Moshe Safdie WHEN: 2011 WHERE: Singapore

‘Less is more’

60

HUMANS OF BK CITY BK City, a place full of fond memories. We asked some of the staff what they wanted to become as a child, and how they ended up at BK City.

Frank, workplace employee Well, as a child you always want to become a fire fighter, or a garbage man. Those are the kind of things you’d look forward to... but eventually you choose a direction in which to develop through school, friends or people around you.

I decided to work with wood at the LTS [red: a former Dutch technical education]. From there on I trained to become a cabinet-maker in Rotterdam. After my specialisation, I ended up in several companies in which I’ve worked as a cabinetmaker, built door and window frames, and eventually even worked on yachts, but that was a bit too fussy for me...

Then I ended up here where I’ve been working for 4 years now. It’s been quite a journey but I’m really enjoying the work I do here. And if they’d have me, I’ll stick around for a while.

Nick, @-HOK employee I always wanted to become an F16-pilot, a fighter pilot. But I didn’t get through the selection process; I was rejected because of my left leg and my coordination. So then I just went to the TU, to study Bouwkunde. I could have done the selection process one more time, but because it all went so well here, I didn’t think switching was necessary anymore. Also, I only realised later on that killing people would also be part of the job. I would have just had to follow commands, and if one of those said to drop a bomb, I would have had to do it. That is when I found out that I was perfectly content being here, at Bouwkunde. After my bachelor, I studied abroad for one and a half years, and now I’m studying in Delft again, following the master Architecture, while in the meantime I work here, together with some other people like Mani (right on the picture)//.