PROFILE: BEN VAN BERKEL


What kind of things are you looking to incorporate into your designs? I look at everything from historical examples of form to the way the light falls or to the way people are dressed. I’m inspired by the many levels of culture you can fi nd in society. I’ve learned so much from working in so many places, so I’m also able to cross-com- bine different cultural qualities to give our architecture a global feel. That doesn’t mean we’re totally global in our ideas however, as we also believe in being highly local. With a global network and local experiences you can be truly innovative.


Your work strikes a powerful balance between interior and exterior. How do you approach this? We’ve done many projects where this ‘inter-quality’ between exterior and interior come together. I think it comes from my expe- rience in product design and interior design, and I’m also very infl uenced by art. I always strategise a holistic approach. You can see this approach in theatres we’ve designed like Theatre de Stoep and Theatre Agora, in the Museum de Valkhof in Nijmegen in Holland, and in the Mercedes- Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.


In the Mercedes-Benz Museum, a major design element is the void space in the centre of the building, which became one of the big- gest inspirations for the façade. It’s almost as though the façade and the central void have a direct dialogue with each other.


You often talk about intelligent buildings. What characteristics do they have? We want to bring all the values of a build- ing – the materials, construction, acoustics – together to make buildings that are smarter and more interactive. Buildings will become interactive machines that react and respond


The Ponte Parodi


waterfront development will feature a large rooftop park


Ponte Parodi Genoa, Italy In planning


Ponte Parodi is part of Genoa’s harbour regeneration project. UNStudio won the competition to design a new experience desti- nation for the city and repurpose space vacated by industry. The concept includes a cruise ter- minal, wellness, a park, sports


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fields, beaches and cultural attractions. All of this orbits around a large public piazza. The main building houses


retail, F&B, wellness and the ter- minal, and a botanical park and amphitheatre are located on the roof. The studio has incorporated


different approaches to public space across the destination, with an esplanade, urban park and other recreational areas. UNStudio’s philosophy of creat- ing buildings that are sustainable and fl exible in function can be seen in action at Ponte Parodi.


CLADmag 2015 ISSUE 1


©UN STUDIO


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