Rotterdam Design Talent
31 October 2017 09:00 - 19 November 2017 17:00
This pop-in expo shows the graduation projects of the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design which are nominated for the graduation prize De Meester (The Master). The three very different project by Maarten de Haas, Jurgen ten Hoeve and Ben Wegdam show in highly personal ways how young architects and urban designers regard their profession.
Each year the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design invites an external jury to select nominees for the graduation prize, De Meester (The Master). This prize was launched in 2015 by the Fleur Groenendijk Foundation with the aim of supporting young architects and urban designers and providing them with a podium. The emphasis is on the social significance of architecture and urban planning.
The nominated projects are New Energy Twente by Ben Wegdam, In Imitation of the Foregoing by Maarten de Haas and City Cloister Rotterdam by Jurgen ten Hoeve.
In Imitation of the Foregoing - Maarten de Haas
Maarten de Haas has designed a data centre with warden's residence in the centre of Rotterdam. The extensive brief has resulted in a very large volume, whose form seems to derive from several location-specific, largely technocratic conditions: the size of the site, the maximum building height etc. But it soon becomes apparent that this analysis is insufficient. The plans and sections are decorated with a collection of poetic models an scenes from every day life that stimulate the imagination
City Cloister Rotterdam - Jurgen ten Hoeve
The project is rooted in the belief that there is too little space for rest and contemplation in today's cities. The resulting design is a network of contemplative spaces superimposed over the existing urban network, a shadow city where residents and visitors can withdraw from the hectic pace of the city, cleverly woven into the urban context.
New Energy Twente - Ben Wegdam
Ben Wegdam's design starts from the hypothesis that a complete transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy in the Netherlands is both necessary and viable. He says it can be achieved through the maximum reduction of energy use in combination with the employment of every conceivable form of renewable energy. The spatial 'distribution' of these energy sources should be based on and make use of the existing natural, urban and other (spatial) qualities.
More information about the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design and the Fleur Groenendijk Foundation.