’A’A’ Summer issue by MVRDV and t?f

13 July 2010

’A’A’ / L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, the French/English bimonthly welcomes guest editors MVRDV and The Why Factory on the theme of “Uncertainty”. A collective effort of 70 articles by writers such as Beatriz Colomina, Aaron Betsky, Alain de Botton, Justin McGuirk, Jenny Holzer, Kobas Laksa, Markus Miessen, Toshiko Mori, Farshid Moussavi, Saskia Sassen, Mark Shepard and many others.
’A’A’ is out now in stores and can also be ordered atwww.larchitecturedaujourdhui.fr.

"By their very existence, magazines are extrmely short-lived or time-based. As guest editors, we want to use the exactly that fleeting momentum and to show this in its purest way. As a frozen moment in time and a true slice of NOW! [...]It thus uses this momentum as an attempt to describe the current context of the production of architecture and to grasp the present situation. To investigate and show the the broad spectrum of influences, opinions, visions, the battlefield and the actors related to the making of architecture and the future of the city as a range of voices."

The table of content in order of appearance:
Why Uncertainty? by Winy Maas | Liquid times: Living in an Age of Uncertainty by Zygmunt Bauman | What is utopia today? | Atomized architecture by Theo Deutinger, Federica Vazzana and Catarina Dantas | Whatever happened to architectural criticism? It played it safe! by Alexandra Lange | The un-read. The mismatch between theory and practice by Hilde Heynen | What is the role of architecture-magazines today? by Beatriz Colomina and Cyrille Poy | How we promote architecture by BIG, HOK, JDS, MAD, Mecanoo, MVRDV, Jerde Partnership and Tectonics | Mies Media by Beatriz Colomina | The fashion of architecture by Felix Burrichter | We are lost in translation by Annaik Deceuninck, Ania Molenda and Emily Waugh | The dictionary of Vagueness by Aaron Betsky, Geoff Manaugh, Hans Ibelings, Jonathan Glancey , Mark Shepard, Martien de Vletter, Powerhouse Company, Piet Vollaard, Roemer van Toorn, Saskia Sassen and Toshiko Mori | The value of value by John Thackara and Klaas Hofman | We need Archinomics by Ronald Wall | The value of geography by Michael Najjar | Mon portable me met les nerfs en pelote by Harmut Rosa | Our impact by Ulf Hackauf and Pirio Haikola with Wieland–Gouwens | The Green Dream by T?F | Les points clés de la durabilité en action by Mohamed Benzerzour and Franck Boutté | The End (or the new beginning) by Jan Knikker | Why do we not want to understand the future? by Nassim Nicholas Taleb | The edited crisis by David McCandless | Dare to look back by Jan van de Pavert | Be prepared! Planning for the unexpected with Willem Hoekstra | The space for being safe | How do you survive? by Marie Douce Albert | Who do you want to be? by Powerhouse Company | What if they would have been realized? by Gustavo van Staveren | Architecture as a tactic with Markus Miessen | The Crisis of the future image by Tihamer Salij | Be more! by Winy Maas | (use)less to (use)more by Basurama | Optimism is not enough with Kobas Laksa | The happiness filter by Luxigon | La necessité d’une île (and the case of SimpliCity) by Jeroen Zuidgeest | Design and politics by Henk Ovink | We are the city makers by Vincebt Ocalsa | Stop building! by Bart Peters and Sebastian Ropers | Urban propaganda by Justin McGuirk | City Marketing by Robbert Nesselaar | The art of making slogans with Jenny Holzer | On the realization of collectivity by Ekim Tan and Diana Ibáñez López | Building without Bureaucracy by Finn Williams, David Knight and Ulf Hackauf | The reality of virtuality with Mark Shepard | Pixelpower by Winy Maas | A déjà vu by Nacho Velasco and Isabel Pagel | SanOma/OmaSan by Winy Maas | Open up. Embracing Uncertainty by Paul Hughes | Will you dare to? by MVRDV | Scale-less #1 by Johannes Schele | Scale-less #2 by Peter Root | Visual communication with Paul Mijksenaar and Herbert Seevinck | Drôles de plans | weaponofchoice by Marick Baars and Hugo van den Emster | Architects are becoming more and more deskilled with Rory McGowan | Moi, je construis by Andre Kempe and by Marte Marte Architects. | Nothing is more necessary than the un-necessary by Farshid Moussavi | Due yesterday! The regime of the deadline | Slogans for survival by Wieden + Kennedy | The co-authorship by Dominique Alba, Dimitri Boulte, Gaëlle Maidon and Bertrand Schippan | Who is responsible? with Mariana Idiarte and Antonio Tena | Confessions of an architect by Clélie Protière, Flore Raimbault and Noa Peer | The reality filter by Luxigon | Why do you do it? with Alain de Botton | Careers paths by Diana Ibáñez López and Sabina Favaro | The quitters with Hugo Sanchez and Basurama | The making of architects with Marc Angélil and Wytze Patijn | Coming soon with Mick van Gemert, Tanya Martinez Gonzales, David Koezen and Ahmet Korfali | Stay ahead! with Li Edelkoort | Planetary deadlines by Johannes Schele and Maciek Grelewicz | Calling all visionaries! | News

'Luxury of the North' trip to the Canadian High Arctic

09 July 2010

The team of designers of the 'Luxury of the North' project (initiated by Droog Design) spent 10 days at the Canadian high-Arctic to be inspired by and learn from the extreme living conditions. Team interviewed several people from the remote community called Pond Inlet; from wildlife conservation officer and representatives of Nunavut government to hunters and local people.

The extreme conditions influence everything in the 26 communities of Nunavut territory (total population of 30000). Goods and fuel arrive with a ship once a year during a two month period when sea is not frozen. Houses and infrastructure need to be built elevated from the ground due to the permafrost. Time of the day is irrelevant with 24 hour darkness in the winter and 24 hour sunlight in the summer - when towns are busier at 2am than at 2pm. There are no roads connecting the communities to one another, the only way to travel is by small propeller airplanes.

In addition to the work of the designers in the team, The Why Factory will lead a workshop with students from the TU in the coming autumn. The results of the 'Luxury of the North' project will be presented in an exhibition in Toronto in 2011.

'How green are you?' debate at the NAI

20 May 2010

On the occasion of the publication of Green Dream - How Future Cities can Outsmart Nature, the NAI (Netherlands Architecture Institute) organized a debate with three Netherlands based architects, Duzan Doepel (Doepel Strijkers Architects), Nanne de Ru (Powerhouse) and Andre Kempe (Atelier Kempe Till) around the question ‘How green are you?’.

Following short presentations, Winy Maas, principal of MVRDV, and Professor at the Why Factory/TU Delft, discussed with the participants the different aspect of green in architecture.

What does green mean for the architectural practice? Where do you focus? How can or should an architect incorporate these larger contexts into her or his design? What is the information she or he needs to make valid assessments?  And speaking of information, what can we learn from passed projects or experiments. What knowledge do we have, and what are the gaps?

The participants agreed that they don't particularly want to think of themselves as green architects,  but rather try to achieve a good building and the green qualities are part of it. Whether to focus on improving what you know and perfect it, or whether to experiment with new things was also discussed at length.
 
The debate will be followed by a second event at The Why Factory, TU Delft 17 of June

Green Dream is the second book of the Future Cities series after Visionary Cities and is published by NAi Publishers.

Future of Our Past, workshop at Aedes Campus

07 May 2010

How will we deal with in the future with the past that has yet to come? How will preservation change values? What will be the new monuments?
We invite you to join us in an exploration of the future of our past.

During the Why Factory workshop at the Aedes Campus Network in Berlin, the multi-layered fabric of the city formed the base for speculations for future urban developments. Nine sites gave examples of how we may deal with history, value and changing requirements in the coming centuries. Research methods like speed-date brainstorms and scenario-making were used to explore the future of our past.

The workshop included a lecture by Winy Maas and two reviews. It resulted an exhibition in the space of Aedes on the Pfefferberg, Berlin Prenzlauer Berg. The exhibition is the result of the workshop at the Aedes Campus Network Berlin.

Enrollment for new t?f studios starts Monday!

06 May 2010

Next semester in addition to MsC2, 3 and 4, t?f is offering also an MsC1 studio. See below the new exciting topics. Longer descriptions of the projects will be posted in the projects section next Monday including a downloadable pdf.

MSc1 Architecture 'Transformer' and 'World Wonders'
Design Lab I AR1TWF010 (12 ECTS)
Studios start with a statement on the future of urban life. Based on this statement future scenarios will be developed leading to visionary, city-related designs. The studios include highly integrated research and design aspects.
'Transformer' lab explores adaptive and interactive buildings. What happens when buildings can change size and shape according to the needs and desires of the inhabitants? What does this mean for the city, when parts of the city shrink and grow continuously?
'World Wonders' investigates the limits of buildings - and our imagination. How can we create next wonders? How can we amaze?

The Why Factory - Actualities Workshop AR1TWF020 (3 ECTS)
The workshop addresses a specific current topic, which is addressed in a short, intense design session.
The Why Factory - Future Models I AR1TWF030  (3 ECTS)
One or more aspects of the design studio are modelled and simulated in this seminar, creating a calculated scientific base for the project.

MSc2 Architecture & Urbanism 'Extreme Climates' and 'Biodiversity'
Design Lab II AR2TWF010 (12 ECTS)
The design studios are similar to the Design Lab I, but addresses different topics.
'Extreme Climate' A and B studios will look into different global extremes and learn from the conditions. 'Extreme Climates A' studio builds on a knowledge from 'Luxury of the North' a collaboration project together with Droog Design on arctic Canada, but adds other climate extremes into the research. What are the methods of dealing with these climates: from high-tech to traditional. What kind of cities can we imagine to build?
'Extreme Climates B' studio is called  'Neo Beijing' and can take only 5 students as it includes a master class in Beijing. What kind of city lies ahead? What can Beijing tell us about the future city to come? What forces, characteristics and trends identify and lead to what kind of designs within each discipline?
'Biodiversity' studio imagines a city where plants flourish and animals are abundant. How can we stimulate biodiversity in a city?

The Why Factory - Actualities Workshop AR1TWF020 (3 ECTS)
The workshop of the MSc1 is open to all MSc2 students.
The Why Factory - Future Models I AR1TWF030 (3 ECTS)
The seminar is open to all students of the MSc2 Design Lab II

MSc3/4 Architecture & Urbanism 'Automation' and 'Austerity'
The Why Factory - Graduation Lab AR3TWF030  (15 ECTS)
The Why Factory Graduation Lab is organized as a platform for individual projects under one umbrella of urgencies. The balance between research and design, individual and group work, architectural design and scripting with differ per project. All projects are at the same time pragmatic and visionary, delivering calcualted facts and great images of our urban future. The themes this semester are 'Automation' and 'Austerity' and  each student proposes a project that reacts to these urgencies.

The Why Factory - Future Models II AR3TWF010  (6 ECTS)
One or more aspects of the design studio are modelled and simulated in this seminar, creating a calculated scientific base for the project.The Why Factory - Future Views Interview Series AR1TWF020 (3 ECTS)
A guided series of interviews will explore the chosen field of research and build up a consistent argumentation.
+
DSD - Architecture Thinking Thesis AR3DSD030 (6 ECTS)
The thesis seminar is provided by the Delft School of Design and positions the project in a wider societal en philosophical context.

For further information, download the studio 2010 pdf at the 'participate' section on this website. 

 

T?F joins a Parametric Urbanism Design Competition in Nicosia, Cyprus.

01 April 2010

What if we had the chance to re-invent Cyprus? What dreams and what opportunities appear for this island? What will future development of Cyprus be about?

Do we keep or eliminate the border? Will the future be about equality, thus unification?
What will happen when finally the last divisive fence on European ground disappear? Will Greek Cypriot development take over the Island and destroy the smallness and simplicity, thus beauty of the North? What futures can we imagine when keeping the border? How to support and design inequality, thus separation and difference? Can we create an island with three different but strong faces?

The Tri-Colore… The North, the South and the UN Buffer Zone. Three different spatial models, three different typologies, three different life styles. The aim is to discover and envision as many plausible but striking futures for Cyprus to come.

T?F will present a selection of these visions on the 12th of April at the University of Cyprus, Nicosia.
 

t?f collaborates with droog design to study arctic living conditions

19 January 2010

Designers from the Netherlands and Canada team up to study arctic living conditions. Project is an initiative by droog design running under the title 'Luxury of the North'.

Project aims to study how extreme cold conditions affect the built environment as well as daily life. Project team is a unique combination of designers working in different scales; from product design to urbanism. The project team will travel to Pond Inlet in Nunavut territory of Canada this coming June to experience, study and learn from the life in the arctic.

"In the face of modernity, the North is losing its remoteness. Global warming is opening up international trade routes, the unique yet changing ecosystem brings scientists, tourists and protectionists, and prospects of natural resources bring the excavators. As humans are showing they can even colonize the North, the world is losing an ‘out there,’ a part of nature that seems stronger than us."
For more information see droog design.
 
Project team:
Renny Ramakers, director (Droog)
Tim Antoniuk, partner (University of Alberta)
Winy Maas, leading designer (MVRDV, t?f)
Cynthia Hathaway, leading designer
Christien Meindertsma, designer (Flocks)
Pirjo Haikola, designer (The Why Factory)
Stuart Sproule, designer (Red Flag Design)
Ole Bouman, consulting expert (Netherlands Architecture Institute)
Ed van Hinte, consulting expert
Agata Jaworska, content & project manager (Droog)

Local partner: University of Alberta

 

T?F Tribune wins Lensvelt Prize 2009

27 November 2009

The ninth Lensvelt / De Architect interior Prize is granted to MVRDV with their design for the 'The Why Factory Tribune'.

According to the Jury, an effective office landscape is created, which is not aimed at representation, but where the students can work on spacious, nicely designed tables.

"The stacking of volumes is not only effective because of the acquired officespace underneath, but it also delivers a strong architectural image."

 (pictures courtesy of Rob 't Hart)

T?F presents: Visionary Cities

01 November 2009

Are we having too much fun? Are our dreams undermining the city? Has everything been done before? Is our future being imagined without us? Most importantly: What is an urban vision and why do we need one? In Visionary Cities, The Why Factory asks these questions and invites you to join them as they explore potential solutions for these and many more urgencies that are threatening our cities today.

Visionary Cities is the first publication in the upcoming ‘Future Cities Series’

 

- Also available at our 'order a product' section on the website -

Minister Plasterk opens t?f

22 October 2009

Delft University of Technology, t?f and MVRDV together organized an opening event on 15 of October in and around the orange tribune. The event marked the official inauguration of Prof. Maas, opening of the tribune and t?f and launch of its first book 'Visionary Cities'. Event attracted over 500 guests - a full house.

Ronald Plasterk, minister of Education, Culture and Science officially opened t?f and received the first copy of the book. Opening ceremony launched the 'Future City' event with speeches, exhibition, video installations, music and drinks.

Prof. Maas held his inaugural speech, addressing the need for a new model for education and research. "I want to address this initiative today by describing the need for fundamental research and argumentation, the why factor, that requires us to keep asking questions until we reach the answer and thus, the next question.[...] Our ultimate mission is to reveal through bigger projects the mechanism of thinking about, and ultimately producing a series of critical alternatives through images."

Full inaugural address will be downloadable as a pdf soon.
 

The event featured also 'My Future City' speeches. Speakers from many disciplines were invited to state their dreams, definitions or predictions of the future city. A platform to present fantasy and criticism about the future of our cities.

Bas Verkerk (Mayor of Delft), Frank Bijdendijk (Director housing corporation Stadgenoot), Ole Bouman (Director of Nai Rotterdam), Kristin Feireiss (Founder Aedes Architecture Forum), Pirjo Haikola (The Why Factory), Bernard Hufenbach (Head of Strategy and Architecture, ESA/ESTEC), Rob Nijsse (Professor of building technology TU Delft and director ABT), Coen van Oostrom (Founder and CEO of OVG), Henk Ovink (Director Vision Design & Strategy of ministry of Spatial Planning VROM), Michiel Riedijk (Prof. Architectural Design TU Delft and Founder Neutelings Riedijk), Wouter Vanstiphout (Crimson Architectural Historians), Nathalie de Vries, Jacob van Rijs (architect, director and co-founder MVRDV, Ronald Wall (economic geographer and urbanist, Erasmus University/Berlage Institute), Wytze Patijn (Dean of Faculty of Architecture TU Delft)
 

Opening of The Why Factory and Inaugural address Prof. Winy Maas

12 October 2009

Ronald Plasterk Minister of Education, Culture and Science will officially open on October 15 the new think tank ‘The Why Factory’ at the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology and the structure it occupies, an orange Tribune designed by MVRDV. The Why Factory, an initiative of Delft University’s Faculty of Architecture and MVRDV, researches urban futures and is lead by Winy Maas. During the opening event a series of prominent speakers will discuss the future city and Winy Maas will give his inaugural address as professor at TU Delft.

After a fire destroyed their premises, The Why Factory and the faculty of architecture of Delft University moved into the former main building of the university. An interior courtyard was created and designated as the new residence of The Why Factory. MVRDV designed the three floor tall wooden structure, containing lecture halls, meeting rooms and the premises of the research institute. An auditorium stair climbs to the top, literally putting the students on top of their teachers.

The structure distinguishes itself by its bright orange colour which clearly identifies The Why Factory as an independent research centre within the Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology. Furniture designer Richard Hutten designed flexible furniture to allow the space around the tribune to switch function between research hall, lecture hall and exhibition space.

My Future City event 15 October
Opening and inauguration of The Why Factory and the Tribune by Ronald Plasterk, Minister of Education, Culture and Science and Rector Magnificus Professor Jacob Fokkema. After the opening invited speakers will state their dreams, definitions or predictions of the future city:

Bas Verkerk (Mayor of Delft)
Frank Bijdendijk (Director housing corporation Stadgenoot)
Ole Bouman (Director of NAi)
Kristin Feireiss (Founder Aedes Architecture Forum)
Pirjo Haikola (The Why Factory)
Bernhard Hufenbach (Head Architecture at ESA/ESTEC)
Rob Nijsse (Professor of Building Technology TU Delft and director ABT)
Coen van Oostrom (Founder and CEO of OVG)
Henk Ovink (Director Vision Design & Strategy of Ministry of Spatial Planning (VROM))
Michiel Riedijk (Prof. Architectural Design TU Delft and Founder Neutelings Riedijk)
Wytze Patijn (Dean of Faculty of Architecture TU Delft)
Nathalie de Vries (architect, director and co-founder MVRDV Rotterdam)
Wouter Vanstiphout (Crimson Architectural Historians Rotterdam)
Ronald Wall (Erasmus University, Architect and Economist)
 

t?f at Pioneers of Change, Governors Island NY

25 September 2009

NY400 Week / Holland on the Hudson presented Pioneers of Change, a festival of Dutch design, fashion and architecture on New York's Governors Island. Activities took place in and around eleven officers' houses at Nolan Park, Governors Island, New York. 

Pioneers of Change featured leading designers and institutes from fashion, design and architecture, such as: 2012 Architecten, Atelier NL, Maarten Baas, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York, Experimental Jetset, Christien Meindertsma, MVRDV and The Why Factory with Work Architecture Company, Parsons The New School for Design, Platform21, Michael Schoner (NL Architects), Richard Hutten, Atelier van Lieshout, and Chris Kabel.

The Why Factory, MVRDV and Work Architecture Company, presented several movies related to food. Two of these by t?f: Foodprint Manhattan, a study on food consumption and production on Manhattan island, specifically made for the exhibition and Foodprint The Hague, commissioned by Stroom earlier this year. 

Winy Maas welcomes new t?f students!

04 September 2009

Two new MSc2 studios, Austerity and Automatic City as well as a platform for MSc3/4 where students can propose their own topics, or choose from a variety of themes were introduced by Winy Maas. All studios will be held at the orange tribune, which is ready for new students. Welcome!

'AFTER THE CRISIS' workshop results published

01 September 2009

 T?f held a workshop at Aedes Network Campus last May, this was the first of the series in a new platform. "The studio aimed at debating and visualising new possibilities that the crisis might open to the city, as well as to the discipline of architecture itself. How to use the crisis as a momentum for change? Entitled ‘ After the Crisis’ the brief asked the students for visions of the future Berlin. Each project, therefore, became a hypothesis constructed around projected consequences of the current economic downfall."

Read the whole article on ANCB

Foodprint exhibition opening at Stroom

27 June 2009

 Stroom in The Hague, center for art and architecture, launched the Foodprint program with a symposium `Food for the city' Friday 26 June 2009. Foodprint investigates the influence of food on culture, the institutions and the functioning of the city. The symposium wants to involve participants in a debate concerning the value of food, the romantic imagery on food production, innovative town farmers, and pigs in the city. A large number of (inter)national participants, among others, Carolyn Steel, Will Allen, John Thackara, Winy Maas/The Why Factory and Joep van Lieshout will present their visions on food in the city. The symposium will be concluded with a conversation between Tom Bade and minister Gerda Verburg (LNV). 

For the exhibition The Why Factory made two movies. First movie looks at global food consumption, different national diets and the enormous amount of land required to grow our food. The data presented questions the effectiveness of urban farming with traditional technologies. The second movie presents architectural proposals and different alternatives for organic pig farming in the city bringing us urbanites closer to our animals once again. 

Symposium 26 June from 9.00-18.00. T?F workshop at 15.50, at the exhibited work with Annechien ten Have Mellema (LTO) and Stakeholders, moderated by Tracy Metz. Exhibition opens 26 June at 17.00 with Minister Verburg. Exhibition is open until 23 August. 

Location: BINK36, Binckhorstlaan 36, Den Haag

The parametric user

12 May 2009

 Professor Winy Maas was asked to give a lecture on the topic ‘The User’ for the international design seminar ‘Indesem 09’ in Delft. How can we handle the collective responsibility, versus individual desires? Parameterization is an essential part of the practice of MVRDV and Prof. Maas stated that everything, including desires and emotions can in fact be parameterized. He showed various projects where general public and users were given a voice within a system, ranging from small buildings to software. “We [architects] should not be afraid, we should team up with software engineers.” He discussed examples such as the ‘Citymaker’: a dream to make an environment you can direct and ‘Space fighter’: a game and simulation to understand and influence the evolution of a city. 
Final question from the audience was “What about the future?” where Prof. Maas concluded; “Parameterization I showed is one way. The Why Factory will explore the future cities and find new methods.”

Moving in!

06 May 2009

T?F finally moves into their new office, a tribune designed by MVRDV. Students will move in a bit later, 16 of May. After the fire at Architecture faculty building, almost exactly one year ago, the team and the students were housed in several temporary spaces, at the Berlage institute, Faculty of Applied Sciences and in different spaces within the architecture faculty. T?F wants to thank everyone for their hospitality. Welcome to visit us in the tribune!

VerticalVillage© launched in Taipei

01 April 2009

The JUT foundation from Taipei, Taiwan has commissioned MVRDV and T?F to curate the fourth edition of the exhibition series 'Museum of Tomorrow'. Under the title 'VerticalVillage©' the exhibtion will explore the possibilities and potentials of informal structures and urban villages in Taipei. The pavilions for the exhibition form part of the research and are designed by MVRDV. 

T?F and MVRDV are executing the research and concept proposals for the VerticalVillage© together with teachers and students of the Taiwanese Universities of FuJen,  Tamkang, Tunhai and the National Chiao Tung University. This week, MVRDV and T?F have been to Taipei for the official launch of the project and intensive discussions with all students and teachers on the content of the project. In July, the team will go back for a workshop where one design of the VerticalVillage© will be made. This will form the core of the exhibition, which will be opened in November 2009 in Taipei.

Foodprint in collaboration with Stroom

25 March 2009

On 25 of March the artists, architects, designers and researchers involved in the 'Foodprint' project met in the Hague for a kick-off and to get inspired by a lecture by Carolyn Steel about her recent book 'Hungry City'.

Foodprint is a two year project investigating possibilities of food production in urban context. The project includes exhibitions, art projects, symposia and lectures. T?F participates in an exhibition which opens at Stroom in the Hague on 25 June 2009. Together with a group of students from TU Delft faculty of Architecture, T?F is researching and visualizing pig farming in the city. Can we include the whole cycle of the pig in the city? What industries could support it? What programs could it be combined with? Could this kind of agropark provide a new identity for the city and the area? 

Lifting the roof!

23 January 2009

The construction for the tribune that will house T?F is well under way. The roof structure was lifted today in rainy winter weather. Waiting for the completion of the tribune T?F is still temporarily house at the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

T?F TRIBUNE opening in April

18 January 2009

 T?F will move to it's new home at the Faculty of Architecture in April. The TRIBUNE, designed by MVRDV, is currently being built as part of the conversion and extension of the Faculty building at the Julianalaan in Delft. Placed in a covered courtyard, the structure will house research and education facilities. Large screens will allow to turn the student space into a large presentation and event space. After completion, T?F will host an opening party. The date of the party will be announced shortly. 

T?F presents movie at the Hong Kong Business of Design Week

17 December 2008

At the Business of Design Week (BODW) ‘The Why Factory’ presented visions for the future of Hong Kong, ‘Hong Kong Power’. ‘Hong Kong Power’ is an in-depth analysis of Hong Kong’s current urban, architectural and cultural situation upon which proposals for the future of the city have been developed and shown in form of a movie at this year’s Business of Design Week, 8th to 13th of December.

This movie has been the result of the joint studio 'Hong Kong Fantasies' held in October 2008 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The joint studio has been organized and developed by The Why Factory together with the International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU) in collaboration with the Berlage Institute Rotterdam, the Technical University of Delft and the Chinese Hong Kong University. The study has been financially supported as part of the ‘Open Minds’ program by the Dutch Ministry of Economy.

Green Dream at the St. Etienne biennale

01 December 2008

 T?F was invited to present maps from the Green Dream project in the 'Salle des Cartes' (Maps Room) at the City Eco Lab event, curated by John Thackara. The maps by T?F focused on global and large scale urban view on sustainability, contrasting and complementing the City Eco Lab local approach

Robotic City studio visits MIT

25 November 2008

Robotic City studio visited Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston 17-21 of November. Students and teachers visited several research departments and groups working on projects related to automation and robotics, such as, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Media Lab Smart Cities group and Tangible Media group. Students also learned about the challenges and potentials of complex urban simulation from Kaustuv DeBiswas (Design Computations department) who collaborated with Prof. Maas on the Spacefighter project.

T?F students were not only learning from the interesting presentations, but also got to present their projects and receive comments from students and researchers from MIT.

T?F Robotic City visits ESA and discusses collaboration

04 November 2008

Robotic City studio students and teachers visited ESA, the European Space Agency, today in Noordwijk (NL). ESA guides the development of Europe's space capability and carries out research in all areas of space activity. The students presented their projects to enthusiastic ESA representatives from Human Spaceflight, Mocrogravity and Exploration Programmes. We received interesting comments on the projects and ideas about future collaboration between ESA and T?F were discussed and planned. T?F was also given a guided tour in the ESA facilities. In two weeks Robotic City studio will visit MIT in Boston.

Robotic City studio students and teachers visited ESA, the European Space Agency, today in Noordwijk (NL). ESA guides the development of Europe's space capability and carries out research in all areas of space activity. The students presented their projects to enthusiastic ESA representatives from Human Spaceflight, Mocrogravity and Exploration Programmes. We received interesting comments on the projects and ideas about future collaboration between ESA and T?F were discussed and planned. T?F was also given a guided tour in the ESA facilities. In two weeks Robotic City studio will visit MIT in Boston.

T?F fantasizes on the future of Hong Kong

22 October 2008

Winy Maas and T?F are currently leading a masterclass in Hong Kong. Under the title "Hong Kong Fantasies", an international group of students and mentors develop visions for the future of the city. Together the group is producing a movie that will be presented at the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong in December 2008. The master class is a collaboration of the Chinese Hong Kong University, the University of Hong Kong, TU Delft and the Berlage Institute and has been initiated and organized by the International Forum of Urbanism.

T?F new year kicks-off

12 September 2008

After a year of preparation and pilot Master studios T?F starts two new MSc Master graduation studios Robotic City and Death of Leisure City. Prof. Winy Maas introduces the projects for T?F students.

The focus of the Robotic City project is on the influence that robotic devices, automation and developments around artificial intelligence could have on the city and our life in an urban setting. The emotional aspects of our relationship with machines, computers and robots form another important part of the research project.
The other studio investigates leisure. If previously the industry (as production of goods) was a cause for economic development, today leisure is the strongest economic engine of all: in terms of its global turnover, tourism became industry number one. 'If in the past holidays to far destinations were about 'exoticness', now this word has lost its meaning due to globalization, mass traveling and mass tourism' (W. Maas).

The first T?F Master studios concluded this week!

04 July 2008

Green Dream studio presented the results of semesters hard work in an exhibition infront of a jury consisting of Prof. Winy Maas, John Thackara and Jaap Wiedenhoff (Arup). Projects ranged from potentials of biotechnology to light the city with bacteria, innovative ways to grow food in a city, all the way to making a global plan of how and where we will live in 2100. T?F realised that green is fashionable, yet its design potentials are unexplored and decided to focus the studio on using green as an inspiration to provide new qualities to future cities and architecture; something that is often forgotten in the very technical debate surrounding the topic of sustainability. Aim was to study the problems, go beyond them and explore the power and the challenges of green architecture and urban design.

T?F moves into their
new tent

02 June 2008

T?F has celebrated the opening of their new home in one of the temporary tents on the university campus. Within an incredible two weeks, the university has provided us with fully equipped workspaces. We share the space with our colleagues from the former 13th floor, the DSD and the Urban Asymmetry group. A barbeque and drinks on the lawn outside the tent showed that our new location has definitely it's qualities. On this occasion, Winy Maas explained the plans for the conversion of the old Main building of the university, which will house the faculty until the burnt faculty building will be replaced by a new building.

T?F temporarily housed at the Berlage Institute

14 May 2008

T?F staff and students gather together outside after the devastating fire to plan how to best finish the last weeks of the semester. TU Delft has decided that the semester will continue as planned despite the fire that destroyed the Architecture Faculty building. T?F will be first temporarily be housed at the Berlage Institute at the centre of Rotterdam. Longer term solution will be provided soon at the TU campus.

Fire destroys Architecture Faculty building

13 May 2008

The fire started at 9.30 in the morning and despite the efforts of the fire department destroyed the entire building collapsing part of the building already by noon. Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire, but material damages are enormous. T?F, together with the whole DSD, had moved into its brand new 13th floor only a couple months earlier just to see it go up in flames.