Wiel Arets chairs the jury of the 2013 Mies van der Rohe Award

Harpa, the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Center in Iceland, is the winner of the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. Wiel Arets, as Chair of the Jury, states of the project: 'Harpa has captured the myth of a nation – Iceland – that has consciously acted in favor of a hybrid-cultural building during the middle of the ongoing Great Recession. The iconic and transparent porous 'quasi brick' appears as an ever-changing play of colored light, promoting a dialogue between the city of Reykjavik and the building's interior life. By giving an identity to a society long known for its sagas, through an interdisciplinary collaboration between Henning Larsen Architects and artist Olafur Eliasson, this project is an important message to the world and to the Icelandic people, fulfilling their long expected dream.'

WAA awarded the 2013 'AIT Innovation Award for Architecture and Technology'

The Allianz Headquarters, an under construction office building in Zürich, Switzerland, was recently awarded the 2013 ‘AIT Innovation Award for Architecture & Technology’ for its interior heating and cooling ceiling panels, which feature concrete core activation and concealed air ventilation. Designed specifically for the new Allianz Headquarters, the paneled ceiling system houses the technical specifications a modern office building demands, and measures 1.35 x 1.35 m, reducing the amount of hanging points while simultaneously introducing a larger scale to the interior office spaces. Composed of steel sheets that have been ‘crumpled’ for added stability, the panels resist central…

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The Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture publish NOWNESS

NOWNESS is the first publication of the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture under the direction of Wiel Arets, published to coincide with the investiture of Arets as the college's newest Dean. Presenting the curriculum and ambitions for the 2013-2014 academic year, NOWNESS also introduces readers and prospective students to the college's history and legacy, the latter inherited from Mies van der Rohe – the college's original director in the early twentieth century. Including interviews, conversations, and commentary by Ken Frampton, Stanley Tigerman, and Robert McCarter, with imagery by Erwin Olaf, Bas Princen, and Thomas Ruff – among others – the publication formalizes the…

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WAA book presentation at Graham Foundation in Chicago on April 26th

The Graham Foundation of Chicago will host a presentation and signing of Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References, a new book edited by Robert McCarter and designed by Irma Boom exploring the notion of 'A Wonderful World'. The evening will begin with a discussion and debate between Arets and McCarter, introducing the book's origins as well as the work of Wiel Arets Architects, after which signed copies of the publication will be available for purchase.

The Graham Foundation

Madlener House
4 West Burton Place
Chicago, Illinois 60610
United States of America

April 26th, 2013 18:30

RSVP at the Graham Foundation

The Hoge Raad der Nederlanden is published in MARK

The Hoge Raad der Nederlanden, a finalist entry for the new Supreme Court of the Netherlands, is currently featured in the April/May 2013 issue of the Dutch publication MARK.

WAA progress construction on the Allianz Headquarters in Zürich

The Allianz Headquarters is an office complex linked and interlocked by a series of bridges and voids. Once completed, the Allianz Headquarters will be composed of a high-rise tower and a five story building, both with a program of mainly office space, set within an urban plan based on a modified block structure. The two buildings will be connected by a series of bridges, enabling work, gastronomic, and leisure spaces to fluidly interact. Upon entering the lobby of the complex, a monumental sculptural staircase will rise 72 meters – the entire height of the building – essentially creating an accessible atrium that visually and intuitively routes users.

Read more about Allianz Headquarters

Making Metropolis: March 13th, 2013

On March 13th, 2013 the Illinois Institute of Technology will celebrate Mies van der Rohe's 127th birthday, his influence on Chicago, and the investiture of Wiel Arets. Seventy-five years ago, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe arrived in the United States to lead IIT's College of Architecture and profoundly influence the world’s taste and built environment. Today, the college begins another era of influence as it celebrates the investiture of Wiel Arets, Rowe Family College of Architecture Dean Endowed Chair. 

S. R. Crown Hall 
3360 South State Street 
Chicago, Illinois
United States of America

Advance tickets are required ($50), and entry is complimentary for College of Architecture…

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Wiel Arets to lecture at 'Wohnbaufestwochen 2013' in Vienna

On March 5th, 2013 Wiel Arets will be the keynote speaker at the City of Vienna's municipal housing festival and symposium 'Wohnbaufestwochen 2013'. The conference is hosted biennially by the city, and is a forum for dialogue between architects, planners, scientists, researchers, and politicians on various municipal housing topics. Wiel Arets will lecture on the state of high-rise apartment towers in the Netherlands, focussing on the Amsterdam housing project 'Four Towers Osdorp'.

Architekturzentrum Wien
Museumsplatz 1 
1070 Wien, Austria 

March 5th, 2013 15:45

Read more about Four Towers Osdorp

'A Daily Dose of Architecture' reviews 'Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References'

'As the title makes clear, the book is as much an autobiography as a monograph… In addition to the interviews, lectures, debates, and other content from a spring 2010 studio Arets taught with Professor Robert McCarter at Washington University, the book includes a handful of project portfolios and some short project descriptions of many buildings designed by Arets… Irma Boom instills a logic to the loads of writing and photos through a design that is actually pretty simple. But the experience of holding and flipping through the book is enriched by the design, and Arets' words are like layers of meaning within the regular structure.'

Read the full review

Wiel Arets to lecture at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna

On March 4th, 2013 at 19:00 Wiel Arets will publicly lecture at the at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna – in collaboration with Studio Hani Rashid – discussing recent works of WAA, his appointment as Dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, and 'Rethinking Metropolis'. The event is part of the Institute of Architecture Silver Lecture Series.

University of Applied Arts
Oskar Kokoschka-Platz 2
1010 Vienna, Austria

March 4th, 2013 19:00

WAA awarded the 2012 Best Dutch Book Design Award for 'Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References'

Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References (Birkhäuser, 2012) explores the topic of 'A Wonderful World' – a theory brought forth by Wiel Arets – stating that the the world will become one metropolis, with individual cities functioning as neighborhoods, each with their own regional identity, and each comparable to stops on a subway map. Designed by Irma Boom and edited by Robert McCarter, the book totals 536 pages and is organized with a colored-coded tab system, ensuring intuitive understanding of its complex compilation and content.

Read the full list of award recipients

Wiel Arets reflects on the Japanese Pavilion of 2012 Venice Biennale

'The Japanese Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Biennale raised the topic of architecture going beyond only the production of building. Architecture’s task, in this case, was to come up with a strategy for the redevelopment of areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The pavilion examined how Japanese architects closely worked with their local governments to develop a new strategy for rebuilding areas of the country affected by the tsunami. The impact of the architects involved presented to the world the social value of our discipline, making us further aware of our conscious collective, while highlighting the respect between…

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Wiel Arets to lecture at Unity Temple in Chicago

On March 11th, 2013 at 19:00 Wiel Arets will lecture at Unity Temple in Chicago, discussing recent works of WAA, his appointment as Dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, and 'A Wonderful World', his optimistic outlook towards the future our of continuously 'shrinking' world. Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References explores the topic of 'A Wonderful World', and is the latest publication by Wiel Arets, made in collaboration with editor Robert McCarter and graphic designer Irma Boom, and copies will be available for purchase at the event.

Unity Temple
875 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL 60301
United States of America

March 11th, 2013 19:00

RSVP at Unity Temple Restoration Fund

Wiel Arets named Chair of Jury for the 2013 Mies van der Rohe Award

The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, also known as the Mies van der Rohe Award, highlights the contributions of architects to the development of new ideas and technologies in contemporary European urban development. Initiated in 1987 and presented biannually, it is the most prestigious award in European architecture. Wiel Arets, as Chair of the Jury, recently convened in Barcelona to select this year's award finalists, and the full list of nominees was announced on January 31st, 2013.

WAA progress construction on Schwäbischer Verlag in Ravensburg

The building houses the new headquarters of a company active in many facets of the media, utilizing the notion of 'villas' within the project.  A transparent glazed outer membrane wraps interior and exterior spaces, imparting a singular identity to the project as well as allowing the individual 'villas' to be distinguished. The large structure will be perceived as both several individual buildings, sharing a common enclosing skin, and one continuous diaphanous urban enclosure. For those working in the building, the smaller areas of each working unit allow a sense of place and comfort, giving a domestic character to the experience of inhabitation.

Read more about Schwäbischer Verlag

The H' House is published in Arquitectura y Diseño

The January 2013 issue of the Spanish publication Arquitectura y Diseño includes a 16 page spread featuring the the H' House, located in Maastricht.

Read more about the H' House

WAA awarded 3rd in competition design for Dutch Supreme Court

The Hoge Raad der Nederlanden, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, is situated in The Hague, and appears restrained and transparent, projecting a sense of timelessness suitable to its neutral role separate from the country's politics. Two courtrooms form the core of the project, both composed of natural stone, and around which public space is laced on the ground floor. These courtrooms are affixed with vertical voids in the form of pyramids, while a third cone, composed of glass, creates an internal skylight.

An interview with Wiel Arets is published in 'The Architect's Newspaper'

The Architect's Newspaper has recently published an interview with Wiel Arets addressing the legacy of Mies van der Rohe at IIT, Chicago's architectural heritage, and the meaning of 'rough premium'. Arets explains: 'I’m interested in rough reading, rereading. Because there is no straight, smooth way from A to Z. I would say the better ideas develop along the rough way. That’s why I think resistance is extremely important for an architect, and architecture schools. In certain ways I’m interested in stress, forces–when there is wind out, there is something you have to fight against. Roughness creates questions. For me, that’s very important for students...'

Read the full interview

Tower Center is published in MARK

Tower Center, a housing and adaptive reuse competition entry, is currently featured in the December 2012/January 2013 issue of the Dutch publication MARK.

WAA book presentation at AEDES in Berlin on December 14th

Wiel Arets: Inspiration and Process in Architecture (Moleskine, 2012) is a new book exploring the relationships between the sources of inspiration that influence the work of Wiel Arets. Frozen thoughts, exaggerated perspectives, snapshots, and diagrammatic sketches fill the book's pages. The Aedes Network Campus Berlin (ANCB) is a 'Metropolitan Laboratory' and will host the first presentation of this book, including a moderated conversation between architects Wiel Arets, Peter Wilson, and Cino Zucchi – all of whom are featured subjects in this series' latest release.

ANCB The Metropolitan Laboratory

December 14th, 2012 18:00
Christinenstraße 18
Berlin, Germany

Purchase the book at Amazon

WAA reach highest point of construction on the AvB Tower in The Hague

The Anne van Bueren Square serves as the lobby for AvB Tower, where a hybrid programming of shops, lobby, restaurant, offices, lecture hall, and library – where the academic dweller finds a communicative atmosphere – when fluidly linked, can be seen as an extension of the 'commuter-leisure' concept currently emerging in the world's major metropolises. The first five floors provide space for this hybrid programming, while above, 400 spacious 'guest-rooms’ will function as student studios with floor-to-ceiling sliding yellow-tinted glass panels, thus providing views to the square, the skyline of The Hague, and the North Sea beyond.

Read more about the AvB Tower

WAA participate in competition to design Dutch Supreme Court

WAA together with the Brink Groep and Hillen & Roosen were the initiators of the 'Hageraad' consortium, participating in the PPP competition for the 'Hoge Raad der Nederlanden' – the Dutch Supreme Court – located in The Hague. The project encompassed the design, build, finance, maintain, and operate (DBFMO) contract for this governmental building, and all parties of the consortium were equally involved throughout the project's year and a half duration. By creating such a construct of companies, WAA has continued to build and expand upon its extensive experience in cross-discipline collaboration, and more specifically the collaboration that occurs in both PPP and DBFMO projects. WAA congratulates the Poort van Den Haag consortium with their winning proposal for the 'Hoge Raad der Nederlanden'.

WAA publish 'Wiel Arets: Inspiration and Process in Architecture'

Moleskine has recently published Wiel Arets: Inspiration and Process in Architecture. The book opens with an essay by Kenneth Frampton, which highlights the evolution of the studio's work over the last 25 years, while previously unpublished hand sketches and colored pencil perspectives from the late 1980s and early 1990s fill the pages. An extensive interview with Arets concludes the book, unraveling his words, works, and working methods. Moleskin states: 'Exacting, oversized perspective views are alternated with schematic diagrams, fixing nascent ideas onto paper. These materials reveal an attitude and approach to design which are more concerned with content than with form.'

Purchase the book at Amazon

WAA complete the B' Tower in Rotterdam

Located in the center of Rotterdam, immediately adjacent to the Bijenkorf department store by Marcel Breuer, the tower comprises a hybrid of urban programs disposed in three volumes of similar height but varying width. The volume that meets the ground, which rises to the height of the Bijenkorf store, houses a fashion store and parking garage, while the two upper volumes that rise above the department store contain apartments. The entry to the fashion store opens to the pedestrian precinct next to the department store, and the apartments are accessed from the side road. The two residential volumes are shifted…

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WAA book presentation at 'Do you read me?' in Berlin on November 13th

Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References (Birkhaüser, 2012) is a new book edited by Robert McCarter and designed by Irma Boom. 'do you read me?!', the renowned Berlin bookshop, will host the first presentation and signing of the publication in their 'Reading Room' located in Berlin-Tiergarten. The evening will begin with a discussion on the topic of 'A Wonderful World', Arets' optimistic outlook towards the future our of continuously 'shrinking' world, followed by a book signing session with Wiel Arets.

do you read me?! 'Reading Room'

November 13th, 2012 19:00
Potsdamer Straße 98
Berlin, Germany

Purchase the book at Birkhäuser

WAA progress construction on Campus Hoogvliet in Rotterdam

Campus Hoogvliet is a new educational and cultural area located on the southern edge of Rotterdam composed of six buildings encompassing two vocational schools, an art studio, sports building, lyceum, restaurant, retail, and housing facilities. Each building has an outdoor patio linking the campus’ public space with each building’s private interior. Each of these patios is enclosed by a translucent glass ‘fence’ equal in height to the façades of the ground floor, and each fence contains a ‘gate’ allowing access to the patio from the main public space. A number of mature green areas surrounding the site have been incorporated into the landscaping, while in contrast each patio will be planted with red Japanese Maple trees.

Read more about Campus Hoogvliet

An article on Wiel Arets is published in 'Dezeen'

Dezeen, one of the world's most influential architecture and design blogs, has recently published an article spotlighting the curriculum changes Dean Wiel Arets intends to introduce to IIT's College of Architecture in Chicago. States Dezeen: 'Dutch architect Wiel Arets has set out his vision for the school, rejecting fashionable form-making in favor of greater concern for the public realm.' Arets added: 'What we saw during the boom was that people first made a shape and then said, "What can we do with it?" That worries me. There should always be a relationship between form, concept, programmatic forces, and sustainability. Form should not be autonomous. It should not be a fashionable thing.'

Read the full article at Dezeen

La Biennale di Venezia publishes the 2012 Awards Ceremony

The 2012 Venice Biennale currently hosts the 13th International Architecture Exhibtion – 'Common Ground' – lasting until November 15, 2012. As 'President of the International Jury', Wiel Arets oversaw the judging of the event's awards before its opening to the public, with the 'Golden Lion for Best National Participation' awarded to the Japanese Pavilion, curated by Toyo Ito and entitled 'Home-for-all'. Wiel Arets discussed his thoughts on the festivities, why the 'Torre David/Grand Horizonte' installation received the 'Golden Lion for the Best Project', and the ways in which architects might further promote cross-discipline collaboration.

Watch the full awards ceremony

Wiel Arets appointed Dean of the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Provost Alan Cramb announced today the appointment of Wiel Arets as the new Dean of the IIT College of Architecture. Arets is known for his academic progressive research and hybrid design solutions. He is currently the Professor of Building Planning and Design at the Berlin University of the Arts, and the work of his architecture and design practice has been nominated for the EU's celebrated ‘Mies van der Rohe Award’ on numerous occasions. 

Arets, who was Dean of the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam from 1995-2002, will join IIT this fall and will lead an academic program…

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The Hedge House becomes the 'Bonnefanten Hedge House Foundation'

The Hedge House, located on the grounds of Castle Wijlre in Limburg, the Netherlands, has been entrusted to the management of the Bonnefanten Museum, located in nearby Maastricht. The castle, its gardens, and the Hedge House will all become part of an independent organization, the 'Bonnefanten Hedge House Foundation', working in close collaboration with the Bonnefanten Museum, who is responsible for its exhibition program content. 

Read more about the Hedge House

An article on Wiel Arets is published in 'Crain's Chicago Business'

Crain's Chicago Business, a leading business publication in the 'Windy City', has published an extensive article on Wiel Arets highlighting his recent appointment as the Dean of IIT's College of Architecture and the challenges he faces in 'coming to terms with the ghost of Mies van der Rohe'. States the article's author, Robert Sharoff: 'Mr. Arets, who is Dutch, is the first non-American to hold the position since Mies. He is a hyper-articulate, 57-year-old polymath with a wide-ranging academic résumé that includes stints as Dean of the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam as well as teaching positions at Columbia University and Cooper Union.'

Read the article at ChicagoBusiness.com

An extensive interview with Wiel Arets is published in 'Architect'

Architect, the official magazine of the American Institute of Architects, has published an extensive interview between Wiel Arets and Stanley Tigerman, the former director of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Arets and Tigerman begin the conversation by discussing Arets' previous teaching experiences, and how these experiences shape his approach to academia. Arets continues by emphasizing his belief in research and cross-discipline collaboration, the ways in which the school's degree programs might evolve, and how he foresees the school becoming an international meeting-point for poignant architectural and design debate.

Read the full interview at Architect

WAA publish 'Wiel Arets: Inspiration and Process in Architecture'

Moleskine will soon publish Wiel Arets: Inspiration and Process in Architecture. The book opens with an essay by Kenneth Frampton, which highlights the evolution of the studio's work over the last 25 years, while previously unpublished hand sketches and colored pencil perspectives from the late 1980s and early 1990s fill the pages. An extensive interview with Arets concludes the book, unraveling his words, works, and working methods. Moleskin states: 'Exacting, oversized perspective views are alternated with schematic diagrams, fixing nascent ideas onto paper. These materials reveal an attitude and approach to design which are more concerned with content than with form.'

Pre-order the book at Amazon

The AZL Pension Fund Headquarters is nominated for the 'Betonprijs 2012'

The AZL Pension Fund Headquarters, an extension to an existing office building dating from the 1940s and located in the center of Heerlen, the Netherlands, has been nominated for the Dutch 'Betonprijs 2012' ('Concrete Prize' in English), for the category of 'Renovation'. The full list of  winners will be announced on November 14th, 2012 at the award's ceremony in Rotterdam. 

Living Madrid is published in PLOT

The October 2012 issue of the Argentinean publication PLOT includes a 16 page spread featuring Living Madrid, a housing project located on the edge of Parque de Pradolongo in Madrid.

Read more about Living Madrid

'A Wonderful World' exhibited at 'Metropolis' in Utrecht

Two pieces from the exhibition 'A Wonderful World', originally on display in Antwerp during late 2011, have been chosen for inclusion in the exhibition 'Metropolis' in Utrecht, opening Sunday October 14th at 16:00. The exhibition is being hosted by 'Kunstliefde' and will feature artists from the Netherlands, Germany, and the USA. The exhibition seeks to explore how 'the city' is a representation of our culture, and specifically how it has become our accepted daily habitat.

Metropolis
Nobelstraat 12a
3512 EN Utrecht
the Netherlands

October 14-November 18, 2012
Wednesday-Sunday 13:00-17:00

Baunetz reviews 'Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References'

Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References (Birkhäuser, 2012) is currently featured in the book review section of the German publication BaunetzWoche #289. Baunetz states: 'Author and editor Robert McCarter has produced a truly mammoth work. With more than 500 pages of alternating interviews, lectures, and discussions, all easily read at your own pace, alongside pictures and project descriptions – the book's colored 'tab' structure compliments its content.' 

Read the full review at Baunetz

Purchase the book at Birkhäuser

Wiel Arets to lecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture

On October 3rd, 2012 at 18:30 Wiel Arets will publicly lecture at the the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, located in Crown Hall, discussing recent works of WAA and his recent appointment as the school's newest Dean. The lecture is the third of the school's fall 2012 lecture series, and will highlight recent developments in the work of WAA, and simultaneously attempt to bridge the gap between architecture and wider issues, such as culture, transportation, the countryside, and public spaces in cities.

Wiel Arets interviewed on the Dutch radio program 'De Avonden'

Wiel Arets will be in conversation with Susan Boorst on the Dutch language radio program 'De Avonden', which will air in the Netherlands on September 12, 2012 at 21:00 on Radio 6. 'De Avonden' is a daily cultural radio program that has previously featured interviews and conversations with some of the Netherlands' most prominent designers, artists, and makers. Arets will discuss the recently published book Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References, in addition to his appointment as Dean of the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois, USA – which was from 1938-1958 under the direction of Mies van der Rohe – and how he foresees leading and reshaping the school's academic focus.

More about 'De Avonden'

WAA progress construction on the Truman Plaza in Berlin

Located in Berlin Zehlendorf, the Truman Plaza parallels the adjacent Clayallee and is part of a larger master plan that balances its historical urban context with its integration of a delicate onsite forest. The project constitutes offices, retail, health and sports facilities, which together form an urban setting situated around a central plaza within this leafy borough on the edge of Berlin. A series of staggered volumes with height graduations and setbacks provide a framework and rhythm, while a higher, two-part structure anchors the project to the site. The central public plaza, or square, establishes a meeting point for residents – acting as a social condenser – and greened pathways stem from this plaza to the mature woodlands surrounding the site, including the Grunewald forest.

Read more about the Truman Plaza

'Perspectives' part of the 'Reset the City' film series in Den Bosch

Perspectives, a documentary on the life and work of Dutch architect Wiel Arets, produced by George Vogelaar, will be screened as part of the 'Reset the City' film series taking place in Den Bosch, the Netherlands, on October 2nd and December 17th, 2012, in cooperation with the Bosch Architectuur Initiatief. The documentary sketches an image of an enthusiastic and tireless architect working throughout the world. Set within the Netherlands, Milan, Zürich, Berlin, and Tokyo, the producers travelled with Arets for months, talking with him along the way about his ideas and theories as they relate to architecture, design, and metropolitan…

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WAA publish 'Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References'

Wiel Arets: Autobiographical References (Birkhäuser, 2012) offers a unique and unparalleled view of this internationally renowned architect. Arets' optimistic outlook towards the future, which he calls 'A Wonderful World: A New Map of the World', underlies his global philosophy. This book presents Arets' lectures on that topic, debates between him and other thinkers and makers, 60 exemplary designs from his studio, and an extensive series of interviews with Arets. Within these texts his background, education, projects, and teachings are interwoven in a discussion that highlights the evolution of his career. Edited by Robert McCarter and designed by Irma Boom, the book will launch in summer 2012.

Purchase the book at Birkhäuser

WAA progress construction on the AvB Tower in The Hague

The AvB Tower will be located at the Anna van Bueren Square in the center of The Hague, and is an extension of the ‘commuter-leisure’ concept currently emerging in the world’s metropolises. 400 spacious ‘guest-rooms’ will function as studios with floor-to-ceiling sliding yellow-tinted glass panels, providing views to the adjacent square, the skyline of The Hague, and the North Sea beyond. Located next to the city's Central Station, at the intersection of urban envelope and square, the tower was designed to encourage an amplified ‘interiority’ within and around the Anne van Bueren Square.

Read more about the AvB Tower

Wiel Arets appointed to jury of the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture

Wiel Arets has been appointed to the International Jury of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition, as part of the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture. This year's festivities are entitled 'Common Ground', directed by David Chipperfield, and will last from August 29th to November 25th, 2012.

Wiel Arets lectures at the Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus

On July 5th, 2012 at 18:30 Wiel Arets publicly lectured at Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, dicussing recent works of WAA. The lecture was the last of the school's 'Get in Touch with the Dutch' summer lecture series, highlighting the Dutch influence in global architecture, while simultaneously bridging the gap between architecture and wider issues, such as culture and the urban environment.

The AvB Tower is published in MARK

The AvB Tower, to be located in The Hauge, is currently featured in the June/July 2012 issue of the Dutch publication MARK.

Read more about the AvB Tower

The H' House is published in Wohnrevue

The June 2012 issue of the Swiss publication Wohnrevue includes a 9 page spread featuring the the H' House, located in Maastricht.

Read more about the H' House

WAA progress construction on the V' House

Designed for a couple that collects vintage cars, the entrance is a covered outdoor space where several of the owners’ cars can be placed. From this main entrance the house is accessed via a ramp leading through all floors, while secondary circulation consists of an elevator and staircase, allowing for a vertical shortcuts. 3x3 meter sliding doors perforate the structural façade, complimented by highly polished and thus reflective, in-situ concrete. Together with custom furnishings, the house is an expression of free space in a regulated heritage context.

Read more about the V' House

WAA progress construction on the Allianz Headquarters in Zürich

Multiple voids will create shortcuts between floors within the Allianz Headquarters, connecting floors with multiple staircases and allowing a greater flexibility of work space arrangements. As these voids have been incorporated into the structure, the building is adaptable to individual and future uses in many ways. The resulting voids, and the visual connections they create, will encourage a high degree of social interaction and further encourage use of the main staircase as the dominant vertical circulation path, rather than the use of elevators – thus encouraging 'interiority'.

Read more about Allianz Headquarters

WAA launch LaCucinaAlessi at Salone Internazionale del Mobile

WAA has collaborated with Alessi and Valcucine to introduce LaCucina Alessi, launching in Milan at the 2012 Salone Internazionale del Mobile as part of EuroCucina. Made of white Corian®, the freestanding furniture has a unified appearance and is assembled by a hidden joint system, while the upper storage area has sliding doors with an inset pull. The unit is, as shown, equipped with the Alessi Il Bagno dOt faucets, designed by WAA and produced Oras. Alberto Alessi explains, the typical features of WAA's design approach are firmly in evidence in the project's design: '...the tendency for the parts to be…

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WAA progress construction on the B' Tower in Rotterdam

The B' Tower is located in the center of Rotterdam, immediately adjacent to the Bijenkorf department store designed by Marcel Breuer in the late 1950s. The individual studio homes and short stay apartments are completely fitted with WAA designs – including custom designed kitchens, furniture, and fittings by Alessi, Laufen, Miele, Oras, and Valcucine. The design stacks three volumes of similar height. The ground-related volume contains a fashion store and a car park; the two upper volumes contain apartments, most of which include a balcony.

Read more about the B' Tower

The Utrecht University Library is published in the 2011/2012 Architecture in the Netherlands Yearbook

The Utrecht University Library is featured in a six page spread in the 2011/2012 Architecture in the Netherlands Yearbook, published by NAi Publishers of Rotterdam. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the publication, and as such the 10 best buildings in the Netherlands constructed over the past 25 years, as chosen by the editors, were included as a special supplement – and the Utrecht University Library was chosen as one of these 10 best projects.

WAA to design the Blumenhaus in Zürich

Blumenhaus is located in the Escher-Wyss district of Zürich; a 'rough' area of the city and one of the most urban spaces in Switzerland. The neighborhood, when juxtaposed against the backdrop of Zürich's center, is characterized by its relics from the city's industrial past. Reflecting the project's immediate surroundings, a corten façade encloses 23 apartments, ground level retail, and office spaces on the first floor, seemingly merging the building with its existing context. The ground floor façade has been kept free on three sides, maximizing its street-facing retail frontage, while the ground and first floors have been kept flexible, allowing each to be able to accommodate offices, restaurants, and/or shops.

Read more about the Blumenhaus

The H' House is published in Eigen Huis & Interieur

The April 2012 issue of the Dutch publication Eigen Huis & Interieur includes a 12 page spread featuring the the H' House, located in Maastricht.

Read more about the H' House

WAA begin construction on the AvB Tower in The Hague

The AvB Tower will be located at the Anna van Bueren Square in the center of The Hague, and is an extension of the ‘commuter-leisure’ concept currently emerging in the world’s metropolises. The first five floors provide space for shops and the lobby, a restaurant, offices, lecture hall, and library – where the academic dweller finds a communicative atmosphere. 400 spacious ‘guest-rooms’ will function as studios with floor-to-ceiling sliding yellow-tinted glass panels, providing views to the adjacent square, the skyline of The Hague, and the North Sea beyond. The hybrid program of the steel tower, located next to the city's Central Station, at the intersection of urban envelope and square.

Read more about the AvB Tower

Wiel Arets teaches at MCH in Madrid

From March 12-16 Wiel Arets returned to Madrid as a guest professor to once again take part in MCH Master in Collective Housing program, itself part of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Arets and assistant Lena Wimmer debated the notion of ’Tokyo Utopia’ with the students, making use of their week-long investigative research into the future of Japan. The workshop focused on Tokyo as a ‘battle-ground’ and its ability to function as an example for a new 'Utopian' society.

WAA progress construction on Regiocentrale Zuid in Maasbracht

The building houses the operation center for levees along the river Meuse as well as a lobby, nautical training facility, and public educational spaces. At the center of the building, an inner polygonal void is filled with water, and as such is a constant reminder of the water control of the lock-sluices that takes place within the building. As the building will be in constant use, day and night, its occupants are provided with the ability to regulate the light, sound and view within their spaces, importing a domestic quality to the workplace, while a roof terrace offers panoramic views to the waterways beyond.

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Villa Reed Island is published in GA Houses, No. 125

Villa Reed Island, to be located in Amsterdam, is currently featured in the Japanese publication GA Houses, No. 125.

WAA progress construction on the E' Tower in Eindhoven

With a program of simple apartments, the project deals mainly with the horizontal stacking of slabs, from which projects a series of specifically shaped brise-soleils, creating a constant play of shadow on the façade, itself composed of a semi-structural glazing of sliding panels. Some apartments have an internal conservatory, serving as a balcony during summer, and an extra room during cooler months. All other apartments have their own private balcony.

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'A Wonderful World' exhibition opens in Antwerp

Cityscapes Gallery presents a solo exhibition of architect Wiel Arets at the Locus Solus Art Space in Antwerp. The exhibition displays new work of WAA, depicting Arets' outlook on the emerging global metropolis, asserting that: 'We are living in a time where technology is invisible and no one seems to be in control. To help us understand this world, we need to redefine the map of the world; a mental construct reinterpreted countless times since 1492. We could read the world anno 2020 as a collective living space for everyone, with individual cities functioning as neighborhoods, each with their own…

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'Wiel Arets Architects: STILLS' exhibition opens at Fundación COAM in Madrid

With more than 50 built projects, 20 monographs, a series of products in production, countless lectures and professorships given by Wiel Arets, and four new office publications in the works, the timing is perfect for an oeuvre exhibition on the work of WAA. STILLS shows the development of the oeuvre, expands upon the theoretical background that informs the work, and offers insight into the sources of inspiration and fascination of Arets; from his very early beginnings, to his current teachings and projects. In six short video documentaries, the architect leads the visitor through the cities of Tokyo, Zürich, Berlin, and…

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WAA awarded the 2011 Geurt Brinkgreve Bokaal for De Nieuwe Liefde

De Nieuwe Liefde, a theater and community center located in a monumental white building on Amsterdam’s Da Costakade, has been awarded the 2011 Geurt Brinkgreve Bokaal prize. The extensive reconstruction transformed the existing building into a series of new spaces composed of a main hall with seating for 230, a conference room with space for 60, a choir space for 50, a library, a separate restaurant-café, and a grand foyer that decompresses into a central circulation void.

WAA being construction on the Truman Plaza in Berlin

Located in Berlin Zehlendorf, the Truman Plaza parallels the adjacent Clayallee and is part of a larger master plan that balances its historical urban context with its integration of a delicate onsite forest. The project constitutes offices, retail, health and sports facilities, which together form an urban setting situated around a central plaza within this leafy borough on the edge of Berlin. A series of staggered volumes with height graduations and setbacks provide a framework and rhythm, while a higher, two-part structure anchors the project to the site. The central public plaza, or square, establishes a meeting point for residents – acting as a social condenser – and greened pathways stem from this plaza to the mature woodlands surrounding the site, including the Grunewald forest.

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WAA progress construction on the A' House in Tokyo

The volume consists of four horizontally divided spaces with floor slabs of varying heights, each connected by a small vertically screwed staircase that, given the footprint of the building, allows for loft like spaces. Two bedrooms and a bathroom are situated on the lower level, a kitchen and dining area on the ground floor, living and study on the first floor, and a master bed and bath on the highest floor, with an adjacent outdoor terrace on the front end of the house. The terrace is located on the south, allowing for the best possible natural lighting, and the façade envelopes this space.

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WAA progress construction on Schwäbischer Verlag in Ravensburg

The building will house the new headquarters of a company active in many facets of the media, utilizing the notion of 'villas' within the project. It will have a transparent glazed outer membrane that wraps interior and exterior spaces, imparting a singular identity to the project as well as allowing the individual 'villas' to be distinguished. The large structure will be perceived as both several individual buildings, sharing a common enclosing skin, and one continuous diaphanous urban enclosure. For those working in the building, the smaller areas of each working unit allow a sense of place and comfort, giving a domestic character to the experience of inhabitation.

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'Perspectives' premiers at the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam

Perspectives, a documentary on the life and work of Dutch architect Wiel Arets, produced by George Vogelaar, will have its world premiere at the 2011 Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam on October 8th at 17:45. The documentary sketches an image of an enthusiastic and tireless architect working throughout the world. Set within the Netherlands, Milan, Zürich, Berlin, and Tokyo, the producers travelled with Arets for months, talking with him along the way about his ideas and theories as they relate to architecture, design, and metropolitan development – as well as his current projects. The film’s producers also speak to Arets about…

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WAA progress construction on the Allianz Headquarters in Zürich

The Allianz Headquarters is an office complex linked and interlocked by a series of bridges and voids. Once completed, the Allianz Headquarters will be composed of a high-rise tower and a five story building, both with a program of mainly office space, set within an urban plan based on a modified block structure. The two buildings will be connected by a series of bridges, enabling work, gastronomic and leisure spaces to fluidly interact. Upon entering the lobby of the complex, a monumental sculptural staircase will rise 72 meters – the entire height of the building – essentially creating an accessible atrium that visually and intuitively routes users.

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WAA begin construction on Campus Hoogvliet in Rotterdam

Campus Hoogvliet is a key project in the plan to restructure the Hoogvliet area of Rotterdam. The location of this new educational and cultural campus lies within the district of Zalmplaat, a postwar area of the city characterized by Modernist intentions and a park-like setting. The project will form a unique meeting-point within the neighborhood, acting as a transformative catalyst to further strengthen cultural, educational, sport, and work communities. The central theme raised during the design process of the campus was the ideas of 'connections', and how the campus interacts with the areas of the surrounding neighborhood, while simultaneously functioning as a cluster of interrelated public and private spaces.

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WAA begin construction on the V' House

Designed for a couple that collects vintage cars, the entrance is a covered outdoor space where several of the owners’ cars can be placed. From this main entrance the house is accessed via a ramp leading through all floors, while secondary circulation consists of an elevator and staircase, allowing for a vertical shortcuts. 3x3 meter sliding doors perforate the structural façade, complimented by highly polished and thus reflective, in-situ concrete. Together with custom furnishings, the house is an expression of free space in a regulated heritage context.

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The H' House is Architectural Record's June 2011 'House of the Month'

The H' House, located in Maastricht, is currently featured as the June 2011 'House of the Month' in the American publication Architectural Record.

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WAA progress construction on the E' Tower in Eindhoven

The project is located in the Stadium Quarter, an area next to the Phillips Stadium in Eindhoven, and is an integral part of the urban plan drawn up by landscape firm West 8. The original brief for the area includes the E' Tower, the E Block and a slender end-piece of the adjacent block – all apartment buildings in this emerging district. A gap between the E' Tower and the adjacent block will give form to the area's entrance while also providing an outdoor space for use by the tower's inhabitants.

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An extensive interview with Wiel Arets is published in Abitare.

The June 2011 issue of the Italian publication Abitare includes an extensive interview with Wiel Arets highlighting the technical and theoretical evolution of the studio's work. 

WAA progress construction on Regiocentrale Zuid in Maasbracht

Regiocentrale Zuid is located on the river Meuse, which is a water source for drinking, industry, agriculture, wildlife, recreation, as well as inland shipping. The prominently sited building houses the control of levees on this section of the Meuse for the first time in one location, thereby becoming a key component of regional and national water management. Barges, bridges, and lock-sluices between Maastricht and Venlo will be directed from the operational center, the space of which determines the primary volume of the building.

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WAA complete De Nieuwe Liefde in Amsterdam

De Nieuwe Liefde is a theater and community center located in a monumental white building on Amsterdam’s Da Costakade that was originally constructed in 1904 as storage space for a local wine company. The extensive reconstruction transformed the existing building into a series of new spaces composed of a main hall with seating for 230, a conference room with space for 60, a choir space for 50, a library, a separate restaurant-café, and a grand foyer that decompresses into a central circulation void.

Read more about De Nieuwe Liefde

WAA complete the H' House in Maastricht

The H' House is a detached single family glass residence, situated within a formal garden, which heavily utilizes varying shades of transparency to obtain desired privacy levels. Designed for a couple and sited in a suburban area of Maastricht near the Netherlands-Belgium border, the house was designed for a couple with a strong interest in the arts. Individually an actor and a dancer, and dually landscape architects, the owners are able to keep their landscaping skills honed in the formal garden behind the house, which they occasionally open to the public.

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Wiel Arets lectures at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam

On January 4th, 2011 at 19:00 Wiel Arets publicly lectured at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam on the notion of 'A Wonderful World: A New Map of the World', asserting that: 'We are living in a time where technology is invisible and no one seems to be in control. To help us understand this world, we need to redefine the map of the world; a mental construct reinterpreted countless times since 1492.'

Wiel Arets teaches at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam

Wiel Arets and Robert McCarter of Washington University in St. Louis, researched the notion of 'A Wonderful World: A New Map of the World' in the form of a master class at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam from January 3-7, 2011.

WAA awarded the 2010 Best Dutch Book Design Award for 'STILLS'

States the jury, 'Architect Wiel Arets is already the subject of at least 20 published monographs, and new ones are in preparation. Arets himself has always been something of a reader, and his life is not all about form and space: there is room in it for books and other texts too. STILLS is a book that has been created to point up this other side of him. Covering a period of 29 years, it collects in chronological order some 40 texts written by him and a further 50 or so written about him – dark pages set in a single column for his own texts, light pages in two columns for the rest. Years of sowing alternate with years of reaping, years of writing with years of building. An open spine guarantees good handling and triple-thickness front and back covers give it the required stiffness.'

WAA nominated for the 2011 Mies van der Rohe Award for the V' Tower

The V' Tower has been nominated for the 2011 Mies van der Rohe Award. The glazing of the building's skin is fritted with an enamel printed pattern, which ranges from transparent to translucent in a non-repeating rhythm, so that, depending on the angle, time of day, and density of the pattern, one either sees into the interior or sees a reflection of the building’s surroundings.

WAA publish 'STILLS: A Timeline of Ideas, Articles & Interviews 1982-2010'

STILLS: A Timeline of Ideas, Articles & Interviews 1982-2010 is a 632 page in-depth look at the words behind the work of Dutch architect Wiel Arets, published by 010 Publishers of Rotterdam. Some of architecture’s most influential voices can be found inside, including: Stan Allen, Ben van Berkel & Caroline Bos, Kenneth Frampton, Jacques Herzog, Toyo Ito, Rem Koolhaas, Bart Lootsma, Greg Lynn, Robert McCarter, Dominique Perrault, Hani Rashid, Kazuyo Sejima, Roemer van Toorn, and Anthony Vidler.

'Wiel Arets Architects: STILLS' exhibition opens at the Glaspaleis in Heerlen

The exhibition STILLS freezes time, providing visitors the opportunity to explore and reflect on a selection of designs, texts, and images carefully curated from the archives of WAA. Exhibitions visitors can follow the studio’s evolution through a timeline that highlights major milestones of Arets’ life and work. Built projects, model studies, sketches, exhibitions, books, and awards are all on display. A selection of architectural projects from the oeuvre are additionally exhibited through the use of foam models and video presentations. In six short video documentaries, Arets discusses his experiences and thoughts on the architectural profession, expounding on what’s most influential…

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Wiel Arets lectures at the Mackintosh School of Architecture in Glasgow

On November 26th, 2010 at 14:30 Wiel Arets publicly lectured at The Mackintosh School of Architecture in Glasgow, dicussing recent works of WAA. Hosted by The Glasgow School of Art, the Architecture Friday Lecture Series looked beyond the buildings and made connections between architecture and wider issues, such as culture and the urban environment.

WAA begin construction on the Allianz Headquarters in Zürich

The Allianz Headquarters is an office complex linked and interlocked by a series of bridges and voids. Once completed, the Allianz Headquarters will be composed of a high-rise tower and a five story building, both with a program of mainly office space, set within an urban plan based on a modified block structure. The two buildings will be connected by a series of bridges, enabling work, gastronomic, and leisure spaces to fluidly interact. Upon entering the lobby of the complex, a monumental sculptural staircase will rise 72 meters – the entire height of the building – essentially creating an accessible atrium that visually and intuitively routes users.

Read more about Allianz Headquarters

WAA win competition for the IJhal at Amsterdam's Centraal Station

The IJhal, to be located on the waterfront of the river IJ, will be Amsterdam Centraal Station’s pedestrian centric area for gastronomic, retail and, leisure facilities for passengers and city residents alike. The station is currently undergoing a drastic transformation to become the centerpiece of the city’s plan to reconnect the disparate neighborhood clusters along the city's waterfront through the restructuring of its public transportation systems. Construction will begin in 2013.

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WAA awarded the 2011 ContractWorld Award for the V' Tower

The V' Tower has won the 2011 ContractWorld Award under the category 'Offices'. The glazing of the building's skin is fritted with an enamel printed pattern, which ranges from transparent to translucent in a non-repeating rhythm, so that, depending on the angle, time of day, and density of the pattern, one either sees into the interior or sees a reflection of the building’s surroundings.

WAA begin construction on the A' House in Tokyo

The A' House is a detached private single family residence situated on the corner of the centrally located, compact and low-rise housing district of Nishi-Azabu. The volume of the home uses the maximum footprint allowed, though the usable surface of the site is rather small when compared to European standards. Given this small space, the interior of the home benefits from strong double-sided perspectives along two adjacent streets. A roof terrace, with large windows can be closed off by a second glazed sliding shutter, embracing these two opposing conditions. When the elevation of the home is closed, the house appears as a homogeneous sculpture within Tokyo's dense sea of low-rise housing.

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WAA progress construction on the Jellyfish House in Marbella

This vacation house is located on a site close to the beach, where the view to the ocean is blocked at the ground level by a neighboring building. The swimming pool is lifted to the roof, where it is cantilevered out as an extension of the roof terrace, providing panoramic views. The house provides possibilities for voyeuristic experiences, such as the window in the bottom of the pool that allows those on the covered terrace below to see who is swimming, and a jellyfish-filled aquarium in the wall of the pool that allows those swimming to see who is in the kitchen.

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Wiel Arets lectures at Washington University in St. Louis

On April 10, 2010 at 18:30 Wiel Arets publicly lectured at Washington University in St. Louis, dicussing recent works of WAA. Arets is currently the Ruth & Norman Moore Visiting Professor of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, and spoke as part of the Sam Fox School's Public Lecture Series. His lecture, titled Architectural Works, was held in conjunction with the Graduate Architecture Open House.

WAA win the 2010 Amsterdam Architecture Award for Four Towers Osdop

Four Towers Osdorp – a housing project located in the southwest of Amsterdam – has won the 2010 Amsterdam Architecture Award presented by the Amsterdam Architecture Center (ARCAM). The jury praised the project's underground and integrated parking garage, thus allowing the project's site to retain its original park-like setting. Stated the jury, 'Within the urban plan of the towers a mesmerizing effect has been achieved. This is particularly contributed to by the stately simplicity and modesty in the design and detailing. The project has all the hallmarks of a kind of 'hyper-modernity' and leaves also a metropolitan, forward-looking impression.'

WAA begin construction on Schwäbischer Verlag in Ravensburg

Several and diverse media types will make up the Schwäbischer Verlag, to be situated in one building in Ravensburg, which is the economic center of Upper Swabia. The six working clusters of the company will be housed in separate glass-walled office cubes, whose proportions and dimensions are based on urban villas, and which are disposed on several plots so as to integrate with the surrounding historic context. At the ground floor, housing café, conference and event center, and walled gardens, the six office cubes will be interconnected and joined by a transparent glazed outer membrane.

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WAA complete Four Towers Osdorp in Amsterdam

Built at the edge of a new park and small lake in the southwest of Amsterdam, the four slab-like towers each cantilever out over the public street, allowing the street to pass under the building at the entry, and they cantilever over the lake at the other end, where they face the park. Between the four towers, the naturally-lit and ventilated parking is placed underground, with plantings on the roof so that the landscape of the housing site is joined with that of the public park, and the glazed entry lobbies are experienced as being surrounded by nature. The façades of the four towers present the subtle overlapping patterns of the domestic spaces inside.

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Wiel Arets teaches at Washington University in St. Louis

Wiel Arets is currently the Ruth & Norman Moore Visiting Professor during the spring 2012 semester at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Students worked collectively on developing a 'New Map of the World', and individually on developing a design for a 72,000 m² hybrid building sited in one of 20 selected metropolises around the world. These individual design projects concretized the conception of 'A Wonderful World', grounding it in the specific contexts of a selected group of rapidly changing international urban centers. In this way, each student was required to give place-specific architectural presence to the collectively generated theoretical and speculative ideas recorded in their 'New Map of the World'.

Hotel Zenden is published in FRAME

In connection with 'The Great Indoors Award', Hotel Zenden, located in Maastricht, is currently featured in the January/February 2011 issue of the Dutch publication FRAME.

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