Building for Bouwkunde Competition Winners Announced

The burned down building of the TU Delft On March 14 Education Minister Ronald Plasterk announced the winners of the Building for Bouwkunde International Ideas Competition. The proposals of the eight nominees, together with the recommendations of a specially convened think tank, form the basis for concrete plans for the future. All competition entries are on display from March 15 in the ‘Building for Bouwkunde’ exhibition at NAi (Netherlands Architecture Institute) in Rotterdam.

How can the TU Delft Faculty of Architecture rise from the ashes? That was the big question after the fiery loss of the old faculty building on May 13, 2008. An international design competition was established to stimulate ideas for a new building. The ‘Building for Bouwkunde’ competition was officially launched in September 2008 during the International Architecture Biennale in Venice. It yielded 466 entries from 50 countries.

The entrants were asked to formulate a vision based on two competition themes: new concepts and dynamics of city and campus. Architects and students were challenged to redefine their faculty through reflection and debate. The jury members were impressed by the quality of entries and the amount of effort that had been put into the designs and presentations.

Result
The competition resulted in a wealth of ideas, ranging from a single building to a collection of buildings. In some entries, the new faculty building is situated on the old site, but there were also entries that included unexpected new locations, both on and off campus, and even entries that called for the reuse of existing buildings. The ideas and proposals can provide a major boost to the discussion on the future of architecture education.

‘The open nature of the competition fostered tremendous creativity in an atmosphere of positive energy. I can say without reservation that the overwhelming number of entries from young architects and students from all over the world holds the promise of a new generation of architectural talent. The designs and ideas provide subject matter for an interesting discussion,’ says Chief Government Architect and chair of the jury Liesbeth van der Pol.

The winners (click here to download boards of all winning projects)
After careful consideration in several rounds, the jury came to the following decision:

First prize (ex aequo)

amalgam, Laura Alvarez (1977, architect), laura alvarez architecture, Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Download Boards (PDF)

Green-Housed Culture, Marc Bringer (1972, architect) & Ilham Laraqui, Marc Bringer Architecture, Paris, France - Download Boards (PDF)

A world without objects, Gijs Raggers (1973, architect), Gijs Raggers architect, Rotterdam, the Netherlands - Download Boards (PDF)

Second prize (ex aequo)

Learning and Creating, Olli Raila (1983, student), Heikki Muntola, Heikki Riitahuhta, Mikko Jakonen & Eetu Arponen, Department of Architecture, University of Oulu, Finland - Download Boards (PDF)

BK city, not a metaphor, Henk Engel (1949, architect), Erik van den Berg & Marius van der Meulen, De Nijl Architects, Rotterdam, the Netherlands - Download Boards (PDF)

Vertical Forum, Elsbeth Ronner & Mick van Gemert, Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft, the Netherlands - Download Boards (PDF)

Honourable mention

Ego Eco-System, Marc Koehler (1977, architect), Martijn de Geus, Miriam Tocino, Stepan Havlik, Carlos Franco, Hans Smolenaers & Bart Popiela, Marc Koehler Architects BNA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
Consultants: Peter de Bois (TU Delft/Hogeschool of Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) & Matthijs Leendertse (TNO) - Download Boards (PDF)

Post Ignem, Tom Haelvoet (1984, architect) & Eveline Hanssens, Haelvoet-Hanssens Architects, Wondelgem, Belgium - Download Boards (PDF)

The exhibition
All entries are on display in the exhibition. The winners have a prominent place, as does the long list of especially intriguing plans. Entries that attest to a particularly appealing vision on certain components are also highlighted. In addition to the entries, the exhibition zooms in on the history of the old building and on inception of the architecture programme at TU Delft.

More information
The Building for Bouwkunde exhibition is open to the public at NAi Rotterdam from Sunday March 15, 2009 through Sunday June 7, 2009. For further details see: www.nai.nl.