Mitingu
·
A meeting place downtown.
Often in architecture the first step is to choose a site. A site for the processes that need an architecture. Not in this case. This project is the result of an effort to find a system that is structure, space and ambience at the same time. That, by no means, removes the obligation to consider the context. It is merely a different inception. The resulting architecture is there to catalyze the core services that are delivered in and by the building.
The construction has a capacity to create a vast range of atmospheres and interior arrangements. Ranging from a visually complex and fragmenting forest of columns and ‘branches’ to an open floor plan with an airy ceiling that appears to dissolve into its surroundings. In doing so the structure can be adjusted to catalyze and amplify processes related to different programs.
In this case the building is situated in an iconic urban ensemble. The structure mediates between a row of all-sided urban villa’s and the legendary pop-tempel Paradiso. The base of the building that doubles as stairs is made of traditional and glass bricks. Allowing the building to root itself in Dutch tradition and the urban environment. Ultimately the building can not be copied but the structure can be adjusted to fit different sites, programs and cultures.
