Dutch Profiles: UN Studio

In 1988 art historian Caroline Bos and architect Ben van BerkeI set up their architectural practice in Amsterdam, then called the Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau.
In 1998 they changed the name of their practice to UN Studio. The initials "UN" stand for United Network, a reference to the collaborative nature of the practice comprising a multi-national team of specialist individuals - with a broad spectrum of skills and technical know-how.
Based in Amsterdam, UNStudio has worked with clients worldwide since its launch and has produced a wide range of projects across numerous disciplines - ranging from public buildings and infrastructure, to offices, furniture and urban master plans.
The remarkable design of the Mercedes-Benz Museum makes visitors forget they are in a museum. Based on a unique cloverleaf concept, it comprises three overlapping circles with the centre removed to form a triangular atrium.
This building reflects the essence of UNStudio's vision - a company that is currently working on over 30 projects all over the world and just opened a second headoffice in Shanghai. As he travels ceaselessly around the globe, sharing knowledge through lectures and presentations, Van Berkel is constantly re-thinking the role of the architect in contemporary society.
www.unstudio.com
CREDITS
Commissioning editor Submarine: Geert van de Wetering
Producer: Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen
Director: Mattijs Mollee
Camera: Marijn Zurburg
Sound: Bram Meindersma
Editor: Dominique Kools
Colour Correction: Maurik de Ridder
Music/Sound Design: Pastelle Music
Produced by Submarine, Femke Wolting & Bruno Felix
www.submarine.nl
Commissioned by DutchDFA
www.dutchdfa.com
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For those who needs the architect's words: "I once called architects the fashion designers of the future meaning us architects dress the future. As an architect, you should aim to make something enduring like Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam which initially generated a lot of media attention. I think it's good for projects to be a little provocative. that way they contribute to a city's social cohesion" “Entering the building you come into a central atrium with three main capsule lifts to take you up. It’s like going back in time. At the top you emerge in a kind of cloud. You’re in this kind of timeless space. The horse can be seen as an indication thar we are in a space dedicated to our means of transport before the invention of the automobile.” You have to try and imagine how you would walk through this space and design scripts, as it were, which makes sure you’re communicating on many different levels. The scale of a building has become near irrelevant. From the outside, it looks like a three-story building when there are in fact seven or eight levels. It’s really two buildings interlocking in a complex way. Because you’ve got these two spirals, it means that at no point are they on the same level. You never know at which level you are or where exactly you find yourself. Often visitors aren’t sure whether they’ve actually been to a particular section” “These two interlacing spirals make you feel as if the spaces are following you. You don’t just see things in front of you, that’s the classic idea of architecture, the modernist principle, of everything being in front of you, as a camera would see it, but much more is possible now. You can create 3D and 4D experiences with the idea of moving through space” It’s not just about architecture. It’s about architecture as a means of communication. The incredible cinematographic aspect of travelling is also very much part of this museum. Changing experiences, light and dark coming to meet you, all this has been taken into account in creating the travel experience of this building" “We introduced UN Studio by publishing a book called Move which was about the architect’s new role, about what the concept of an architect might come to mean in the future. There we already predicted that architects would have to move within networks as phlegmatically as possible and not only that. Today the talk is all about using computers to create nice forms and we can in fact make almost anything in a short space of time; but that’s not the only interesting aspect about the computer’s role in the process. We can now create a 3D model incorporating all the different variants from contractors and subcontractors, make the adjustments and send them back within one day. This means you can work much faster in a programming kind of way. So besides drawing and making models you’re also becoming a programmer”