Day 5 – Architecture Evolving 3-14-2023

We cycled North to West today and joined ExArchitect in Delfthaven, one of the few rare examples of pre-bombed Rotterdam neighborhoods. Makerdam is a hub for innovation, learning, and an incubator established by Elina Karanastasi who had a long-term grand concept of how local entrepreneurship can positively impact neglected neighborhoods. Makerdam is located at the edge of the Bospolder/Tussendijken (BoTu), a deprived area of town that we will get back to later with greater detail.

Elina was a great inspiration to the group. She described her role as an architect and landlord and how she was able to bring it all together. In 2017, Elina opened a digital fabrication lab. While fabrication is not her core business, the lab became a haven for many start-up companies whose main focus is to design, create, and produce prototypes and commercial objects. She is an architect specializing in custom-made houses. She conceives, budgets, and builds her projects. The students were fascinated with her story: from Greece to the Netherlands passing through Belgium, Elina was able to create her “home-design” niche and maintain a sustainable and creative office to date.  She offered lunch to the group making the tight-scheduled transfer to Supersue Studios easier.

Superuse Studios is a special place. It is a one-of-a-kind office that celebrates everything that has been built. The idea behind their work is to design the world using what has already been produced, essentially easing the impact on landfills and incinerators. Circular economy (how to design using what has already been produced and for which energy has already been used) is their business model. I am confident the students never imagined that the world could be shaped so graciously and generously without compromising on the design. Superuse Studios’ work is crafted and well-designed and harmoniously captures the spirit of space, material, and program. 

When asking Wes(sel) Geysels, Architectural Designer at the firm, about his experience with the office, he openly shared that each project is a challenge that they are ready to embrace to minimize the ecological footprint and the carbon emissions during construction without ever compromising on their client’s needs nor final overall aesthetic of the architecture. I sense that many students will apply for jobs at Superuse Studios, conscious of the fact that our profession has no other way to go if we wish to keep building and shaping our environment.

After our minds expanded with such innovation and cleverness, we took a pause… We came back together at the end of the afternoon to visit the Independent School for the City! Founded in 2018, the Independent School for the City is a post-graduate educational platform. The non-accredited school is an initiative of Crimson Historians and Urbanists and ZUS (Zones Urbaines Sensibles) and it revolves around urban tales. Rotterdam is the focus of the school’s studies while they hunt for common denominators around the world. The pedagogy addresses the practical application of a critical and activist approach while looking through the historical lens of a place.  

As we enjoyed the conversation with Michelle Provoost and Wouter Vanstiphout, they introduced the concept of “Designing the action!” --- something the students were not familiar with. It was an important conversation about participatory and democratic urbanism that led to more complex concepts on super-diversity (when the urban minority becomes the majority), the right to the city (inclusive planning), the decline of anthropocentric (human-centered) design, and post-growth (what happens to the city in an era where economic growth is not happening).

On that same Thursday evening, the School presented a lecture at 7:00 p.m. and I am sure some students went back to attend it and to continue this exciting conversation about the city!

Day 1 – UNStudio Visit

Day 2 – Black Heritage Tour

Day 3 – Amsterdam Walking Tour

Day 4 – Delft-Rotterdam – Back Down Memory Lane

Day 6 – Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen

Day 7 – Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Day 8 – Time to Say Goodbye