Elegy for the Office Park

TEAM DATA

Team Representative: Andrea Bit (IT) – Architect; Associates: Maciej Wieczorkowski (PL) – Architect, Robert Van Der Pol (NL) – Landscaper

Insulindestraat 173A1, 3038 JM Rotterdam, Nederland
+31644507121 - ab.andreabit@gmail.com 

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^{A. Bit, M. Wieczorkowski & R. Van Der Pol}

INTERVIEW

1. How did you form the team for the competition?

We met while working in the same design office in Rotterdam. We have different backgrounds, complementary expertise, and like to pursue personal projects. We enjoyed working together and decided to collaborate, creating the team for the Europan competition.

2. How do you define the main issue of your project, and how did you answer on this session main topic: the place of productive activities within the city?

We think that the main issue of our project lies in the difficult relationship between productivity and identity. In our understanding the most common approach in the design of office parks as well as other spaces dedicated for productive activities is based on principles of efficiency and genericness. This creates toned down and uninspiring spaces which quickly get outdated. At the same time the consideration for privacy and car accessibility breaks the connection to the rest of the city. The design of productive spaces, often considered as mere investment, is close-ended to minimize potential risk, which makes it in turn difficult to adapt and keep up with ever changing situation of the city. In our project we try to reverse this situation by making the efficient and generic character of the office park more explicit, up to the point when it becomes the very identity of the area, and also distinguishes it from its surroundings. At the same time we propose a strong structure which can be filled in according to changing needs, making the design open ended and allowing future adjustments without compromising the strong character of the area.
 

The site of the project inspired our thinking as it encapsulates all the trends we wanted to deal with. You can see how efficiency-driven and closed ended design resulted in a situation where an amazing location with unique potential and qualities in the city is heavily underused and threatens to become obsolete.

We have not treated this issue before as a team, but we have worked on similar topics separately. Our design for Brainpark has a theoretical base influenced by the Frankfurt School as well as projects from Dogma. The approach to the landscape was inspired by the project ‘Wheatfield-A Confrontation’ by Agnes Denes. However, our thinking was mostly inspired by the location itself. In a sense it forced us to experiment and take a more optimistic approach. We believe that in this way we could find a solution that has the capacity to effectively address the problems of Brainpark area and transform it into a vibrant location in the city.

Implementation was an important issue in our project. Ease of phasing and adjusting parts of the project without hindering coherence of the whole ensemble was one of the decisive factors in choosing the preferred design solution. In that way the site can develop organically and be future proof. Additionally we believe that the area can benefit from the creation of an overarching organisation with all the stakeholders (among others: RET, Erasmus University, the municipality and landowners). We also proposed to create a single maintenance organisation.

6. Is it the first time you have been awarded a prize at Europan? How could this help you in your professional career?

It is the first time we are awarded in an Europan competition. We enjoyed working on the Brainpark site and we hope this achievement can result in establishing a dialogue with the stakeholders to contribute to the future of the area. By presenting a radical model we hope to engage in the discussion about the future of office parks as a typology.

TEAM IDENTITY

Office: Dividual and LMNL
Functions: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design
Average age of the associates: 31 years old

Has your team, together or separately, already conceived or implemented some projects and/or won any competition? If yes, which ones?

LMNL has recently completed the renovation of the Hidden House in Rotterdam. The second built project will be a house that is a take on a typical Dutch barn typology and constructed from CLT and other sustainable materials. For both houses the gardens were designed at the same time.